Travelbug --

we decided on a double room and also have requested that it face the pantheon.

in terms of other deals -- we are using frequent flyer mileage for the flights so unfortunately i can't help there...

we like to travel around a bunch and meet people and not just stay in one place -- so despite some warnings from this forum, our itinerary does have us bouncing around a lot... but i think for this particular vacation, even though it is a honeymoon, it is what we are looking for....

we start in bellagio at the belvedere and then go to venice to the locanda orseolo and then florence to the tourist house ghiberti and then positano to the poseidon and then end in rome for 1 night at the del senato...

I use email for almost all of my reservations and it works great. I can easily create a form document, just cut and paste, change the hotel and/or dates, and click it's gone. I can crank out reservation requests much faster via email than a fax. A fax is an ok second option, but the phone calls to Europe do add up and I find having all of my travel documents on my laptop to be a real convenience, and I can track my reservations status much easier. Of course there are those places that do not have email and then you have to improvise. Usually you can find a web site that will have these locations available. I think most hotels now have email access - at least in the USA and Europe.

So I emailed Albergo Del Senato for a double room facing the Pantheon for a 3 night stay toward the end of May.
They quoted 285 Euro per night. I thought that was reasonable, until I began searching the this site and venere.com and noticed that a rate of 245 Euro seems to be the right price for a double.
Do you think if you contact the hotel directly, they quote a higher price? Or is our room in a 'higher' price bracket than a 'normal' double room?
Are 'all' doubles the same price, or does it vary dependent upon the size and view?
Anyhow, just wanted to get your thoughts on this. I don't want to reply to the hotel and mention that I can get a 245 euro rate, when they're quoting me 285 euro. Maybe I can ask if they have any cheaper priced 'doubles'?
Any advice?
Thanks!

gottheitch-

Does the venere's website tell you that the €245 room faces the Pantheon? If it doesn't, maybe the cheaper room on venere faces the back. Here is a recent thread that describes the hotel:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34469558

I'm too lazy to got get a calling card. I just use AT&T - the $2 (approx.) always seems worth it to me to discuss the room/apt. with a real live person.

Gottheitch,
We have reservations at the Albergo del Senato in May which I booked directly by emailing hotel. I questioned the difference in rates and was told the higher price was for the pantheon view, called a superior double. The $245 is a regular double, without the view. I emailed them my credit info. Hope your honeymoon trip is wonderful. One of the couples in our group will also be celebrating their marriage so we,too, hope all will be as special as we've read.

I recently reserved a room at the del senato via e-mail for late April and was given 265 EUR for one of the superior doubles with the balcony. I too noticed the higher price but figured it was for the "superior" double.

I found e-mail to be a fantastic method of communicating, largely because of the time available to ponder written communication and iron out any misunderstandings. Also, as a lawyer, I like written communications to document a relationship/agreement when possible.

As far as booking through third parties, I don't see how that can possibly help other than getting a lower rate. It just allows them to blame each other and double the number of people you have to complain to in the event of a mistake.

Jason

So we got email confirmation from the hotel today - one nice thing is that they promptly reply to our emails.

ccthomp,
Interesting, however, that they mentioned that the 'regular' (don't know exactly what that means, maybe not facing the Pantheon?) double rooms go for 265 Euros. Our 'superior' double room was 285 Euros. What does 'superior' means anyway? Is it only that it faces the Pantheon or that it has a balcony? Do any of the 'superior' doubles have a balcony?
Just curious!
Thanks

I don't know what we'll end up with when we arrive, but here is what I was told was available when I asked about availability of a room with a balcony facing the pantheon:

"1 Superior double room (top floor, facing the Pantheon with a small balcony) at the rate of Eur 265,00."

I believe the other poster said they got a "regular" room for 245 Eur.

However, givent his hotels popularity and other posts on this board, I would not be suprised to have them try to give me something else when I arrive. That's why I'm taking copies of the e-mails.

Jason

So the Albergo del Senato replied to us saying that for the 385 Euro rate, they can give us the superior double room #608. They didn't mention anything about a balcony.
Has anyone stayed in this particular room by chance??
I assume #608 is on the 6th floor. How many floors are there?
Thanks!!

Sorry, that was a rate of 285 Euro, not 385 Euro!!!

There are 6 floors at the del Senato. According to a previous poster, the superior doubles, facing the pantheon are recently refurbished and on the hotel website you can see the upgraded bathroom and wood floors. The regular doubles which do not face the pantheon are larger but not as newly redone. I was told balconies or terraces are only on the 6th floor.

thanks ccthomp!
I don't know if these questions have been addressed yet, but I was curious about the rooftop terrace...
Will this be open toward the end of May?
What is actually served on the terrace? Is there breakfast served? Or is there only a bar to serve drinks and snacks?
And what are the times of this service? How late do they serve drinks at night?
Thanks!