I guess I am one of those "unsavvy travellers" nothing at all super exciting
I have stayed at the Cavalieri seven times.
I arrive at FCO, I pick up my luggage, get a taxi, and get to hotel in under an hour and despite arriving as early as 900 am, on a couple of ocasion the hotel has always checked me in right away... no problem there.
I rarely suffer from jet lag since I tend to sleep for most of my flights... I just continue with the regular routine of a vacation/visit.
The example you give about Penn is fine but its by no means even closely applicable to getting to the Cavalieri is it?. The walk/shuttle/walk/shuttle etc exercise has got to take four hours and since all my visits have included my wife and my visits to Italy run upwards of two weeks there's a limit to what one can fit in a rollaboard unless you want to spend the evenings washing your socks and underwear (or alternately wear them four four days
) plus a nice suit to be worn for dinner at La Pergola aint gonna fit in any rollaboard no matter how " savvy and experienced" you are.
Now if others here are so intensely interested in my experience at this hotel
I can only direct them to the wondeful FTalk search feature.
mike