My husband and I are traveling to Italy for the first time this September. Any input on the following hotels that we are considering would be appreciated:

1. Inn at the Spanish Steps
2. Inn at the Roman Forum
3. Aleph Boscolo

Also, we are wondering what the area of the Spanish Steps is like and where the Inn at the Roman Forum is located ...we can't really tell if it is central.

I am also interested in Rome hotel information.
Donna

I'm not familiar with the hotels, but they all seem quite upscale. I'm sure your rooms will be good at all of them. As far as location goes, the Inn at the Spanish Steps and the Aleph Boscolo are in wealthy and fashionable neighborhoods, but they're not very conveniently located. If it were up to me, I'd go for the Inn at the Roman Forum. It's close to the Roman and Imperial Forums and the Capitoline Hill, and within easy walking distance of the Pantheon, the Piazza Novona, the Ara Pacis, and some really stunning baroque churches. If you pick one of the other two hotels, you're either going to do a lot of walking or a lot of riding on buses and the metro.
I hope this is helpful. My wife and I returned last Thursday from my third trip to Rome and her fourth, and we still have things there we'd like to see.

rndas, do you have a map of the city? You really need to get one so you can start getting a feel for the layout. Look at "streetWise" maps that you can find in your local bookstore.

To find reviews, you need to type the name of the hotel in the search field above, and look for threads on the left. You should also got to www.tripadvisor.com and search those hotel names for independent reviews from travelers.

You should see if the hotels you mention have websites. If they do, they will normally post a map so you can see where it is located.

The historic city center of Rome is pretty small and walkable. The most popular areas to stay in are the areas around; Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and Campo dei Fiori. The Spanish Steps area is not too far away and if you choose to stay there, you should be able to still walk to most everything.

A map and a good guidebook are real keys to you being able to hit the ground running (or strolling) and have a feeling that you know the general layout of the city.

To Lordy: Start a post of your own and let people know you need hotel information. You need to indicate what your budget is, and how many people per room.

Allow me to make another suggestion. On my last two visits to Rome, I stayed in B&Bs in Old Rome, the city's oldest neighborhood, where the natives live. Easy walk to everything -- Piazza Navonna and St. Peter's -- without being totally surrounded by tourists and tourist shops. Try Casa Pascucci on Via di Panico. Luciano has a lovely room to rent and a is delightful host.

Rndas
We just returned from Rome last. We stayed at Hotel Santa Maria in Trastevere (not central Rome) - very quiet, nice accommodations, excellenct service and very good breakfast. We walked everywhere for 6 days in Rome - St. Peters was 25 minutes and Forum/Palantine Hill was 30 minutes.
Gohedwig