Rome, Westin or Luxury Brand?
 

Thinking of booking a suite at either the Westin or Luxury brand in Rome. Both appear to be next to each other or are they a property within a property.

I will need a suite (using points for one night) with 2 beds. Any info on what the suites really are like. Would prefer seperate sleeping areas.

Never stayed at either property so your input would be helpful. The websites are of limited info as we all know.

LOL....I JUST posted this. Hopefully it will help:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...4&page=3&pp=40

That was a great report! Booked at the Westin for 4 nights end of April, so this came just on the right moment. ^ ^

Is 4 days stay ok for Rome or is it too much?

LOL...with my travel schedule it seems 4 days is my average in any one city. The weather should be perfect in Rome during that time so you should be able to fit a lot in and the proximity of the Westin to a lot of the sights will make it easy to get around. Try one of the walking tours, I know that one of them gathers at the Trevi Fountain at 5:00 on weekends, not sure about other times but I'm sure you could do a search on Google to get information on that. I also saw some tour buses going around but did not inquire about them. Have fun!

The Westin is a great choice. Stayed there last summer with my family. We had 2 rooms on points and they upgraded us to a 2 bedroom suite! Rome is a great walking city with history everywhere you turn. Depending on how much luggage you have I recommend taking the train in from the airport. It is quicker and cheaper then a taxi. Then you can hop a cab from the train terminal.

I agree with the train option. I made the CLASSIC mistake of getting into a cab right outside the airport terminal without asking how much the ride would be to the Westin (i was excited to be there and had other thoughts on my mind), the cab driver seemed to understand very little english and halfway there I noticed that the meter was off and that he seemed to be driving erratically all over town with a series of turns. "Great", I thought to myself, "this is really going to cost me". Sure enough when we arrived at this obviously expensive, luxury hotel, he just smiled at me as thinking to himself "YES, got another sucker!" at stated that the fare was 20 Euros. "20 Euros! Are you crazy?" but of course at this point his mastery of the English language seemed to completely disappear, all the while holding his hand out. So that mistake cost me $25.00 US (I didnt tip him).

The ride back to the airport was around 5 Euros.

So if you see a balding, stocky cab driver around 5'8" that appears middle eastern driving a dark navy blue mercedes 300 (older) who invites you to sit up front....ASK how much it will be before you agree to be taken for a ride (literally)!

A ride from Fiumicino to a city centre hotel for €20 is an extraordinary bargain. I'm sure the last time I did this journey, I'm sure it was upwards of €50. Even Ciampino would be at least €40.

As for the €5 return trip ... are you sure you're thinking about Rome?

Correction
 

No, I stand corrected ... it was from the train station nearest to the hotel...it was about a 5 minute ride. (maybe 10 on the way in with all of the twisting and turning he was doing to make it appear like a longer ride.

Sheraton in Roma, Italy
 

Any information about the 2 different Sheraton properties in / around Roma, Italy ?
I'm planning a stay in this town around Christmas, and any tip on these 2 hotels will be welcomed.

Sheraton Roma
 

Stayed in the Sheraton Roma a few weeks ago. Make sure you ask for a "quiet" room. The music in the lobby bar apparently goes on till 2am and was clearly audible in my room which was 2 floors above it.

Not impressed with this property by the way - it looks like it was very modern 10 years ago but the room was small and looked tired.

/JW

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=Rome

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=Rome

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=Rome

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showt...highlight=Rome

As the above posts will tell you, the Sheraton Roma is pretty far outside the city, and while there are shuttle buses to take you back & forth, the ride is about 30 min each way. Also there is nothing nearby to walk to, as it is bordered by a highway and some industrial parks. The rooms are nothing special, but there is a club lounge. I also thought it strange that given how far from everything this hotel is, and the fact that they offer a free shuttle into the city, you have to pay for that same shuttle to the airport.

Since when?

Slightly off topic, but still in the SPG family. I would seriously consider the Westin Excelsior. Although we had a few small problems with our stay, the property is very nice, and well located, staff is fairly attentive.

I echo this entirely. The Westin Excelsior was a grande dame of the Ciga chain which Starwood acquired. It is like the Plaza in NY...although smaller, but they restored and upgraded it and it is indeed beautiful, and extremely well located. Great spa/fitness center too.