FH55 Grand Hotel Palatino

"Located at the lower end of Via Cavour, it’s an idea hotel to explore Rome. Very near to the Forum and Colosseum. Breakfast is a welcome start to the day and plenty of choices, including hot food. Room are not cheap, but it’s all about location"

"We booked this hotel as part of a British Airways flight + hotel package to Rome for my birthday. BA flies into Rome Fiumicino International Airport. Taxis into the CBD are fixed price at €55, which is cheaper than an Uber. Follow the signs at Arrivals to the taxi pick-up area. It is about 30 minutes to the hotel and the taxi lines were amazingly short. The hotel is a grand old hotel on a busy central street, a few hundred metres from the Coliseum. It is surrounded by cafes and restaurants and is in a vibrant district, although every square metre of the Eternal City seems to be bouncing with life. We joined the FH55 loyalty programme and were upgraded to a "junior suite" on arrival, which was spacious and well-equipped with a dressing room and mini-office, a separate bedroom, a huge bed and an even larger bathroom with a tub, a separate shower, and bidet. There were the usual amenities like a fridge, hair dryer, etc and an A/C / heat pump unit. The staff were multilingual and very friendly. Breakfast was included and proved to be pretty comprehensive, with an omelette station and a wide choice of hot and cold food. We had a drink in the bar a couple of times after being out in the city, which was chilled and welcoming, and dinner once after a very long day sightseeing. The food was good and competitively priced. On my birthday, we got back to the room from visiting Vatican City to find a chocolate cake and a bottle of Prosecco, which was a very unexpected surprise. The staff must have worked out my birthday from my passport, as we had not said anything. Very classy! We had emailed ahead to ask for synthetic pillows and a duvet, which were all made up when we arrived. As the week progressed, the nights got cooler and we had to ask for a second duvet which was quietly fitted while we were out for the evening. One minor gripe was the walk-in shower unit, which did not have a door. Despite every best effort, it was impossible to wash my hair without the bathroom floor getting wet with deflected spray. I really don't understand the reluctance of some hotels to fit conventional showers with a glass door. A second, more transitory gripe was that building work was going on in the hotel and the construction teams started early, typically around 08:00. As we were trying to cram in all the sights over three days, it didn't bother us too much to be woken by the sound of a sledgehammer rather than an iPhone alarm. But if you are going in the near future for a more relaxed break, it would be worth checking that this work is complete! All in all, a great trip to a great city, capped off by a lovely stay in the Grand Hotel Palatino!"

"Exceptional hotel and welcome. The room was impeccable, luxurious, and very welcoming. Small additional note: heart-shaped petals and a chilled prosecco. Our suitcases were carried up to our room. Royal breakfast every day and staff always available. In short, nothing but happiness..."