Residenza Ruspoli Bonaparte

We stayed in the Queen Hortense Suite the last week of March and how wonderful it was The transport organised by the residenza to and from the airport was excellent and when we saw our suite we knew we had made the right decision to stay here. The rooms were beautiful, large,clean,and with stunning features - from the wonderfully painted ceilings to the candleabra, paintings, furniture etc Location right near the Spanish Steps cannot be beaten as all the sites are well within walking distance and there are lots of excellent restaurants nearby We felt very safe at all times We were fortunate to meet the princess and her daughter who were very friendly. We felt like royalty ourselves staying in such a beautiful palace surrounded by history - as someone who taught Napoleon 111 to 6th formers it was fantastic to stay in the palace where he used to live with his mother We would like to make a special mention of Greta who was efficient, professional and courteous at all times Thankyou Greta , we very much hope to visit you again

The positives: Location and Edwin, the butler and general handyman. The palace is beautiful but that is where it ends. We had no hot water for 2 days and had to use an unfinished bathroom that was far away from our room in order to be able to have hot showers. We were refunded a night for the inconvenience but as soon as we left, the hotel charged my card without authorization, taking back the refund. I am now having to take legal action via my bank to get my money back. In addition, they charged us €70 for each taxi transfer having quoted me €60 (when the cost of a normal taxi is about €45). The customer service is abysmal and the practices very strange (i.e. They make you pay for the entire stay at check in). Do not waste your money here - the "hotel" should be shut down and turned into a museum. It is the absolute worst experience I can imagine having in a hotel and the special trip for my boyfriend´s birthday was ruined by the experience.

Very unusual for me to slam anything in Italy, I have always been so lucky with hotels. But i want to kick myself for choosing this Residenza. Where do I start? We arrived one evening at 20:30. They were expecting us. When the taxi dropped us off I had to ask him again if he'd made a mistake. Up a dark alleyway was a steel gate, no-one around to open it for us., eventually saw a dark figure in the parking lot who opened up for us, yet a mute dull figure. We stood with our bags in a dark parking lot for 5 mins before some chap took them up for us. I was hoping for something spectacular (just look at the website photos! Gorgeous....) however was so disappointed by what we got. We were taken to an office to PAY before staying! All 3 nights paid upfront! This is unheard of. Warning bells went off. Again I was hoping for things to be better once I saw the lavish rooms. Dream on. We were led upstairs into an ugly room entrance, given our keys, told us we could contact reception (an office) between certain hours. For 3 days we didn't see a soul! The office was permanently locked. There are no telephones in the rooms. ! And paying tje expensive room I was NOT going to use my mobile phone. The wifi was awful., heaven help if you were in dire need of something., there was no-one around... ever! The suite we were in was old and smelly but that was the best bit really. There is a dark staircase that leads to who-knows-where (a service entrance) from the Princess Pia Suite that has NO DOOR! There is no privacy here, they can hear every word said! for me the WORST part was being asked the night we arrived what time we'd like breakfast served (in our room).... I responded by "i am on holiday, so i dont know" .... right! She made it for 08:00.... For the expensive price of this room you'd think you'd get asked what your breakfast preferences are, any allergies etc. I was in my skimpy PJs when some guy stormed in at 08;00, set a table in lightening speed and hurried off. This breakfast was embarrassing. A 2l pot of tea (which i dont drink) and a small pot of coffee (i drink coffee AND wanted more), a 5l jug of fake red juice, stale croissants and toast, THATS IT! Breakfast!!!! Its what we love most in B&Bs and hotels..... i was soooo disheartened. Not even a refill of coffee!! No-one around to even ask!!! This got to me. We went sightseeing and carried the keys around with us (no office open to take them), by the time we came back to the room, 14:00 the guy had just started cleaning. I couldnt believe it. Same man CLEANING, serving breakfast and bellboy. Surely they have more staff.! We got sooooo depressed by this place that we packed our things and went to another hotel. It was A VERY EXPENSIVE mistake. From our arrival we never laid eyes on anybody! For what they are charging per room: they need 1) permanent receptionist 2) breakfast buffet served in one of the lavish dining rooms 3)more staff needed 4) telephones in rooms 5)and never ask any guest to pay UPFRONT. It is a slap in the face. THE ONLY THING POSITIVE I CAN SAY IS THE EXCELLENT LOCATION. But take your cash and spend it elsewhere. My hair still stands on end when i think of this place. No thanks.

To be honest, it was probably a misjudgment from my side. If you like spending a night in a giant museum looking suite, you will probably enjoy it. I was expecting a little more modernity given the price. Yes the Bonaparte suite is amazing, it's gigantic but one can do so much in a giant suite. The bathroom wasn't very modern either and don't expect 5 stars treatment inside. That being said, for the price paid (nearly 500Eur) I would expect a better breakfast (quite minimal and average quality) and only 2 bottles of water in a fridge. For the same price, I spent a night at four seasons in Florence and you can also get a nice room in a 5 stars or luxury boutique hotel in Roma. Again, I should have researched better. The receptionist was very kind nevertheless, just very difficult to find the place at first... I just felt it wasn't worth 500 Eur at all, you are paying the square meter area, thats all. It's very old inside and little spooky haha. No hard feeling, it was a fun experience. Glad I had planned another night in a luxury hotel that better filled my needs.

The location is super good 5 minutes walk to Spanish Steps and to trevi fountains and villa borghese. The size of the rooms is huge with good bathroom. The breakfast is poor. WiFi signal was very good in 1 room and nothing in the other room.