SanDiego1K

So much for my google search skills. Thanks for the correction. (I might come back and delete both yours and my posts since my info is incorrect.)

hockeyinsider

I thought so until I did Google Maps street view. Different locations. I search Google Books, hoping to find the address listed in an old travel guide. I couldn't find anything. So it doesn't seem like the Pantheon Iconic was ever a hotel. The Google Maps street view imaging show a lot of construction. Maybe it was a school or hospital.

JBD

I just became aware of this property from the St Regis Rome thread in the SPG forum.

This is exactly what I first thought from my google search! Figuring this had to be a rebranding of an existing place - couldn't possibly be new construction in Rome's center, right?

But in looking at Google streetview and the addresses of the new Marriott and the Albergo Santa Chiara I realized they're two different places.

I then found this thread and see I'm in good company with my assumptions (and excitement!)

I can't find any press releases on Marriott's site for this, or in any trade paper....

I'm not seeing any construction though. Here's the link to the streetview I'm using, which shows the image was taken in June 2016.

And I'll attach a screenshot of what I'm seeing - maybe different browsers pull up different google iterations?

But really excited about this new Marriott!

JBD

Still searching to find out if this was an existing hotel, I found it referred to as "The Pantheon Hotel" with an email address info@thepantheonhotel

So here's its independent website: The Pantheon Hotel - 5 Star Iconic Hotel in Rome

I tried googling "The Pantheon Hotel" and found TripAdvisor and booking.com etc listings, but they were all for a properrty on Via dei Pastini.

Of some interest, on its independent website linked above it lists a "Pre-Opening" office on Via XX Settembre

Edited to add a couple of interesting observations:

In doing a mock booking for 5 nights in October I see that it requires the same 180,000 points for a Classic King (23sqm/247sqft) as it does for a Superior King (25sqm/269sqft)

And in the room details link it says "Hotel was built in 2017" and "Rooms were renovated in 2018"

hockeyinsider

Here is the streetscape of the building from July 2017:

hockeyinsider

A little research shows the pre-opening office is the address of Italy Hotels Collection - Consulenza Alberghiera, which appears to be a third-party hotel management company and hotel consultancy. Italy Hotels Collection is owned by RSI Group, an inbound tour operator. So, I suspect this hotel will mostly be occupied by tourists on packaged tours.

It's difficult to tell whether the images of the property are photographs or computer renderings. Renderings these days are so good that I can no longer tell the difference.

jmanirish

badgersfly

I'm thinking about changing my reservation from the Exedra for a late June trip. It's a tourism trip. Do we know if this new property will have a lounge? Any reason you wouldn't switch to this from the Exedra?

hockeyinsider

I would be shocked if there was a lounge. This looks like a very small Autograph Collection property that, at least judging by the management company and its owners, will be geared 100% toward guests on packaged tours. I would expect the elite offerings to the be the absolute minimum. And in late June, I would imagine any Marriott property in Rome is going to be extremely busy with no upgrade possibilities. Can you change your trip to May or after Labor Day, when the tourists aren't in Rome?

jmanirish

Almost certainly no lounge in that sense. There's going to be the "'Divinity' lounge bar located on the sixth-floor terrace with unforgettable views of the Eternal City." I've never stayed at the Exedra, but when I'm in Rome, I prefer to be more centrally located. The property is very responsive to emails (hopefully good sign). Would love to see more actual photos though.

Horace

I agree.

I doubt it will be "geared 100% toward guests on packaged tours," despite its ownership. The hotel has to pay the franchise and marketing costs of being affiliated with Autograph Collection. Most package tours simply promise 3-star, 4-star, or 5-star accommodations, so branding and brand marketing is relatively unimportant. By affiliating with Autograph Collection, the hotel's owners are signaling that they're also going after independent travelers who rely on brand affiliation as a sign of quality, Marriott loyalty program members, and anyone who uses Marriott's reservation system.

Upgrade possibilities depend largely on how the hotel is configured. When non-hotel buildings, especially older ones, are reconfigured inside to become hotels, there are typically rooms of various different shapes and sizes. This provides an opportunity for elite members to be upgraded to the more desirable rooms, even when occupancy is high (unless all the better rooms and suites have been reserved by guests willing to pay for them, as happens in Mayfair-area hotels in London during the summer).

As far as other elite benefits are concerned, Autograph Collection properties have a mixed record. The well-run ones understand the importance of attracting and keeping guests with elite status, and act accordingly, The shortsighted ones think that doing the bare minimum is good for profitability, but just end up hurting their occupancy levels and room rates in the long run.

It remains to be seen how The Pantheon Iconic Rome Hotel, Autograph Collection treats guests with elite status.

jmanirish

A few more pictures are up in the hotel's tripadvisor page, along with 1 review. Looking to be pretty nice (style reminds me of a lot of the park hyatts),

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Re...ome_Lazio.html

pinniped

OK, I randomly - completely by accident - walked past this hotel 1 day before it opened.

It's on a nice, quiet side street a couple blocks from the Pantheon. That streetview photo has a bit of a "creepy dark alley" look to it, but in person it's just a regular street with shops, pedestrians, etc. Really great location for the purposes of exploring Rome on foot. We could not go inside, but it appears to be a rather small hotel in an existing building that is a brand-new conversion into a hotel. Appearance from the outside is very much luxury boutique - not the kind of place you'd expect to have an exec lounge. Given that it *looks* smaller than both the Marriott and the Boscolo, I wonder if it'll be a tougher award simply due to fewer standard rooms. What we could see through the front door has a very sharp, modern look to it - maybe a little Park Hyattish style but *way* smaller than any Hyatt I've ever stayed in.

Looking forward to reading a trip review - I bet this place is going to be really, really good.

tofumatt

Based on the recent bad reviews of the Gran Flora, especially with regards to platnium members, we were looking at alternative Marriott properties in Rome for late May. We have a 7 night category 9 voucher to use, and since the Pantheon Iconic became available we decided to reach out about Platnium benefits.

The hotel said there is no lounge, but Platnium's would be given breakfast vochers for the sixth floor terrace restaurant. On upgrades, she said that it is strictly based on availability, consistent with the Marriott program, but that late May is busy season, so don't expect it.

The hotel offers all king beds and a slightly larger standard room (vs Queens and smaller rooms in the Gran Flora) so we switched our reservation and will report back afterwards. Also, as for now, points redemptions can book into standard (500 Euro) or superior (530 Euro), which we booked into. So our seven night certificate is apparently getting about 3710 Euros in value (~$4400), so a pretty good CPP redemption. The next level up deluxe room requires an 120 Euro upgrade fee.

One note, the customer service women at the hotel is also the same person (or has the same first name and last initial) as the first reviewer on TripAdvisor, who said the hotel is beautiful and recommended booking the 2,000 Euro per night suite...

pinniped

Wow...didn't realize the Flora was getting bad reviews.

I spent the week at the Palazzo Naiadi (the Boscolo...), and it was very good all around. Main reason I originally picked it was because all of the Flora room types available required upgrade fees (which I hate paying unless it's a legit suite).

This Iconic hotel is a nice add for its excellent location. I really hope it delivers.