lucycan

Some great info here!

My wife and I are staying (I am lowly Gold) here for 4 nights in May. I booked us an Imperial Room (potential upgrade to Jr Suite - but not counting on it) and asked for a corner room on higher floor. Booked with a Virtuoso TA so get free breakfast daily, upgrade at check in, and 1 lunch.

Looking forward to our first trip to Rome!

LovetoTravel83

I think the Imperial Room feels more spacious than the Junior Suite.

I've stayed there a couple of months ago as a Plat though, booked a superior room through the limted rooms website which was on a 241 EUR per night, at 1st they upgraded me to an Imperial Room, and after checking the booking again on spg.com they have upgraded me again to a Renovated Junior Suite.

Though I had some issues with the breakfast, after calling room service and asking if the rate includes breakfast, which they said yes, after ordering breakfast for 6 times (I was staying for 6 nights) for 2 ppl, at check-out they have charged me for every single one, after a BIG give and take with the front desk, they gave me that attitude of "Well if you don't want to pay then fine", hmmmm well I shouldnt pay for something that I was told it was comp.

I didnt pay at the end, didnt care what they think really.

nologic

As a gold on an award stay, would you select the SR or Excelsior for the same number of points (20,000)?

stldoc

My fiance and I will be in Rome for 4 nights starting Oct 28 as part of our honeymoon. I'd love to stay at the St. Regis but am a little points-poor right now. Currently they have award nights available but no cash+points for my dates. Would anyone expect that to change as the dates approach?
Thanks in advance.

abk

I am not an expert on this but my guess would be as the hotel fills up it becomes less likely. I would reserve the nights you have points for and then charge everything you can to an SPG AMEX between now and then.

krhflyer

I can no longer find this property on SPG.com. Is it just me?

LovetoTravel83

I could still see it. Maybe your not seeing it because it's unavailable for the dates your looking for, scroll down the lost and you'll find it down there.

60614

I just stayed there for five nights (on points), and I thought it was spectacular. I have stayed at the Excelsior before, and I thought the SR was better.

I was upgraded to a bedroom which connects to the Bottega Veneta Suite, but is also sold as a seprate bedroom. It was on the top floor, and had a great view of the Piazza della Repubblica. I loved watching the people and the traffic in the circle. You could also see Termini Station and the Baths of Diocletian (turned into a church by Michaelangelo). The room was not large, but it was very light, with a nice bathroom, and high ceilings which probably made it feel bigger than it was. I am guessing it was an upgrade because of the view, and not the size. I think the front desk told me it was an Imperial Room, but I'm not 100% sure.

They have a nice exercise room, and a spa, which can be used for free (no purchae of treatment required). They also have three elevator locations, including the "diplomatic" elevator, and a cage elevator in an open stairwell (which is automated).

The staff was superb, as was the concierge. The rooms were quiet, with blackout shades (which were recessed and I didn't notice until the third day).

I splurged twice on the outrageously expensive breakfast buffet (41 euro), with the rationale that I could skip lunch, and eat more protein for breakfast than just a cappuccino and a croissant.

Others have commented about the location and the neighborhood being undesirable. I thought the location was absolutely fine. It's about a five to six minute walk north of Termini station, and a two or three minute walk north of the Republica Metro stop. Barberini is not too far either. There are plenty of restaurants in the area. It is not close to the Spanish Steps or Via Veneto, but both are easily accessible by subway, and the hotel also sits between two of the major east-west streets where many of the buses run, including the bus to the Vatican, so it's well located for public transportation. I used the Rome Pass for three of my days, and it worked out well.

I stayed at the Excelsior in 2001, and thought this was nicer on the whole, although my room at the Excelsior was larger. I did not care much for the restaurants on the Via Veneto, and the St Regis is better situated for transportation.

My only nit is that they were oddly stingy with bath towels, although if I called for more, the hotel staff always brought them instantly. We showered twice a day because it was so hot, and we were always kind of sweaty when we came in from sightseeing at the end of the day.

albutt27

Let's say that my expectations were as if I were a Roman Commander coming back from a victorious battle where the streets are lined up with people and the trumpets blaring. We stayed for 5 nights using points.

Check in - Went smoothly. We were given hot tea and snacks as we waited for our room. However, we were not upgraded as we normally are at our SPG stays.

Room - While we weren't upgraded, the room was fabulous. Both of our mouths dropped in awe as this is one of the best rooms we stayed in. It felt luxurious because it was. Wifi wasn't a problem although we had to keep reconnecting our machines from time to time. -1 star for lack of upgrade

Service - I asked for my shoes to be shined which is normal for all St Regis properties. They gave me a brush and cloth and hinted that I had to do it myself. And this is coming from a 5 star hotel? -1 star for having me shine my own shoes

Concierge - was very helpful in giving us directions to where we wanted to go and confirming our reservations with us. However, do not use the hotel services to the airport. We were able to get a Mercedes through the TA forums for ALOT cheaper than their suggested rate.

Gym - could have been better, but it is clean.

Location - there's not much around in the area, but the subway is about a 5 minute walk from the hotel. We were able to do some walking to places.

Money saving tip!!! - Free Water and Sports Drinks from the gym. Stock up here so that you don't have to go to the local store to buy.

Overall, it's a superb hotel but the service could have been better. Why on earth would you have me shine my own shoes is beyond me? I'm not sure that I would pay the prices listed for this hotel or return for that matter. As a SPG Platinum member, I did not feel anything special as I normally would feel at other SPG hotels.

dingo

Out of the three main properties in Rome, I've found the STR to be the least Plat friendly personally. I've stayed there three times I believe and each time has been a very enjoyable stay but nothing to be wowed over. I find the location to be less desirable than the Eden or Westin; I'd not want to walk around that neighborhood at night...even if I felt safe, I'd be rather bored I think. The shoe thing is really disgraceful...for any Starwood property in Italy, even more so for STR.

Shantanu

Does anyone know anything about the Champagne Ritual at the Grand Bar? I'll be staying at the St Regis (2 rooms) for 3 nights next week.

As of this month......not a Plat anymore, so, I'm not expecting anything extra!

backdoc

I'll be there Monday the 16th for 2 nights, how was the hotel?

I got it for 225 Euro/night on Beat The Timer

Steve

vg247

We were there last October as Platinum guests: hotel butler service that was a perk was fantastic. Not sure if much has changed but from the get go at check-in (middle of the day when there were no other guests in sight), we had to wait for 30mins for someone to show up and check us in.

Concierge, we found were "subjective" in where they recommended..so do your research prior to asking them.

Bellman, doorman..at all times were nonexistent- they were'nt around to do their job like carrying bags or opening doors!

Upon departure when hailing a cab, make sure it is one of those "official" Rome Taxi's which have fixed rates to airport,etc...though this was a St Regis, the cab that picked us up for our early morning flight (5am)...a cab that picked us up right on the property-drive way of the St Regis..took us for a ride and charged 3x the going rate. A hotel of this category is suppose to monitor what type of taxi's are allowed on their property for protections of guests,etc.

Hope this resummarizes some warnings for everyone going to stay here based on our experience. Note we did stay at St Regis in Florence and that was superb as one comes to expect from this chain., A complaint was filed and issues addressed with St Regis Rome: the manager apologized and credited back one full night's stay FYI

Shantanu

We had quite the opposite stay. Even though my status went down to Gold last month, we still had a fabulous upgrade. We were checked in within 2 minutes of arriving, and even then, we were offered profuse apologies for the wait. Daniele checked us in....he was great, and really looked after us for the whole stay (5 days in the end).

The meal at Vivendo was excellent. Michele, the Maître d', really looked after us.....he was fabulous and matched wines to both my own and my partner's tastes (we're both quite different). My partner is a vegetarian, and they made up a special menu for her. At Le Grand Bar, the staff at the bar were also excellent. Even when I was just waiting there for my partner, they would bring me endless complimentary hot snacks (and I had told them that I was just waiting....not drinking). Indeed, everyone was friendly and helpful.

The Bell Captain and porter were always there to help us, from helping on parking the scooter we rented, to taking care of helmets, etc.. The butler service was efficient and quick......especially when I needed a couple of shirts ironed. As is expected for Italy, they have a little note in the room informing you that it is against the law to have an iron or other electrical items in the room, so, you really do need a quick turnaround from the butler. I have always disliked this rule about electrical items.....it seems to apply to irons and kettles, but not to hairdryers and minibars!

I would agree with vg regarding the suggestions made by the concierge. Some of the choices were most questionable....especially the suggestions for places to go for breakfast. Dinner suggestions were uninspired....they suggested Ristorante L' Angoletto as the best traditional place to go...we arrived and there wasn't a single local in site, only tourists, mostly from the US, with concierge made bookings. The food was ok, but you would find much better in any neighbourhood in New York or London. If you do need help from the concierge, ask Mario and avoid advice from the others.

As far as cabs go, the concierge quoted €240 for the hotel car to take us to the airport - it says €95 on their website....I didn't bother to question this; I i just went to the cab rank outside the hotel instead. The cab on the rank outside the hotel honoured the fixed €45 rate to the airport - I asked the driver before we got in. However, there is a company in Rome that advertises everywhere, which offers a cab to the airport for €30.

I would really recommend eating dinner at Vivendo, you can e-mail Michele before you arrive. In addition, I would not take the concierge's recommendations for places to eat. Also, don't rely on them for tickets either.

Have a great stay!

Keyser

has anyone stayed here in december????how busy is the hotel around christmas time????