We have booked a three night break to Rome in July and chosen the Holiday Inn Rome-West to stay. Having subsequently read reviews on this site, it seems that the Hotel Aberdeen comes highly recommended.
Now then, do we keep to our original plan and stay at the Holiday Inn as it has a pool (for our 7 year old daughter), large rooms and is air-conditioned - but is far out of the city in a residential area OR do we choose the Hotel Aberdeen in the heart of the city with no pool but close to all the sights and restaurants? The price difference is not great. Does anyone have experience of either of these hotels, good or bad? The Aberdeen is waiting for our answer!

In my opinion, the pool isn't as important because you are there to sightsee. It's better to have a hotel that is convenient and the Hotel Aberdeen has gotten great reviews here. Besides this hotel will have charm that a HI lacks plus you will benefit from personalized service being a small hotel. And you already know that the HI is far from the city center and once you are there it may not be appreciated at all. If you are located in the city center you can walk easily to many places or at least take a bus.

Thanks francophile, that's what we'd thought - just required confirmation from those who know! Thought of the pool as our daughter loves swimming and it would be a relaxing activity after a day sightseeing. Does anyone know if there are any public swimming pools around??
My husband and I have both been to Rome before (Return complement of previous coin tossing in Trevi fountain many years ago)so this trip will be geared towards things for her to see and do.

Curiously, I have actually stayed in both within the last three years. I think your conclusion about locale is correct, with one proviso. The airconditioning at the Hotel Aberdeen was feeble. If its hot (and its Rome and July so its going to be hot) you might all be better off at the HI. You are right about the lack of atmosphere, of course, but that pool (which is located in a pretty gareden in the back of the hotel) was a great treat for us after a day of sight seeing. The short bus ride in and out was not a high price to pay in 90 degree heat and three year olds are not great culture buffs!

Thanks LJ. Our 7 year old enjoys "culture" and is looking forward to the Trevi Fountain and the Colloseum etc. She will be tired by the evening and the reason we originally booked the Holiday Inn is that we could go back in the early evening to eat and relax. I've read that the restaurant there is poor and there is little else in the area as an alternative. This has to be a major consideration. Can you help?

ttt

We did not have a good experience with the restaurant for dinner at the HI on our trip (expensive prices, mediocre food, one meal was all we bothered with). However, family members who had stayed there with us before were also there more recently ( just this past fall) and said that the food had improved. We were a party of 4 adults on our joint trip so the food was not a big factor as we ate breakfast there only (and it was very good with the best selection I've ever experienced in Italy

So, its still a flip of the coin, I guess. (BTW, sorry I reduced your daughter's age by 4 full years, though I wish someone would do that for me...sigh).

Good luck!

I have not stayed at the HI, but my A/C at Aberdeen worked fine.

I will say that my room in the Hotel Aberdeen was the CLEANEST room I have ever been in. I don't know how that maid did it, but the room did sparkle!