see below

Trying to figure out why my photos won't upload, tried .jpg, .jpeg, and using links online... Nothing works.

Check In

Check in experience started with the bell boy, who seemed to genuinely care if a single drop of rain got on us. He got our taxi door, held the umbrella for us, and checked the backseat once we got out to make sure we did not drop anything in the cab. This is such a stark difference from how little the bellboy cared at the St Regis Rome.

Check in was smooth, and our special occassion (honeymoon) was recognized. The staff congratulated us on our marriage. 

Room

We stayed in a Grand Deluxe room. Our room was on the sixth floor and had a balcony that overlooked the Spanish steps. The view here is the main reason we picked the hotel. It is phenomenal. Much better than the view from the Hotel de la Ville next door. If you are the fifth floor, you won't have a balcony and your view towards the Spanish steps may be partially blocked by other buildings. Sixth floor or higher is the way to go. Make sure your TA can confirm this for you.

One thing we did not like was the lack of complimentary water. I know this is common in Europe but at a luxury hotel the guest should have more than a bottle of 250mL complimentary water per day. I am also dinging this hotel for the lack of in-room coffee/tea. 

Dining

The hotel has a Michelin star restaurant Imago, which we did not dine at since it was closed two of the three nights we stayed at the hotel.

The breakfast spread was okay, but we did not stay at this hotel for the breakfast. There is a buffet and you can order a la carte items. Some fruits in the buffet were fresh and some were canned.

Location

Aside from the view, the location was also a big selling point for us. It is located atop the Spanish steps, and almost directly on top of the Spagna subway stop (direct subway ride to Vatican city, Termini, etc). It is a 10-15 minute walk from some of the major sights such as the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain. 

Overall

Despite the shortcomings of no complimentary water or in room coffee/tea (go to any shop and pay one euro for a shot of espresso, it'll be better than what you get from any hotel), the hotel will be my go-to for Rome. The location is wonderful, view is unbeatable. But if you want to avoid the touristy stuff, then seek other options.

I had a chat with the management of the property and it seems like there are actually many tourists from Europe rather than the US right now doing local travels/staycations. So the property actually did not feel super touristy when we went.

Service

The service from the concierge has been exceptional. They take care of dinner reservations (which you need when in Rome), helped us with purchasing train tickets for various day trips, museum entrance tickets, etc. All was very seamless - we'd ask the concierge to do something on our way out, and when we return it is done.

This is much different from our stay at the St Regis where the butler talks up a big game about how the concierge can do all of the above, but when we talk to the concierge, we get the impression that he can't be bothered to help us with any of these things.