Hotel Lord Byron

"We love the Hotel Lord Byron! We have stayed here for 22 years and it never disappoints! The location, friendly staff and service keep us coming back. It is a very quiet oasis in a crowded city."

"My wife and I stayed two nights at this hotel as part of a holiday package. The hotel is located in an affluent residential part of Rome and is a fair distance from the normal sightseeing attractions. The location was not an issue for us as we had already visited Rome on numerous occasions. We checked in at 10.30am and were told that our room would be available at 2.00pm. The receptionist provided the various check-in guests with a tourist map and used a pen to highlight Rome's main tourist spots. I asked him to highlight the hotel's location but it wasn't within the boundaries of the tourist map ? This hotel has kerb appeal and is a grand, classical example of a converted patrician villa. Access to the hotel is by 13 (unlucky for some) steps which are fairly steep. We decided to spend the time until 2.00pm getting our bearings and familiarising ourselves with the area. We are elderly and enjoy walking on level surfaces as my wife can find stairs a bit of a challenge. We walked to Bioparca di Roma which houses the main zoo in Rome and spent some time at the cafe near the zoo entrance enjoying two cappuccinos and and two large danish pastries for the princely sum of 6 euros 60 cents. We returned to the hotel after 2.00pm and my wife unfortunately tripped on the final entrance step and fell into the reception area on level 2. The staff were attentive and provided an ice pack after which the male receptionist advised that our room was ready and we should follow him. We were required to firstly take an elevator ride then be confronted by another set of internal stairs to access the allocated room. I advised the receptionist that the additional stairs were a potential hazard for my wife and could we get a more accessible room. His immediate response was to tell me that the hotel was fully booked. After a short time in this room I could see that my wife was still distressed and I again approached the receptionist and reasoned with him that although I knew that the hotel was full, surely as the time was 2.30pm not all guests have arrived and could he look again at switching our room for one which did not involve further internal stairs. He said to leave the matter with him and eventually we were moved to room 204 which is level with the reception area. We stuck with this room although there were a few niggles. There was a loose toilet seat and a bathroom door which was warped and did not close. The bathroom was plush Italian marble with a few unsightly brown stains which is natural oxidation where water lies. The shower (weak) is over the bath and was a no no for my wife. Following the accident we decided to eat in the hotel and ordered room service of a shared hot pizza and lukewarm french fries and a beer for 48 euros. The following morning we took the elevator to level 0 for the included breakfast to be met by another flight of internal stairs to access the breakfast/restaurant area. The breakfast was adequate. We spent the remainder of the day at the zoo and it is well worth a visit. The Lord Byron hotel is a classic, clean, well staffed hotel which will suit the majority of guests but for those guests with mobility/accessible issues it might prove to be a step too far."

"Location: Please note the location of the hotel is out of the main central area. You will have to walk on foot through the park into the city before starting your day sightseeing. Depending on your walking speed this could be 20-30 minutes. Of course you can also taxi into the city if you wish. Location was not an issue for us and it was nice that it quiet and also in an area where it was clean and free from graffiti and homeless people. Staff: FOH staff were very polite, their English was very good and they were all very warm and friendly, greeting us every day and asking what our plans were and where we had been. Can not fault the staff at all and I thank them all for their big smiles and friendly approach. The cleaners were also respectful and left the room clean and clothes neatly folded in new piles each day. Breakfast: We paid for breakfast and it was a sorry uninspiring start to the day. We left and went elsewhere for breakfast every day after that. The coffee was okay though! You can definitely pick up some nicer croissants (cornetto's) from nearby bakeries and cafe's. The poor breakfast made us think twice about eating an evening meal there. Room: We had a standard double I think. It was typical Italian red carpeted floor and marble bathroom. It was basic though and lacked any wow factor. Positives - the bed was comfortable, the room was clean. Negatives - The closet space had only 8 hangers which made hanging all our clothes up impossible. The hanging space was above the drawers leaving not enough room for my Italian inspired midi and maxi dresses. The toilet seat (at least we had one as It became apparent in the city that toilet seats are a luxury!) is not soft close; if you are used to one then a few startled cries may happen. The shower which ran hot every morning (a positive) is above the bath, however the bath did not drain fast enough meaning it filled up whilst you were showering so you can add a paddle to your experience. One of the USB sockets did not work and one plug socket did not work. The coffee machine had not been cleaned since the last user; there was water in the tank and the tank needed a good clean, therefore we skipped using the machine. If you have a thing for clean linen, then this may put you off, as a pillow case has been stitched closed over the pillow and they put a clean pillowcase over that, meaning that the one inside is old and yellow! Lastly, the key holder which you put your key into in order to turn your electrics on needed a helping hand of some folded card wedged with the key in order to keep the lights on. There was a basic hairdryer which worked, but no iron and no small ironing board; something which we are used to finding in hotel rooms nowadays. Remember to bring a travel iron with you! Overall the hotel was fine for a bed for the night, however we were very surprised it is listed as a 'small luxury hotel of the world' as there really were no luxuries."