Hotel dei Mellini - Rome, Italy 

This hotel is hidden away near the river in a quiet location. We walked everywhere during out stay in Rome and although the main attractions are not on the hotel doorstep, they are close enough to walk to. The hotel is small and clean and the reception staff are there if you need them but mostly just leave you to get on with it. They all speak perfect English. Our room was spacious and clean with a good en-suite. The breakfast was very continental and not that great! Overall I would recommend it for a city break as it ticks all of the boxes and is a good base for exploring. It is a very good price for 4 star in Rome.

Just returned from a trip to Italy ending in Rome. After a lot of research we chose Hotel Mellini for a 4 night stay. We booked a triple room for 250 euros a night directly through the hotel site. With the current exchange rate, the room cost us $480 per night. At that price one would expect a nice experience. Unfortunately our experience started with very indifferent service at check-in. There was no bellman available to help us with our bags into the lobby. After check-in we got the luggage cart and started to haul our bags. Only then did the desk clerk call someone. We were shown to our room on the sixth floor (the top). It looked nothing like any photos on the website. There was no "luxury" bedspread on the bed, just the sheets. The curtains were plain and thin. The one upholstered chair was horribly stained. The dresser and desk were scratched beyond repair. The bathroom was underlit and not very special-looking. The worst part was the very noisy air conditioner which did not cool the room. It was a hot, stuffy and noisy night. After a terrible night sleep the first thing we did was book another hotel for the remainder of the trip. We have never stayed at a $480 per night hotel that was so poor. Bottom line -- if a hotel is simply no good, you don't need to suffer through with it.