Hotel Principe Amedeo

For us, the Hotel Principe Amedeo was just what we were looking for as an affordable base for exploring Rome. We are an older couple, traveling on a limited budget for a protracted period of time ("A day outside of Trump's America is a day of sunshine and happiness!"), so we look for basic, affordable accommodations in convenient locations, and this hotel met all of those qualifications. The hotel is a very short walk from the main train station, subway, and hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses. It's also very walkable to many of the city's main attractions if you're reasonably fit. There are many inexpensive dining choices and markets nearby. The hotel itself seems to consist of a small suite of rooms (on the main floor) of a larger building, with another hotel's signage on the front of the building. But the reception desk is right inside the main entry, as are the guest rooms. Our room was somewhat larger than we expected --- very clean, comfortable, with high ceilings and a big window that opened onto the street in front of the hotel. The staff was very friendly and helpful.

Not a big problem, but because the hotel is a small operation, the reception desk is not staffed all of the time. When we came back from dinner one evening and tried to retrieve our key from the reception desk, the door to the office was locked. After a bit of confusion, we noticed a somewhat in-apparent door bell to press if the office is closed; apparently other guests were similarly confused, as we helped another person who was trying to check in when the office was locked. But the good news is, the staff responds quickly on you ring the bell.

The hotel is very well located close to Termini station and there are lots of options to eat close by. The rooms were also spotless though one of our bathrooms was a little cramped. Attractions like the Coliseum and Trevi Fountain are about 20 minutes walk away. The hotel was also really helpful by getting our rooms ready for us much earlier than the official check in time. The rate was also excellent. I don't think you can beat it for value.

Only 2 things. #1 We were given the room AC controls and asked only to use the on or off button since the rest of the functionality including adjusting temperature did not work. The lady who checked us in was very clear about this. Unfortunately the temperature was set to 22C which was a little too cold for my family from the tropics. Which meant at some point in the night the AC had to be turned off. #2 You have to buzz to get in, in the afternoon and evenings as the front desk isn't manned and the door locked and you don't get a key to the main door. The main issue is some guests are a bit too impatient and will buzz multiple times even late evening, waking you up!!! This was quite an annoyance before an early train the next day and we are talking close to mid night here.