Small Hotels in Rome - Some Tips
The beautiful city of Rome, or the Eternal City as it is more lovingly called, is one of the most important tourist destinations in Europe. As Rome is home to many of the world’s most famous sights, such as the Coliseum, Trevi Fountain and St. Peter’s Basilica, we can easily understand why it is so popular.
With millions of visitors pouring into the city each year, you will find that there is a wide and varied selection of Rome hotels, as well as other types of accommodation. There is large choice of smaller, family-run hotels, B&Bs and ‘affittacamere’, which are a kind of Italian guest house, that often offer cheaper rooms than the larger hotels and hotel chains.
The following five tips have been compiled to provide you with some useful and important information about staying at a hotel in Rome, especially the smaller ones that may not offer the same services and amenities which the larger ones do:
1) Shared Building: Much of the accommodation in the centre of Rome, and more so the smaller Rome hotels near Termini Station are often located in multi-use buildings, which may be semi-residential or home to other hotels or businesses. In this case, guests usually receive their own set of keys to the main building door, so that they have complete independence.
2) Cash Payment Only: Although you may have reserved your room using a credit card, it does not necessarily mean that you can pay by credit card. The booking agency will normal guarantee your room with your credit card, but the hotel may only accept payment in cash. This is less common nowadays, but is still often the case if the room was sold to you at a reduced rate.
3) Italian Breakfast: Although many of the larger hotels and higher category establishments will offer a standard continental breakfast (choice of cold meats, cereals, toast, hot beverages, etc), many of the smaller ones will offer what is called an ‘Italian breakfast’, which comprises of some type of croissant, coffee or cappuccino and perhaps a fruit juice. In fact, if there is no breakfast room, some places will just provide a breakfast basket for consuming in your guest room, or they might provide you with a token to use at the nearest café.
4) Checking In: Always bring identification with you when you are checking into a hotel in Italy. A credit card will not suffice, so to be on the safe side it is best to use your passport or official ID card. This is a legal formality in Italy and often the ID will be photocopied, as the staff regularly have to provide the local police with a list of all its occupants.
5) Checking In Late: If you expect to be arriving late at your accommodation, make sure that it provides a 24-hour reception or night porter. If it doesn’t, then you will normally have to inform the reception staff in advance of your estimated time of arrival and arrange a check-in time. Also check with them if there is an additional charge for a late check-in.
If you are in doubt about any of the information above, you should contact your hotel directly before you set off on your journey.
If you are looking for good quality and affordable accommodation, then WRH Termini could be the solution for you. All rooms are clean, well equipped, including laptop with free internet connection, and staff are always happy to help out.
Tags: Hotels in Rome, Tips on Small Rome Hotels, Tips on Staying at a Small Hotel in Rome, Useful Information on Small Hotels in Rome