Hotel Lord Byron

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.

Unfortunately, the hotel does not point out the long-lasting construction site on the 5th floor when booking. The extremely loud work, which starts at 8am and continues into the afternoon, can be heard throughout the hotel, even at breakfast on the 0th floor. However, the staff did not care that the stay was massively affected by this. In addition, the service in particular does not meet 5-star standards. This begins on arrival: the bellboy prefers to walk up and down the entrance instead of helping with the luggage. The reception staff are particularly keen to generate additional revenue, be it through pushy recommendations of restaurants, trips with caddies or ticket sales. However, if you ask for a second bottle of water in your room, this is denied with horror but very firmly. The rooms are also not up to 5-star standard: the air conditioning barely works, the sockets are loose and the shower and toilet drains are blocked. It is even difficult to get a room with two beds. Unfortunately, the manager is also not bothered by the shortcomings, does not look for satisfactory solutions and then does not answer any more emails. All in all, far too overpriced for the poor service.