"There are some definite positives to the Atlante Star. The hotel is in a very good position for sightseeing around the Vatican, and our room was quiet with a view onto the side street. The mattress was firm and comfortable. The breakfast room on the 6th floor has a lovely view across the city, and the rooftop bar and restaurant enjoy the same impressive views.
Unfortunately, that is where the positives ended for us.
We stayed in Room 304 at the end of our holiday and found the hotel extremely disappointing for somewhere advertised as 4-star.
The reception staff were not particularly friendly or welcoming when we arrived. There was no offer of assistance with our suitcases and we weren't even shown or told where the lift was. The lift itself is extremely small and slow, and on a particularly busy evening when there was a wedding at the hotel, we ended up walking up the stairs rather than waiting for it.
Room 304 was extremely dated and in need of refurbishment and maintenance. There was a small whirlpool bath, but when we pressed the button the control actually fell through. The light above the bathroom mirror flickered, the hairdryer looked as though it had been there for decades, and instead of proper hand towels there were only very thin, napkin-like towels. There were also no tea or coffee-making facilities.
The air conditioning was very poor. In fact, we couldn't really tell whether it was working properly at all, and the room was uncomfortably warm.
Breakfast was another major disappointment. The hot selection consisted of scrambled eggs, barely cooked smoked bacon and hot-dog-style sausages, and everything we tried was cold. There were tinned peaches and prunes, some fresh melon, yoghurt, cold meats and cheeses, along with cakes and pastries. A few gluten-free items were available, which I appreciated, but overall the breakfast was very poor for what we expected from a 4-star hotel.
The coffee from the urn was also cold and unpleasant. It was only after seeing another guest order a cappuccino and latte that we realised these could be ordered from the waitresses. We did this the following morning and they were much better, but nobody had explained that freshly made coffee was available.
We visited the rooftop bar on our first evening. The views are lovely, but despite it not being particularly busy, we were seated off to the side away from the main view. It left us feeling that the best tables were being kept for outside/local bookings rather than hotel guests. The drinks were also very expensive, so we didn't stay long and instead found a lovely local bar nearby where the welcome was considerably friendlier.
Finally, the reception deak advertised a free airport shuttle, but we were charged €55 for the transfer to the airport. Perhaps the free transfer only applies from the airport to the hotel, but if so this should be made much clearer.
It is a shame because the hotel has a fantastic location and wonderful views and could be so much better. However, the dated and poorly maintained room, ineffective air conditioning, disappointing breakfast and lack of warmth in the service meant that our stay felt much closer to a 2-star experience than the 4-star standard we had booked and expected.
Unfortunately, it put a real dampener on the end of an otherwise lovely holiday and we would not stay here again."
