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The Independent
10-04-2025
- The Independent
Best luxury hotels in Rome for stylish suites and stunning rooftop views
To say it's an embarrassment of riches is no pun. The luxury hotel market in Rome is dazzling, fast-growing, and even bewildering in its sheer number of offerings, with more than 70 five-star hotels in the city and more slated to open this year and next. Whether you're accustomed to staying in these laps of luxury, or a five-star stay is a once-in-a-blue moon splurge, the same conundrum remains – deciding which luxury hotel to choose in Rome is no easy feat. Choosing the luxury hotel for you should be based on a number of factors – which are all considered in this list. First and foremost, the best hotels offer a real sense of place – because when you fall asleep and wake up in the Eternal City, you should be reminded of where you are. Location, amenities and room options are all important but, just as important, is whether these luxury hotels make travellers feel as they should – valued, welcomed and pampered guests. And there's also the all-important question of value – a quality not often associated with five-star prices. Because even when money is no object, at the end of a stay, it's important to feel that yours was well-spent. Best luxury hotels in Rome 2025 1. Hassler Hotel The old-school glamour is heady at the Hassler, which has been welcoming privileged guests to its gilded halls since 1893. Now in its sixth generation of family ownership and with perhaps the best location in all of Rome, the Hassler still has the welcoming feel of a family-run hotel – albeit a very fancy one. As with the rest of the hotel, Hassler's rooms and suites, no two alike, deftly combine elegance, opulence and understatement. Imàgo is Hassler's Michelin-starred contemporary dining experience, which vies, along with the 7th-floor panoramic terrace bar for the best views of Rome. If you travel with a majordomo, take heart: the 3,550sq foot Hassler Penthouse, priced from £17,000 per night, comes with staff quarters, as well as the services of a private butler. 2. Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel Once the doorman ushers you into this palatial retreat, you'll leave the buzz of Via del Babuino and Piazza del Popolo far behind, clinking glasses, trickling fountains and contented guests. Hotel de Russie, one of the top grande dames in a city filled with them, offers all the hallmarks of a Rocco Forte experience: seamless service that seems to anticipate your needs, suites that tempt you to forgo a day of sightseeing, and plush amenities to form a true haven in the heart of the city. The hotel's delightful Stravinskij Bar, adjacent to its magnificent terraced garden, is a gathering spot for guests and Romans alike. 3. Hotel Eden Like many of Rome's historic luxury hotels, Hotel Eden manages to hold onto the magic of a bygone era without being rooted in the past. The hotel first opened in 1889 and nearly a century and a half later, its strong suits remain: peerless service, a posh neighborhood and proximity to Via Veneto and Villa Borghese. If your Rome city break is focused on shopping and museums, there are few better addresses. Eden's celebrated restaurant, La Terrazza, couples elaborate, original versions of Roman food with swoony city views. After a long day of sightseeing, the Eden Spa offers tempting facials and body treatments. 4. J.K. Place Roma hotel J.K. Place Roma is a luxury hotel for people who don't want to be perceived as luxury hotel people. There's an effortless style that feels neither dated nor too modern, where a blend of vintage and modern, bold color palettes and inviting common areas make it a consistently luxe yet homey base in Rome. Despite occupying a 17th-century palace in the heart of the centro storico, J.K.'s 27 rooms and suites, plus a cozy lounge and bar, make it feel more like a townhouse. While a small footprint means it lacks some of the bells and whistles of larger hotels, the 'home from home' feel and optimal location make it a great choice for travellers who prefer their luxury low-key. 5. St. Regis Rome hotel Like other grand Roman hotels of its vintage, the St. Regis epitomises fin de siècle glamour. Yet a complete renovation has fixed it firmly in the 21st century, with art-filled spaces and sumptuous suites. From the jaw-droppingly gorgeous lobby to lavish rooms and suites, guests should prepare to be wowed. Lumen is the on-site hub for all-day, specialty drinks and afternoon tea, including St. R's signature bloody mary, and the scene of the evening sabrage ritual, another St. Regis tradition. Though part of the Marriott family of brands, there's nothing about the St. Regis that feels even remotely like a chain hotel. 6. Rome EDITION hotel It's out with the old, in with the new(ish) at the Ian Schrager-conceived Rome EDITION, a 93-room property that occupies a 1940s rationalist-style building. Furnishings and decor are beautifully aligned with the mid-century architecture, and public spaces here, including a soaring marble-clad lobby, a lush garden and a roof terrace with plunge pool, are some of the most stylish in Rome. Rooms and suites are sleek and subdued, and higher floors offer skyline views. Don't pass up a cocktail in the seductive, velvety green Jade Bar or the more clubby Punch Room. 7. Hotel D'Inghilterra A venerable member of the old guard of luxury Roman hotels, Hotel d'Inghilterra boasts a central location, heady history (Keats, Shelley and Byron all checked in here), and recent, snazzy renovations that have given these clubby quarters a contemporary refresh. But the classic feel remains in its elegantly pleasing jumble of lounges and lavish suites, many with balconies or terraces overlooking the streets of Rome. There are both rooftop and ground floor restaurants, as well as a small spa. Expect the polished services typical of Starhotels, Italy's largest privately held hotel brand. 8. Portrait Roma hotel The pampering starts well before check-in at this 14-suite hotel, with guests queried for their preferences for pillows, bed sheets and minibar contents. Care for a vintage Vespa tour, a cooking class or a private dinner on the rooftop terrace? Just ask, and the dedicated staff will make it so. Spacious rooms and suites are tranquil, stylish studies in grey and other muted shades, and are equipped with kitchenettes, and some have saunas, gym equipment or balconies with rooftop views. The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and luxury shops of the Tritone are just minutes away. 9. Anantara Palazzo Naiadi hotel Locations don't get much more dramatic and romantic than this, even for Rome. Palazzo Naiadi wraps around a quarter of Piazza della Repubblica, which is dominated by the Art Nouveau Fountain of the Naiads. From top to bottom, the hotel speaks to the history of Rome: there are ruins of the Diocletian Baths in the lower level, while upper floors have views of the Michelangelo-designed Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. Sumptuous interiors, a comprehensive spa, plus a rooftop pool – especially rare in this part of town – are among the standout features here. Front facing suites, with their dreamy views of the fountain, are worth the splurge. 10. Villa Agrippina, a Gran Meliá Hotel Staying near Vatican City used to mean settling for a ho-hum hotel, but those days are long gone, thanks to the compound-like Villa Agrippina, part of Spanish-owned Meliá Hotels International. Set on the banks of the Tiber, the hotel has remarkably sprawling grounds that include manicured gardens and a large outdoor pool with sun loungers. A stand-alone Clarins spa also features indoor and outdoor pools and a thermal wellness circuit. Sexy suites, many with glass-walled bathrooms, add to the panache here, as do three gourmet dining options. Despite the temptation to stay within the hotel's privileged walls, St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museums and Trastevere are all just a short walk away.
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Luxury Lodging And World-Class Dining In Geneva, Switzerland
The Forbes 5-Star riverfront Mandarin Oriental hotel in Geneva There are more 'luxury' hotels and resorts right now than at any time in history, and more opening all the time, in every corner of the globe. But that begs the question, what makes a luxury hotel luxurious? In many cases hotels are considered luxury properties simply because they say so, a claim that is too often empty, and there are many times I've seen a misguided belief that spending a lot on marble or bathroom fixtures makes a stay luxurious. For the true luxury traveler, hotels that succeed must balance a precarious mix of hardware and software, the former in terms of rooms, spas, facilities, bedding and the things you can touch. The latter is staff, training, food and extras, the things that touch you, and this is harder—and what usually makes a place stand apart. When I think of the best and most memorable places I've stayed in three decades of covering travel, it's not bathtubs that come to mind, it's people and experiences. Every room on the 7th floor has a large outdoor terrace with great city views. Many years ago, my wife and I stayed at the family-owned Hassler Hotel in Rome, and she left her engagement ring in the safe when we checked out. As soon as we returned the key, someone when up to check, and as we got into a taxi for the airport and the U.S., a staffer came running down the street chasing the taxi to return it. The Hassler is a fantastic hotel from top to bottom, but that is what I will always remember. After two weeks of traveling through Japan, I checked into Mandarin Oriental Tokyo, and had accumulated a large amount of Japanese coins, which come in an impressive array of shapes and sizes. I emptied my pockets onto the desk and went to dinner. When I returned, a long leather 'boat' had been put out, and all the coins were stacked by type and arranged in a row in it, while all my charger cords were meticulously folded and bundled with little straps. I've seen the cord trick many times since, but the extra attention of the coin art still brings a smile to my face. Even among the big, recognized 'luxury' brands, few are truly consistent. There are many Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties I've been to that are exceptional, but not all of them. Only a handful of hotel brands get it right every time, and many of these are small groups limited to a very specific region, or in many cases, a single country such as Italy, Morocco, Japan or especially India. Among the bigger global operators, only a handful manage to meet the highest standards of luxury over and over again, even in markets with more challenging labor and service situations, a real mark of excellent leadership. One of these brands is Mandarin Oriental, and I have never been to one of their hotels that is less than exceptional, from Tokyo to Greece to Taipei, and most recently, Geneva, where the Mandarin Oriental is one of only two Forbes 5-Star winners in a city flush with beautiful hotels. The hotel just opened the first Ottolenghi restaurant outside of London, bringing the star chef's ... More cuisine to Continental Europe for the first time The Mandarin Oriental Geneva is not new, it just celebrated a quarter of a century of excellence. But it is constantly improving, and the most recent addition is a big one: a few months ago, the hotel opened a new restaurant, the first ever by Chef Yotam Ottolenghi outside the UK. The Israeli born Ottolenghi is quite simply one of the hottest chefs in the world, a leading culinary figure who has been a major impetus behind the recent rise of Mediterranean/Middle Eastern cuisine, and the author of several very big and influential bestselling cookbooks. He has done TV shows, and the London Observer ranked his most famous cookbook, Plenty, in the Top 50 of All-Time. Another, Jerusalem, won the James Beard Award for Best International Cookbook. While he and his restaurants are not vegetarian, he does so many vegetarian recipes that Bon Appétit magazine said he had "made the world love vegetables" He has more than a dozen other major awards, and nine London eateries, and many foodies consider them a must-stop pilgrimage on any trip to England. But now, you can add Geneva to that list. The new Ottolenghi eatery is in the middle of the lobby, and serves three meals a day, with an open kitchen and large, Argentinean-style wood fired grill, the centerpiece of much of the cooking. I ate multiple meals, and they were all great, but to me the big upgrade is breakfast. They still serve a lavish international buffet option, as hotels like the Mandarin do, and they also offer a menu of Far Eastern specialties such as congee, as hotels like the Mandarin do. But the big addition is his Middle Eastern breakfast specialties, especially his famous shakshuka, a meal worth a special trip for breakfast even if you are staying someplace else in Geneva. Rooms are very spacious and many have a river view. That's the big news, but the Mandarin was a 5-Stat hotel before Ottolenghi arrived. Rooms are beautiful and well appointed, and even the toiletries are exceptional. They get the simple things many hotels screw up right, like a simple button that actually shuts all the lights, and really dark blackout shades. They still give you a choice of complimentary newspapers each morning, a dying art. All rooms on the seventh floor have large private outdoor terraces overlooking the river, worth requesting, especially in warmer months. The bar is wonderful, and a great place to stop before dinner or have a business meeting drink. It is not an especially large property, but has a full spa, fitness center, and unusually, the gym has men's and women's locker rooms each with steam and sauna, available to all guests 24/7, whereas most luxury hotels put these amenities in the spa and make them available only with extra fees for spa treatments. Traveling across multiple time zones with some regularity, I have come to greatly appreciate the positive effects steam and sauna can have on the jet lagged body and love the fact that these are readily available. This is also part of a bigger thing I noticed about the hotel: in an age when many places nickel and dime guests for every little thing, even when you are paying a thousand dollars a night, that is not the case here. It is not cheap to stay at the Mandarin Oriental Geneva, but when you do, you are made to feel special, whether you are in the most basic room or the biggest suite. The omakase bar at Sachi, one of Geneva's most desirable dining experiences. The hotel also has another important restaurant, which, like Ottolenghi, draws locals, guests from other hotels and pretty much anyone visiting Geneva who loves food. The fine dining Sachi is a Japanese eatery with a heavy Peruvian influence and sushi bar with omakase options. But no matter where you sit, there are daily multi-course chef's choice tasting menus that are broad, varied and delicious, as well as a full range of a la carte options, and a deep sake list. Sachi is widely considered one of the premier Japanese eatery in all of Switzerland, a gourmet-focused country, and both food and service were impeccable. It is also open for lunch, which many luxury hotel fine dining spots like this are not, another plus for travelers from other time zones. Attracting business travelers in a city like Geneva is easy for a hotel of this stature, but what impressed me was the effort they make on the leisure side. Geneva is underrated in terms of tourism, and the hotel has pulled out all the stops to help promote the lesser-known attractions and make it a legitimate weekend pleasure spot. The concierge encourages day trips to nearby Annecy, 'The Venice of France,' an easy and charming trip few Americans know about. They work with unique local experiences like the Intium workshop, where you can make your own mechanical Swiss watch to take home, a once in a lifetime experience (I've written about this ultra-cool and fun 'watchmaker for a day' class here at Forbes). Intium has recently added jewelry making and build your own custom Swiss Army Knife classes. They offer guided E-bike tours, winery tours, a full-day private tour of Chamonix, one of the world's most charming mountain towns and the birthplace of mountaineering, in-depth culinary experiences for both Switzerland's famous chocolate and cheese, a guided walking tour of Old Geneva, right outside the door, and even hot air ballooning. If you want to experience the best of Geneva and the surrounding area in high style, there is no better place to start than the Mandarin Oriental. The MO Bar spans two levels and is great escape. But at the end of the day, it is the staff and service that set the Mandarin Oriental Geneva apart, omnipresent and flawless. Front desk staff, restaurant staff, bell staff, all do their jobs to perfection. We arrived very early on an overnight flight from the U.S., dropped our bags and went on to a breakfast meeting I had scheduled. When we returned, our bags were all in our room. This is a simple and obvious thing, yet one that the vast majority of luxury hotels fail to do, at any price, and it has always been a pet peeve of mine. I happened to stay at the hotel for a stretch that included my birthday, which I never announced, but being Europe, you have to show your passport at check-in. Without any comment, on the eve of my birthday we returned from dinner out to find a cake and bottle of wine and handwritten note in the room, and in the morning when I came down, everyone from the valet to the waiter wished me a happy birthday. I've traveled over my birthday many times, but do not recall cake being sent to the room. That is good service. The kind I will remember, and the kind that makes me want to go back to the hotel and its siblings.
