Habita79 Hotel Pompeii - MGallery Collection
Index to Genius1 Trip Reports
Less than a 5-minute walk to the Piazza Anfiteatro entrance to the archaeological site of Pompeii, Habita79 opened in May 2021 in a late 19th century building formerly used to accommodate pilgrims visiting the near-adjacent Shrine of the Virgin of the Rosary of Pompei. The 79 in the hotel’s name refers to the year of the eruption of Mount Vesuvius that destroyed Pompeii and neighbouring Herculaneum.
We used the hotel’s recommended car service to meet us at Naples airport for the 30-minute drive to the hotel. A warm welcome greeted us upon arrival in the hotel’s intimate but still grand lobby, where reception is set off to the right of the original marble staircase with central lift. The hotel has a strong art deco interior design style, with edgy modern art peppered throughout the public areas.
The lobby is home to a couple of seating areas either side of the main entrance doors, with a further seating nook and communal work table past reception towards the restaurant-cum-bar. In the opposite direction is a large meeting room.
We were initially allocated a Superior (standard) room on the first floor facing the road, but when we realised the air conditioning wasn’t working, were moved across the corridor to one looking out over the hotel’s garden. For the inconvenience, we were offered two complimentary passes to use the spa, which was very thoughtful and unexpected.
At 26 square metres, our room wasn’t large, but it was functional and well laid out with everything required for a short stay. I doubt many people are staying in Pompei for work, but in case you are, be warned that there was no desk; just a table, armchair, stool and narrow shelf below the TV housing the complimentary tea and (instant) coffee. Sadly the mugs were not cleaned daily as part of housekeeping. I appreciated that there was a suitcase stand, an all too often missed feature in hotels these days.
The slim wardrobe housed a safe, fridge with complimentary still and sparkling water, hairdryer, slippers and laundry paraphernalia. Coffee machines by Illy are available in Junior Suite and higher room categories.
Together, the lack of artwork in the room, harsh lighting (on certain settings), and the hard (and occasionally stained) office-style carpet, didn’t make for an overly luxurious feeling to the room - indeed, it was a bit clinical. Other niggles included one of the bedside reading lights not working, a banging noise coming from the fridge every time the compressor started (resulting in me having to unplug it), and a real lack of accessible power sockets (there were only two that I could find including one at floor level, and only USB-A sockets by the bed).
The bathroom was a little industrial in appearance, featuring a large walk-in shower and bidet. Amenities in reusable bottles were by Nuxe. A single-use box of the world’s smallest tissues was hotel branded, and was placed next to the only two glasses in the room. The basin was slow draining, and there were no face cloths or robes, despite the latter being advertised on the hotel’s website.
Il Circolo is the hotel’s main restaurant and bar, located off the lobby. It’s here that we ate breakfast each morning; buffet led at weekends, with a menu available on weekdays. Drinks were waiter-served at all times, including very decent coffee (as you might expect), although flagging a waiter down often took some effort. The food selection was weak; a limited hot selection that I initially missed given its location at the back of the room, with a significant emphasis on breads, pastries and cakes for the rest of the offering. Whole fruit, yogurt, cereals, basic cold cuts, cheese and salad were also present, although the buffet at times was quite depleted and I had to request for items to be replenished.
The restaurant itself is quite attractive, with a green and bronze island bar and buffet and nicely spaced seating. For warmer weather, there’s an outdoor terrace.
Other dining options include gourmet RAW (open Wednesday to Saturday for dinner) and The Roof, the adjacent rooftop cocktail bar - both offering views of Mount Vesuvius. During our February stay, these venues were closed.
The hotel’s Nuxe Spar in the basement offers jacuzzis, a sauna, Turkish bath, sensory shower and private massage rooms for treatments, along with a fitness centre. There is however no swimming pool.
The basement is also where further meeting rooms are located, along with toilets and a nod to the area’s heritage.
Habita79 Hotel Pompeii is an interesting addition to the MGallery Collection, perfectly located for visiting historical Pompeii and enabling easy exploration of lesser-known modern day Pompei. Despite a few inconveniences (which ended with reception being unable to post a postcard), I wouldn’t hesitate to return if needing a base in this part of Italy.