The Independent Hotel

"We stayed at the Independent Hotel Rome as it was one of the preferred hotels selected by Emerald Cruises for our trip. I wanted to leave an honest review to help other travellers make their own decision about whether this hotel and location would suit them. The hotel staff were very good – friendly, helpful and professional. The rooftop has a wonderful view over Rome, and our balcony was also a real bonus, particularly for drying clothes while travelling. The bathrooms were clean and the room was comfortable enough. Unfortunately, there were some things that made our stay less enjoyable. We had ants in our room, including in the bed. To be fair, we did wonder whether the prolonged summer heat which had prevailed in the months prior to our arrival may have contributed to this, but regardless of the cause, it was not something we found suitable for a hotel room. We became very conscious of keeping our luggage and belongings elevated and away from surfaces where ants might get into our bags. Our room was also very noisy on the Friday night, with doors being repeatedly slammed and considerable noise and partying coming from an adjacent room. Breakfast was included but, in our opinion, it was fairly ordinary. Room service was also not consistently available when we wanted it. The biggest issue for us, however, was the location. We personally did not feel comfortable going out in the surrounding area after dark. As a result, we felt quite confined to the hotel in the evenings and one afternoon when ordering room service had become too difficult, we went to a local supermarket to buy snacks to have in our room later, rather than going out for dinner. This did affect our overall enjoyment of Rome. Unfortunately, the roof top dining did not start serving early enough for our dietary requirements and we felt that nearby eateries were well established tourist traps. So do your homework BEFORE you sit down. I don’t want to suggest that every traveller will have the same experience, as people have very different expectations and comfort levels when travelling. However, for us, the combination of the location and the issues with the room meant that we would not choose to stay here again. Particularly for the price we paid, which seemed a little exorbitant but believe there may be a kick back booking through the cruise line. Having seen more of Rome when out and about during the day, we would probably choose to stay in an area such as Monti or Trastevere, or perhaps closer to the Colosseum, where the surroundings seemed safer, cleaner and more appealing to us. I suspect that staying in a different part of Rome may have given us a very different overall experience. We also found after the first day, that walking to the historical centre was impossible. So we caught Uber’s to and from all attractions. We had planned on walking to most attractions, but this hotel is just too far away and after walking to the Trevi Fountain and back on our first day, we decided it was too far to walk, particularly in extreme heat. Plus, we were nervous for our safety in some seedy areas we had to walk through. There were definitely positives – particularly the helpful staff, clean bathrooms, balcony and fantastic rooftop views – but overall, this wasn’t a stay we would repeat."

"My wife and I recently stayed at The Independent Hotel in Rome. The hotel was exceptionally clean, and every member of staff we encountered was friendly, professional, and attentive. The level of service provided throughout our stay was excellent and contributed greatly to making our visit so enjoyable. We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the hotel and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting Rome. We would also have no hesitation in returning for another stay in the future. Thank you to the entire team for making our visit such a memorable one."

"A modern take on old architecture. Great location, close to the train terminus, cafes, shopping and historical sites. Perfecto"