The best luxury hotels in Rome
An exceptional city with extraordinary history: Rome's luxury hotels blend art, culture, contemporary design and ancient detail
The charms of Rome are layered centuries-deep, from ancient masterpieces as magnificent as the Pantheon and the Colosseum, and details as curious as S.P.Q.R., stamped everywhere from manhole covers to the Arch of Titus. If you’ve never been to Rome, you must and, if you have, don’t hesitate to go again; wear your most comfortable footwear to soak up the delights of the must-see sites, and so much more. Punctuate your exploration with indulgent meals and pitstops in a city teeming with first-class restaurants and lively bars. Of course, you’ll also need somewhere suitably decadent to rest your weary head (and feet) – here are the best hotels in Rome, fit for an emperor.
Bulgari Hotel Roma, Campo Marzio
If you want a Roman hotel stay that feels fit for an emperor, the new Bulgari is for you, with even its address – Piazza Augusto Imperatore – reflecting exactly how opulent, lavish and imperially splendid it is. Of 114 rooms and suites, the 300 sq.m. Bulgari Suite is the jewel in the crown, boasting ten windows within it and a colossal bathtub made from a single block of arabesque Corchia marble. There’s also Il Ristorante – Niko Romito, Italy’s first Bulgari Dolci chocolatier and patisserie (which will be our first port of call), a library dedicated to the history of jewellery, and the spa, with a 20-metre pool that showcases marble columns and emerald-green mosaics inspired by the famous Baths of Caracalla. Subtle it is not – quite fabulous it is.
Of course, Bulgari wants its guests to make the most of the Eternal City too, despite the fact the hotel is enticing you, with its dazzling offering, to stay within its decadent walls at every opportunity. Experiences on offer include Art Behind the Scenes – which involves private access to the city’s treasures in prestigious palaces, churches and art collections – as well as customised walking tours and the Perfect Proposal: intriguingly, the “exquisite moment” will take place in a “memorable venue, followed by an unforgettable dining experience”. We do!
Rooms from €1594 per night, visit bulgarihotels.com
Six Senses Rome, Trevi
As far as hotel facades go, this one couldn’t be more Roman, with its soaring columns, cream stone and carvings. Six Senses Rome is easy walking distance of must-visit sites like the Trevi Fountain and Pantheon, and the shopping streets of Via Condotti, Frattina and Borgognona, and the authentic, majestic-yet-calming vibe of the exterior continues inside; within the 96 rooms and suites, you’ll find traditional cocciopesto plaster and Travertine limestone, suspended plants and natural light.
Ancient Roman bathhouses are reflected in the design and ethos of the Six Senses Spa here; ease the stresses of life by warming the body up and cooling it down in the three plunge pools (calidarium, tepidarium and frigidarium). The BIVIUM Restaurant-Café-Bar houses a wood-fired pizza oven – well, when in Italy – and the NOTOS rooftop space affords 360-degree immersive views of the city; enjoy with a botanical cocktail or mocktail. You can learn more about the Art of Aperitivo here, book behind-the-scenes access to a private palazzo or go on a Tour of the Senses. If you’re coming with children, ice-cream is free for anyone under 12 – bring on the gelato.
Rooms from €1158 per night, visit sixsenses.com
W Rome, Ludovisi
It’s a W Hotel. In Rome. Of course there’s a rooftop pool and of course they don’t call it that; it’s the WET Deck, for – maybe – swimming or – definitely – light Italian bites and a tropical cocktail or two with a side of panoramic views. The W Rome’s hot-spot for late-night live music and DJ sets? Its W Lounge. We’d dispute it’s an any-hours destination but it does stay open until 1.30am four nights a week.
Rooms are categorised as Fabulous, Marvellous, Fantastic etc – you get the picture – and if you want to push the boat out, the top floor Extreme WOW Suite boasts all the obvious perks as well as “next-level tech” and an enormous suite-long outdoor terrace (pictured below). With a great location, this is the place for you if you like a hotel that looks like it belongs on the outside but delivers bold, energetic 100%-modern luxe on the inside. Gorge on Sicilian cuisine in the Giano Restaurant, on creative pastries at Zucchero x Fabrizio Fiorani and walk it all off as you explore the delights of Rome right on your doorstep. The Whatever/Whenever® signature service is in full swing here: quite simply, make the most of asking for ‘Whatever you want. Whenever you want it.‘
Rooms from €480 per night, visit marriott.com
The Hoxton Rome, Salario
The Hoxton talks the talk. Its Elio restaurant, they declare with absolute confidence, ‘expresses the flavours, ingredients, energy and joyous hospitality of long and boozy meals with friends on holiday in Italy’’ and’. And the menu’s by Sarah Cicolini, the founder of Rome’s highly regarded Santopalato. Count us IN. There’s a gorgeous, vine-woven, sun-dappled terrace too and the on-site Hox Gallery; from 1 June to 30 September 2024, it’s displaying Giorgia Atzeni’s The Art of Upcycling, an exhibition of painted skateboards, collected on her travels around the world.
You can assess the vibe a hotel is going for by their room categories. Forget the straightforward (and to Hox-goers, boring) tags of Superior Room or Junior Suite; here at the ‘Hox, we have Shoebox, Cosy, Roomy and Biggy, all decked out with parquet floors, bold headboards, brass lighting features, local stone and lacquered timber. We’re intrigued by the offering on the first Tuesday of every month; head to the hotel’s Cugino café for VivoDestino where you can meet tarot expert Irene over a glass of natural wine. From the Hoxton you can easily explore leafy Villa Borghese, the MACRO (Museum of Contemporary Art) and the MAAXI (National Museum of 21st Century Art).
Rooms from €234 per night, visit thehoxton.com
Portrait Roma, Campo Marzio
Portrait Roma is moments from both the Spanish Steps and the Ara Pacis Museum, the latter of which is one of our favourite sites in Rome – declared by the Turismo Roma website to be “one of the greatest of all artistic works of the Ancients”. Find it on foot or make the most of a three-hour private tour by vintage Vespa; a guide will navigate you through Rome’s narrow alleys and secret streets, sharing local lore and pointing out curiosities, via headset, that may otherwise have gone unnoticed.
Portrait Roma, owned by the Ferragamo family and part of the Lungarno Collection, is a grand townhouse on Rome’s exclusive Via Condotti and its 14 studios and suites are Ferragamo-standard stylish. The Penthouse has its own L-shaped terrace overlooking the beautiful Trinità dei Monti church but the magnificent rooftop lounge, open to all guests, offers breathtaking views too. On one side, the Villa Medici and Spanish Steps, on another, an uninterrupted view of the huge (and divisive) Vittoriano monument, and to the southeast, the soaring domes of St Peter and the Vatican.
Rooms from €765 per night, visit lungarnocollection.com
J.K. Place Roma, Campo Marzio
Also in the heart of the Eternal City is J.K. Place Roma, as immaculately stylish and luxuriously discreet as we hoped it would be (having had the best peach bellini of our lives at its beautiful sister property J.K. Place Capri). Its 27 rooms and suites are housed in a 17th Century townhouse within walking distance of more iconic (in the truest sense of the word) Roman sites, from the gasp-inducing Pantheon to the must-at-least-pass Trevi Fountain.
Design is courtesy of Italian architect and interior designer Michele Bonan: think canopy beds in rosewood, emerald-toned wood-panelled walls, fine Carrara marble bathrooms and seriously cool art. We note that the menu in the J.K. Café caters very enticingly to carnivores and pescatarians alike and that the hotel can arrange everything from horse riding and hot air balloon excursions to a Villa Borghese archeorunning tour. We can’t think of anything much better than an invigorating run with Rome’s magnificent ancient ruins as the backdrop (ideally followed by a bowl of tagliatelle and a large glass of Italian wine).
Rooms from €700 per night, visit jkroma.com.
Soho House Rome, Quartiere San Lorenzo
Unsurprisingly, Soho House Rome ticks a lot of boxes. Its enviable tenth-floor rooftop pool comes complete with 360-degree views of the city and the Cecconi’s Terrazza outdoor dining space, dotted with lemon trees, serves genuinely authentic Venetian specialities, handmade pasta and sunset cocktails. There’s a Cowshed spa, cryo chambers for your Wim Hof fix and rooms ranging from Tiny (an honest and laudable moniker) to one-, two- or three-bed apartments. The hotel is found in the San Lorenzo quarter which the experts at Mr & Mrs Smith say is best known for “converted industrial buildings, splattering of street art and having real Romans live there”.
Of particular note is the Soho House Rome art collection, which consists primarily of works created by artists who live and practice in Italy, with an emphasis on those based in the Lazio region. The main club space is dedicated to the theme of Saints and Sinners, interpreted in inventive ways – from football ultra-fans to Mary Magdalene – while in the ground floor Studio, there is a collection of work by international artists who responded to the 2020 lockdown. The rooftop has a site-specific mural by Roman artist Gio Pistone and each bedroom includes new works by emerging artists who studied or are based in Italy: Josip Grgic, Azadeh Ardalan and Nicolò Bruno.
Rooms from €300 per night (for non-members), visit sohohouse.com.
Hotel Chapter Roma, Regola
Where to start? On the Mexican-themed Hey Guey rooftop terrace, with its subtropical garden vibe, incredible view, and cocktails and tacos on tap? Or in the Hey Baby bar, perched on one of its high stools or nestled into a velvet sofa as you order your potion of choice? That’s if you’ve even managed to leave your aesthetically pleasing bedroom, with its polished wooden floors, statement furnishings by Tom Dixon, Seletti, Diesel and Moroso, and bathrooms that combine cement, granite and brass to excellent effect. We recommend the corner rooms, which have amazing views and a huge orange velvet sofa.
Chapter Roma is surrounded by Regola’s narrow cobbled streets, lined with old houses and workshops, and is within strolling distance of Europe’s oldest Jewish Quarter and several Renaissance palazzos. Art reigns supreme at this hotel too – Rome’s luxury hotels take it seriously – and the sultry Hey Baby bar is decked out with work by some of the city’s best street artists. The otherwise straight-laced bedrooms feature artworks that demand attention and a rooftop sign cheekily declares Life's Better On Top! At Chapter Roma, chilled drink in hand as the sun sets over the domes of Rome, it is.
Rooms from €185 per night, visit chapter-roma.com.
Elizabeth Unique Hotel, Campo Marzio
Moments from the distinctive Mausoleo di Augusto, the Elizabeth Unique Hotel can be found in a palazzo that is centuries old, brought emphatically into the 21st Century thanks to modern art, indulgent fabrics and interesting lines. The artworks you’ll spot in the lobby, library and bedrooms were all commissioned by the owner of the nearby Gallery Russo so do pay it a visit if you love them.
The 33 bedrooms in general are light, bright and serene and the hotel’s Elizabeth Mansion is just a few steps from the main entrance. Housing six rooms, it can be booked for exclusive use, sleeping a maximum of 12 adults and four children. We're particularly tempted by the Spa Suites with their private sauna and whirlpool bathtub, and by the hotel bistro’s suitably Italian cuisine and fine wine. Step outside and stroll for a mere 10 minutes to explore the famed Villa Medici, with its remarkable art and gardens.
Rooms from €528 per night, visit ehrome.com.
Hotel Vilon, Campo Marzio
And breathe…. Hotel Vilon has a calming, ancient Roman charm about it, found near the River Tiber on Via dell’Arancio. Its 16th Century mansion building, annexed to Palazzo Borghese, was once a boarding school for girls. We doubt they’d recognise it now, with elegant public spaces designed by Milanese design guru Giampiero Panepinto, bedrooms created by Roman scenographer Paolo Bonfini and artwork curated by Florentine photographer Massimo Listri.
There are just 18 rooms – if you want one with a beautiful terrace overlooking the palazzo’s private gardens, choose the Melangolo Suite, the Borghese Suite or the Vilòn Charming Terrace. The all-day bar opens out into the courtyard in good weather and relaxation is on the cards; first orders are taken at 10.30am. The Adelaide restaurant, meanwhile, serves seasonal Mediterranean cuisine; expect traditional dishes with modern (and very pretty) twists.
Rooms from €700 per night, visit hotelvilon.com.
Piazza di Spagna 9, Campo Marzio
The Spanish Steps are a popular and busy tourist spot in Rome but at the far end of the Piazza di Spagna, near the Versace and Dolce & Gabbana boutiques, is a historic building containing the opposite; a very laid-back, hidden-away and bustle-free 400 square metre enclave. Welcome to Piazza di Spagna 9 and its unique offering: a contemporary hotel and art gallery – where every piece is available to purchase – with six luxury suites, a communal living room and wellness centre. It can be rented out for exclusive use too, if you’re bringing all the family or celebrating a special occasion with a group of friends.
During the day, staff are on-site, offering recommendations, serving hot drinks and arranging spa treatments. In the evenings, guests have free range of the space and can help themselves to an honesty bar. The hotel doesn’t have a dedicated restaurant but a continental breakfast is available each morning in the Spagna lounge or next door in La Buvette café. Living la dolce vita indeed.
Rooms from €455 per night, visit piazzadispagna9.it.
