Hotel Hassler Villa Medici
In one of Rome's loveliest locations, the Hassler Hotel faces the Piazza Trinita dei Monti adjacent to the church, at the top of the Spanish Steps (Italy's most-photographed landmark after the Colosseum).
The Hassler, family run and independent, is designed around the needs of the more sophisticated traveler and the staff is probably the most adept of all the hotels in Rome in caring for their clientele. The fifth generation Swiss-Italian management remains the last champion of traditional hotel-keeping in the capitol. Having said that, this is not the place one goes to “Hang Out”. A dress code is discreetly maintained.
The elegantly simple building encloses a glossy marble lobby and spacious, traditionally furnished lounges. Polished personalized service plays out in such daily routines as memorizing the names of new arrivals by dinner and greeting all who enter the hotel.
The recently renovated rooftop restaurant, Imago, may garner praise for its elaborate new decor, multicourse meals and towering desserts, but the views are what most guests remember for a lifetime, especially at sunset. The courtyard, known for its fabulous gelati garden, is in a canopied setting surrounded by greenery. The lounge serves tea, and a pianist entertains after dark. The bar is a snug mahogany and leather room best-known for its delicious and expensive Bellinis.
The hotel’s recreational facilities are relegated to a small, newly updated gym that is appended to the lovely little spa. The latter provides a pair of rooms with a recently expanded roster of treatments, massages and facials, a sauna, steam room and tanning area. There is no pool or whirlpool, though some of the suites have jetted tubs. Nuns let guests play tennis for free at their nearby convent, and the concierge arranges for passes at a nearby health club.
Most accommodations are of average size, and all have high ceilings, maintain plush carpeting, rich traditional fabrics, swag-and-bow friezes and silk wall coverings. Management has been busy over the last three years, replacing beds and adding plasma-screen TVs and DVD players. Adequate closets, safes, robes, slippers, and marble baths with dual basins, magnifying mirrors, hair dryers, and oodles of excellent toweling and toiletries are standard.
Guests seeking quiet should request rooms facing the courtyard, although these tend to be dark. Front rooms, by comparison, are not as well-soundproofed, which is a problem when the masses on the Spanish Steps grow rowdy. Views of the city from higher floors are breathtaking, but some guests favor upper rooms in back, which offer a picturesque scan of Roman rooftops. Standard classic rooms are small, and most lack notable exposures. The deluxe rooms provide space enough to settle in for a few days.
Room service, turndown and twice-daily maid service set the tone for this small deluxe operation. Pets are permitted however parents should keep in mind that children are often treated as inconveniences.
Il Palazzetto Restaurant Wine Bar (within 2 mins. walking distance from the Hassler Roma, adjacent to the Spanish Steps) offers a quiet haven in the middle of Rome's busy city center where clients can savor CHEF VINCENZO DI TUORO'S delicious personalized menus and held a unique, ideal event such as cocktail parties, wedding receptions, company lunches and dinner, birthday parties and more.
This hotel maintains an endearingly old-fashioned buttoned-down demeanor that attracts old money and those who want a taste of it. It honors the tradition and hard work of not only the esteemed Wirth Family, but pioneers such as Caesar Ritz. It continues to stand the test of time.
Hotel Hassler Villa Medici is a member of exclusive Virtuoso travel network. Book online or contact our Virtuoso Travel Advisor [email protected] for more details.
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