Hotel Lord Byron

I rarely leave reviews, but I feel compelled to share this experience so others don’t go through what I did. I stayed at this hotel in May 2025 as a Hilton Diamond member, and from start to finish, the stay was filled with issues: Construction: The hotel is undergoing loud construction but still charges guests full price while denying there’s really any noise. Both mornings I was woken up by hammering and banging directly above my room. Outdated & uncomfortable: The entire hotel feels like stepping into the worst parts of the 1980s—stale smell, old carpets, stuffy rooms, no modern adjustments. It’s long overdue for renovation, but unfortunately, they’re doing it while guests are staying there and charging the same. Room chaos: I was moved from a noisy room to another with a broken AC in the middle of the night, then back again, only to be told later that another room that was less noisy was available. The disorganization was exhausting. Bad food: Their room service food was of such low quality that it made us sick. The hotel flat-out denied this possibility. The room service menu was so bad we picked chicken sandwiches to play it safe but a child could've made them they were that bad. We also ordered gelato since were in Rome and it was the worst gelato of the trip. Very low quality and brightly colored artificial looking. Forced transfer: At checkout, the front desk pushed us into a private transfer to the train station that we never asked for. An Uber would have cost €30, but they imposed their own service as a kind gesture—later charging it against us. The aftermath was even worse than the stay. Despite months of back-and-forth, the hotel refused to take responsibility. They insisted their food “couldn’t be bad,”the noise wasn't that loud, treated the unwanted transfer as a “gift,” and after endless circular emails, only agreed to refund one night—but only after deducting things we didn’t want in the first place. In short: The hotel is old, stuffy, and smells bad. Construction noise is ongoing, but they’ll deny it's even that loud. Food is poor quality. Management is dismissive, defensive, and unwilling to accept fault. Even Hilton Diamond members are treated with disregard. I’ve stayed at Hilton properties all over the world and never had an experience this unprofessional. Don’t waste your time or money here—there are far better options where your comfort and concerns will be respected.

When travel delays threaten to ruin a special birthday trip, an unexpected overnight stay at Lord Byron made everything better. We had stayed here once before about 5 years ago. It was a pleasant as we remembered. We were greatest with kindness and care when we arrived after almost 48 hours of airline delays. The beautiful bathroom was a welcome sight for a shower. A lovely dinner followed at a nearby restaurant recommended by the front desk. There is nothing better than a comfortable bed and a great nights sleep to make one feel 100% better. That sleep followed by the lovely breakfast was just what we needed to continue our birthday travels. We intend to return again and spend some extra time at one of our favorite places.

As a Hilton Diamond Member and loyal guest of Hotel Lord Byron (HLB) since 2012, I’m devastated by its shocking decline, clearly driven by poor management and ownership. Checking in yesterday at 9 AM after booking the prior night, I checked out today at 1 PM—enduring a frustrating hour-long process—due to an utterly deplorable stay marred by rude reception, sketchy service, and dishonest practices. Despite booking for early check-in, most hotels wouldn’t charge for the prior night given my 9 AM arrival, yet this was the least of the issues. After resting, I requested room cleaning in person that afternoon, but it was ignored; my room remained uncleaned through checkout. Requests for pillows and coffee were disregarded, construction noise ruined sleep, and the breakfast was a sketchy, poorly replenished mess unfit for a “luxury” SLH property. My Diamond status was acknowledged, but the “amenities”—standard WiFi and one bottle of water, given to all guests—were a stingy insult, reflecting management’s failure to honor elite guests. The afternoon receptionist confirmed I could check out early without charges, and I informed the evening manager, Simone, of my early checkout. Yet, this meant nothing to the front desk staff at checkout, revealing abysmal internal communication. These staff were confused, rude, and dismissive, ignoring my requests and comments. When I quietly and respectfully noted their rudeness and lack of follow-through, they defensively talked over me, then played the victim, transferring their angst onto me. Worse, I was wrongly charged €400 ($430) per night for two unspent nights and a comped transfer from a prior stay six weeks ago—a blatant display of dishonesty. Even the grips apologized for the front desk’s behavior, while the exemplary Cheema witnessed the service failures. Spending 340 days a year in hotels, I’ve rarely encountered such appalling service and deceptive practices. Poor leadership has gutted this once-cherished hotel, failing to deliver basic services or coordinate internally. I’ve relocated to another Rome hotel at $500/night. I urge management to refund the €800+ in wrongful charges and address this catastrophic decline.

We stayed here for 2 nights as a family of 4 in two rooms. Real gem of a place. Staff couldn’t be more helpful and kind. Spoke English really well. It’s in a nice quiet part of town but a cheap taxi or walk to the tourist areas. Breakfast was really amazing. Will definitely come back next time we are in Rome!

Service was excellent — gracious, friendly, and professional. Shary and Ivan were particularly helpful. Our room was a nice size, and we managed to get one with a balcony. It was comfortable, quiet, and well-appointed, with a beautiful wood floor, and a large, tiled classic bath. Linens were very nice, and our bed was comfortable. We had a $100 credit thru Amex, which we used in their Bistro — pizza, salad, wine, and Aperol Spritz were good. The Bistro is the same room as their fine dining room, which is very elegant. Their breakfast rooms are also very elegant, perhaps the most elegant of any we’ve come across — and not at all crowded when we were there. We had several lunches at the nearby (10 min walk) Ristorante Ambasciata d’Abruzzo, which we really enjoyed. Our next hotel was the Intercontinental in Lisbon, whose breakfast area was such a stark contrast the next day — large, crowded, and noisy — with a long wait to get on the lift (and to check-in the day before). There’s a lot to be said for small hotels… We highly recommend.