Tips on Staying at a Small Hotel in Rome
Rome is one of the world’s most important tourist destinations and also one of its most fascinating. The city is steeped in history; from Etruscan and Roman ruins to Renaissance buildings and Christian symbolism. The city also offers the visitor an amazing amount of famous sights and attractions, such as the Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica, Coliseum and Pantheon.
With millions of visitors pouring into the city each year, you will find that there is a wide and varied selection of Rome hotels, as well as other types of accommodation. There is large choice of smaller, family-run hotels, B&Bs and ‘affittacamere’, which are a kind of Italian guest house, that often offer cheaper rooms than the larger hotels and hotel chains.
The following five tips have been compiled to provide you with some useful and important information about staying at a hotel in Rome, especially the smaller ones that may not offer the same services and amenities which the larger ones do:
1) Shared Building: Much of the accommodation in the centre of Rome, and more so the smaller Rome hotels near Termini Station are often located in multi-use buildings, which may be semi-residential or home to other hotels or businesses. In this case, guests usually receive their own set of keys to the main building door, so that they have complete independence.
2) Payment In Cash Only: These days, when you book online through an online agency, such as HotelsChart, you can secure your booking using a credit card. But this does not necessarily mean that you can actually pay for your accommodation with a credit card. Some hotels only accept payment in the cash, this is becoming less and less common these days, but some establishments still do not have the facility for credit card payments, or simply prefer payment in cash, especially for special offers and reduced rate bookings.
3) Italian Breakfast: Although many of the larger hotels and higher category establishments will offer a standard continental breakfast (choice of cold meats, cereals, toast, hot beverages, etc), many of the smaller ones will offer what is called an ‘Italian breakfast’, which comprises of some type of croissant, coffee or cappuccino and perhaps a fruit juice. In fact, if there is no breakfast room, some places will just provide a breakfast basket for consuming in your guest room, or they might provide you with a token to use at the nearest café.
4) Checking In: Always bring identification with you when you are checking into a hotel in Italy. A credit card will not suffice, so to be on the safe side it is best to use your passport or official ID card. This is a legal formality in Italy and often the ID will be photocopied, as the staff regularly have to provide the local police with a list of all its occupants.
5) Late Check-In: If you expect to arrive late at your hotel, you should check before booking that the reception will be open to receive you. If the reception is not open 24 hours, then you will usually have to inform the hotel in advance of your late arrival and arrange a time to check in. However, please note that some establishments will charge an additional fee for an out of hours check-in.
If you are in doubt about any of the information above, you should contact your hotel directly before you set off on your journey.
Finally, WRH Suites is a good example of a 3 star equivalent ‘affittacamere’/guest house located in the heart of Rome, just a short walk from Termini. The establishment offers excellent in-room amenities, including air conditioning, laptop with free internet access, etc and all at very affordable prices.
