When in Rome... Meet Your Hotel Match

Ciao Roma! With 10,000 hotels in Rome on trivago, the range of possible stays in the Italian capital is both endless and overwhelming, much like a walk across the city. Fantastical ruins lurk on every corner and whether you’re chasing gladiators, shopping till you drop or catching the drips from your gelato on the Spanish Steps, Rome is enchanting for all senses.

We’ve curated a selection of hotels for every kind of Roman holiday, whether you come as a family, a couple or any other combination of folks and no matter what you are seeking to gain from one of Canada’s most beloved European escapes.

Photo by Roberto Taddeo CCBY

A trip to Rome doesn’t have to break your piggy bank: our trivago data shows that the cheapest month to book a hotel in Rome is February when prices average around $123 per night.
Meanwhile, the most expensive and busiest month to visit Rome is May, with prices coming in around $221 per night and showing an increase in search volume.

You’ve arrived in Rome with diaper bags, stuffed animals and baby blankets in tow. It might be early in the day in Rome but for you, following your red-eye flight and a night spent without sleep, it feels very, very late. Luckily for you, you’ve booked a hotel that will make it all right as soon as you are able to dump all your baggage on its crisp, spacious wood floors. With a 93/100 rating by trivago users, we believe that Gli Artisti makes for the perfect accommodation in Rome while visiting with your family.

In the yellow room, you’ll enjoy the privacy of a private entrance and spacious headquarters from which to plot your conquest of Rome. Located 100 metres from the Ottaviano Metro station from which you can access the main Termini station and only 10 minutes from the splendours of the Vatican, this cozy B&B is a delight even for the budget conscious.

Get recommendations on what to see in Rome, how to get around and where to get food directly from the owners for a more personal experience in the eternal city. Rooms also have free WiFi and air conditioning plus access to breakfast in the shared kitchen including every kid’s (and indulgent adult’s) favourite: Nutella!

You awake to light flooding into your room, alarm ringing. It’s 9:30 a.m. and it’s the first day of your Roman holiday. Normally, nothing could deter you from grabbing your phone for a “snooze button” cuddle under your pillow but the idea of skipping breakfast, which ends at 10:00 at the Maison D’Art hotel is unbearable. The Italian breakfast, particularly the magnificent double espresso, serves as enough inspiration coupled with the selection of art dotting the walls of your hotel to get you going out the door by 10:30 a.m., feeling fresh as a lemon sorbet.

Why stay at the Maison D’Art? You’ve come all the way to Rome, so you are obviously interested in culture and history. With a location plop in the centre of historical Rome, the nearby sights are enough to send you spinning in a photo frenzy; the Pantheon, Navona Square and the Campo de Fiori. You are a mere skip of joy away from Venezia Square, the Spanish Steps, the Colosseum and getting lost in the Trastevere neighbourhood.

The rooms at the Maison feature tiled floors, air conditioning massive windows with historic shutters. Here you’ll feel like your Roman holiday is every part the full Roma experience.

Your fun, family vacation is beginning to look as eccentric as the Griswold European vacation and you’ve only made it as far as the taxi stand at the airport. You’ve “dragged” your teenage children along on this trip, which was meant to make them appreciate hanging out as a family but things are looking dire. You’re dropped off in front of the Hotel Apollo and the kids shuffle in behind you, eyes glued to their phones and attempting to avoid being spotted with their parents. Can the plague of the Sulky Teen be overcome?

Indeed. Your lovely hotel impresses the not-yet-fully grown young adults with its wood beamed ceilings, elegant balconies (your teenage daughter is dreaming of being serenaded Romeo & Juliet style). The rooftop terrace merits the selfie stick being immediately whipped out.

You can let them out off leash to wander over between the nearby Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum. Plus, you’ll know exactly where they are since you are sharing a cozy palazzo family sized room (to their despair) and you’ll all enjoy a free Italian breakfast on the covered rooftop terrace every morning. Together. No switching tables. Best of luck.

For you, there won’t be any trekking to and from the airport via public transport: Simone, a charming Italian fellow will pick you up straight from the terminal and whisk you to the Palazzo Manfredi via limousine. A rich history awaits its guests: just beyond the front door, there was once a huge gladiatorial school, excavated during the 1960s. And the building housing Palazzo Manfredi was actually built as a 17th-century villa, rebuilt as a hunting lodge during the 18th century and, finally, reborn as a luxury hotel.

Design details mimic the city’s archaeology. Sumptuous marble posts nod to antiquity, beds fit for kings from the Baroque era and updated technology ushers in tomorrow. Each room features a unique wallpaper and a curated pillow selection. Ask the concierge for a reservation on the rooftop terrace which overlooks the Colosseum, where you’ll be treated to all the views and all the eats at Aroma Restaurant. Keep things traditional by getting both an antipasto (starter) and a primi piatti (pasta) before moving onto your mains.

You’ve been gritting your teeth during the whole flight in anticipation of Rome’s tourist packed streets, traffic noise, and the loud chatter outside your window all night. You’ve done all the main sights some 30-odd years ago, once with a backpack, once alone and then once with your longtime partner. Each time you’ve left more exhausted than the last, but for romance sake, you’ve agreed to come again. You’re downright shocked when you’re dropped off outside of the city. Here, the air is rather crisp, unpolluted and the only noise comes from the rustling of leaves.

You’re warmly welcomed at the Castello della Castelluccia. Dating all the way back to the 10th century, this enchanted corner of Rome has aged beautifully with its 16th-century works of art, antique furniture and the 12th-century tower barely showing any wrinkles. Each of the 23 rooms is entirely unique, some with 18th century four poster beds, marble bathrooms and majestic fireplaces, all named after the aristocratic families who have owned the castle.

The Roman countryside is at your window and should you wish to venture into the city, a shuttle drops you off several times a day at the nearest metro station, about six kilometres away. Here you are free to languidly enjoy the best of Italy at your leisure, including the onsite restaurant which serves local dishes with an Umbrian influence. Be sure to ask for a reservation– the Locanda della Castelluccia, which serves its patrons in a medieval style room, is highly rated and often full. Nearby you’ll also find a golf course while the castle has its own Turkish bath, spa and pool.

You’ve arrived in Rome with your Rimowa suitcase and got promptly picked up by your Uber driver. You’ve booked your hotel months in advance after scouring Instagram in search of the perfect Roman hotel. You’re dropped off in Piazza Navona and roll into G-Rough Rome. Your anxiety about whether the hotel will meet your high-level design aesthetic standards is pushed aside when you’re confronted with the 16th century five story palazzo building. The walls and timber beams are rough and appear unfinished in contrast with the polished, modern furnishings, most of which can be attributed to iconic 20th-century Italian designers like the Giò Ponti chairs and Joe Colombo lamps. You breathe a sigh of relief– you’ve arrived in your happy place.

The mot-du-jour here is unconventionally “Made In Italy”. You’re checked in at the bar with a shot of afternoon espresso and meet with your “Lifestyle Butler” who can offer a Roman’s take on hidden sights, plus the lesser known museums and palazzi as part of an “Unconventional Experiences” tour.

You’re a tad unconventional, forgoing the Colosseum in favour of assisting in the creation of a bespoke leather bag or travelling unnamed back streets on a Vespa. In the evenings, you’ll be poised at a bar with a Campari Spritz in hand, soaking in the atmosphere and feeling all the part Italian. And finally, you’ll leave Rome feeling like you’ve enjoyed the precise experience you wanted, one that was curated for a person of the most discerning taste.

You’re visiting Rome on business, meeting with some partners but you’ve extended your stay–when in Rome, right? With your suits perfectly placed among polo shirts in your Vocier luggage, you arrive barely disheveled– you’re a calm, cool and collected traveller, and that’s what you expect from your hotel. While other businessmen might opt for airport conveniences and feel satisfied with a run-of-the-mill household name hotel, you still want to look over the inspiring church domes and wake up feeling the magic of Rome. Your room at the Tree Charme facilitates such a wake-up.

Nestled against the River Tiber, the property is an archetypal 20th Roman building decorated with a mix of Art Deco furnishings and a calm, cool and collected design. The Tree Charme is located in the charming Trastevere district, full of small bars, shops and coffee shops where you won’t be served a cappuccino after 10 a.m. (sacrilege in Italy!)

Before your big meeting, you’ll wake up to a delicious breakfast served on the shaded terrace. In the evenings, you can stroll to all the classic Roman sights or stay in Trastevere and enjoy the local parties. A nightcap at the tavern around the corner will see you off to sleep in your retro-styled room. While you’ll only be in the city for a few days, at the Tree Charme, you’ll be immersed in a fully local experience.

You’ve been lugging your carry on bags since you’ve exited the aircraft, what felt like hours ago. The subway in Rome only gets you so far, so you’re walking, map in hand, trying to find your hotel. Ducking onto a cobblestone street, you breathe a sigh of relief. The area is quintessentially Rome, or exactly as you have pictured in your head prior to your first visit. You can hear the church bells tolling and you’ve already spotted a restaurant that is calling your name. Or is it your stomach shouting the name of the restaurant?

At the Relais Giulia, you glimpse the remains of the Roman Renaissance, paired down and minimal. Following your seamless check in with the lovely staff who offered up a wealth of local love and info for your stay, you make your way up to your room- #9 out of 13. A four poster bed awaits you, as do the traces of ancient frescoes. The stone floor cools your hot feet as you eagerly step out of your running shoes. The windows are thrown open, bringing in the lights and soft sounds of the inner courtyard. You wake up earlier than usual and ring for the staff to bring your continental breakfast straight to your room. The following morning you’ll enjoy the buffet in the cozy breakfast courtyard to shake things up a bit.