Rome Cavalieri Hilton - Rome, Italy     

I am a frequent traveler both for business & pleasure and this hotel certainly stands alone. It is a hotel for the rich with amenties that you will not see at other Hilton properties including those in the Waldorf Astoria collection in the States. The extra touches including heated towel racks in the rooms and a sunglass cleaning station at the entrance to the pool are special treats. The pool is gorgeous and the pool boys are at your service with padded terrycloth covered cushions for your lounge chairs and fresh towels whcih are brought to you at your chair. Depending on your Hilton Honor status, you may have to pay an extra fee. We did not. The service is top notch throughout the hotel although they are used to catering to folks with unlimited cash flow. If you ask for the best transportation options, the first suggestion will be a private car & driver. Our room was oversized with a king bed and a sleeper sofa which was perfect for my husband and I and our teenage son. The appointments in the room are quite elegant. You do have a sound proof door to close off hall noise in the evenings and an electronic shade that blocks out all light from your balcony. The bathroom is large and luxurious. We did utilize the hotel shuttle in and out of the city. Once in the city, you are close to sites such as the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain but will need additional transportation to the Colisseum and Vatican. We took the subway which was easy once you figured out how to get tickets. Be sure to have coins available to use the automated ticket machines. It is smart to be in line for the hotel shuttle early. If the shuttle becomes full, you are out of luck and must wait for the next one an hour later or take a cab which is expensive. We did walk from the hotel to the Vatican one morning. It is about a forty minute walk but pleasant, safe and all downhill. We did not buy one extra item at the hotel. The food was ultra expensive. As Americans with the current exchange rate, a hamburger and a beverage would be over $50. I think the hotel should rethink this since many travelers to the hotel do not have that in the budget. We met several families that went elsewhere for ALL meals. A bottle of water or can of soda was not even affordable. We bought a supply at a nearby store and brought them into the hotel. Overall, our stay was worthwhile and it was fun to experience the opulence.

Where do I begin. Travelling as part of a very large group composed of families and married couples . We were traveling with our sons ages 14 and 19. Only three people are allowed in a room, although the rooms were quite large by american standards. The sofa bed was purposefully small to accommodate only one person. Our youngest son stayed with friends. One week prior my family stayed in a different hotel in Rome. The rooms were smaller and all four of us slept in one room. Back to the Hilton. Our second night we returned late in the evening to find the sofabed was not set up and there were no sheets. So we had to wait for housekeeping. They also failed to set up the sofabed in our friends room. There was a bar well stocked with all sorts of glasses which they failed to clean up and replace. Also one of the maids called the front dest to complain that there were four people staying in our room. Naturally, during the day my sons spent their time with us. There was a 16 euro fee to sit around the pool. A hamburger by the pool cost $50. It was brutally hot in Rome and no one was enjoying the the pool. We spent our last day in Rome sitting in our room because we refused on principal to pay money to use the pool. Later at the airport friends shared similar stories about the rude treatment they recieved from different members of the staff. One overheard a maid complaining about "the Americans." To add insult to injury, an evening taxi ride for four from the center of Rome to the hotel is around 11euro. We were charged 25euro's the first night. Enough said.