I stayed at the Colonna Palace Hotel in Rome for two nights before boarding my cruise, and my experience was mixed. I arrived early, and the front desk was able to accommodate me by finding a clean room that was ready, which I appreciated. However, once I got to the room, my key card didn't work, so I had to bring all my bags back down to the lobby, where they ended up giving me a physical key instead.
The first room was small but adequate until later that evening when I realized the A/C wasn't working. The only window was located high near the ceiling, and when I called the front desk, I was simply told to "open the window since it's the cool season." The room temperature hit around 25°C and was extremely warm, and I told them I couldn't stay in those conditions. At first they said no other rooms were available and that the entire hotel had the A/C turned off.
I contacted my booking agency and was ready to check out and find another hotel, but suddenly a room appeared. They moved me to a second room with a balcony that could be opened, and they also sent up a fan, which helped. Interestingly, I visited a few surrounding hotels in the same square out of curiosity, and they all had their A/C systems running, so the explanation didn't fully add up.
The pros:
The location is absolutely unbeatable! right in the heart of Rome.
The breakfast on the rooftop terrace overlooking the city was wonderful and definitely a highlight.
Overall, I wouldn't consider this a true 4-star hotel based on the room quality and service issues, but the location and breakfast were excellent. With some improvements, it could be a great stay. read more