Yesterday my granddaughter, who was staying with us in Le Marche, decided she wanted to go to Rome to see the funeral of Pope Francis. Since it was a last-minute decision, it took a while to find a place to spend the night. She did find, and reserved, a youth hostel, on Hostel World, near Termini station, and took a train to Rome, arriving at 8 PM.

The hostel's listing said that check-in was until 9 PM, but when she got there at 8:20, she found it closed, and no one answered when she rang. She called the phone number and the person who answered said she would have to come back in an hour! I had called her to see how things were going, and she told me the story and said she would try to find a restaurant nearby to spend an hour.

The more I thought about this the less I liked it. I called her back in 20 minutes. At that time she hadn't found a restaurant she could afford, so she had got a snack and was walking around the area, carrying a travel pack on her back.

By now I was horrified, although she wasn't worried at all. Maybe at her age, I wouldn't have been worried either.

I remembered that once, returning from the USA, we had to wait six hours for our train home, and were exhausted. I had found a budget hotel, the Teti hotel, near Termini station, that agreed to rent a room for four hours so we could rest. The hotel was very basic but very clean and the proprietor went out of his way to accommodate us.

By now it was 9 PM. I called the hotel's number. The proprietor actually remembered me. He said that unfortunately the reception was closed and he wasn't on the premises, but he would see what he could do. He called me back in a few minutes and said he did have a room and would send my granddaughter the instructions for entering the hotel with a password and that he would take care of the formalities later.

He sent my granddaughter the location on Google maps. He also called the adjacent restaurant and asked if someone there could meet my granddaughter and make sure she got in all right. He sent a message to my granddaughter later to make sure everything had gone smoothly. He asked her to send him a photo of her passport pages so he could stay on the right side of Italy's guest registration law. I had said I would pay for the room, which I did today.

Romans are often said to be unhelpful, or even surly. That has not been my experience at all. I once had a waiter run after us to say there was a mistake on our bill and we had overpaid. However, this was beyond my experience, a magnificent gesture of helpfulness, and also trust.

I don't know if Fodorites are ever in search of a basic budget hotel near Termini station in Rome, but if any of you are, I highly recommend the Teti hotel.

https://www.booking.com/Share-9S8XW4O

bvlenci, what a wonderful story and what a kind man! We so often hear about the unpleasant interactions and not enough about the kind and helpful ones.

What a heart warming story -- and especially with Rome so busy at the moment with the funeral et al. I'd worry as well, a single young woman wandering around Termini at night.

What a great story, and what a great hotelier.
I hope your granddaughter was able to see something of the funeral.

I've made a note of the hotel. I am unlikely to visit Rome but who knows, maybe I will but an Interrail ticket in my old age and have an explore!

Glad this all worked out so well. In my many times in Rome, I have not found them unhelpful or surly!

Bvlenci – I loved your story, and what a kind person! It is a heart-warming feeling to see things like that still happen these days.

Thanks for sharing......'good news' encourages us all

I’m always on the lookout for a budget friendly hotel in Rome. Bookmarking the link. But will check to see if they have their own website too. Grazie!

Thank you for sharing. What a kind man. There is a hotel that I like just a further bit down from this hotel. It's great to know of another place in this location should I ever need it.

What a wonderful story! Thank you for sharing this. It’s always good to hear a positive experience when things could’ve gone so wrong.

Great story! Here's a link to the Teti's website:
https://www.hotelteti.it

Thanks for sharing this. Your granddaughter is fortunate to have you in her life.

What a lovely account of your granddaughter's experience and such an encouraging story. I'm so glad things worked out for her. We don't hear enough of the instances that work out due to the kindness of virtual strangers, so thank you for this.