Aurelius Art Gallery Smart Hotel Rome — Hotel in Rome

As others have said in their reviews, the surrounding area of the hotel is grimy and grim, I didn’t really mind this as the city is full of army and police and makes you feel unsafe. Most of the staff are helpful and friendly – there is one particular woman who is not as engaging, but think it’s more a reserved style than rudeness. I was checked into room 346 and the first thing I noticed was a very strong smell of mould. Unfortunately, I have a compromised immune system so I am highly allergic to mould – I decided as it was only three nights, to try to get through it rather than return to the not so friendly person at the front desk. By the second morning, I could feel my chest closing from the mould and starting to develop an allergic reaction. I had looked for the mould on arrival – the wall paper in the rather dark room is peeling off and there is black mould growing out of it – there are also spots where paint has covered previous mould damage. Sorry to go on about this, but any readers who suffer allergic reactions will know that this could bring on an asthma attack. I decided to ask to move rooms and was moved to a much better room. In the first room, the kettle is in a terrible state – you have to pull the plug out the wall when it reaches boiling point – it doesn’t switch off and the plug cover pulls off too. I couldn’t work out whether the strange pattern on the bottom of the kettle is mould or a marbled effect – either way it is off putting – and this is from an artist who spends time in grotty studios. The room is almost at basement level carved into the hill, so I suspect it is not properly ventilated and that causes the mould. This room also receives traffic noise – which is constant and footstep noise from other guests returning to their rooms at night– the second room I moved to was further back and much better. The second room is decorated like something from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” – there is a mirror on the ceiling above the bed and in the bathroom a sauna, a very complicated shower contraption and a massage chair! For the amount paid, I had low expectations and the hotel definitely fulfilled them. You get what you pay for and this is certainly not a luxury hotel, but more a budget friendly place – I travel a lot and the 4 stars are really a stretch, this is at best a 3 star hotel. If I were to return to Rome, I will definitely stay somewhere closer to the main action. The positives were that it is cheap, the breakfast is okay – considering it is included in the price, I didn’t think it was too bad. It is close to walk from the Metro – again it doesn’t feel that safe, but I think the city is probably less safe with the pick pockets, harassers etc. So, probably in reality a modest area, but not so unsafe. The front desk made some recommendations for restaurants and I found them all nice – relatively cheap in comparison to the city, easy to walk to so quite convenient. I appreciated the move to a better room, the second room was clean and not so dark, no mouldy smell, and a decent kettle. I do think the ratings are a bit high for what is on offer, but if you are budget conscious then it’s not a bad deal. If I was not moved, the rating would be a 1 star, but given that they made an effort to fix the problem and that the second room was much improved, there is a 3...

We booked this hotel based on its 4 Star rating AND consistently excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. I am writing this review to provide a fair and balanced assessment based on our experience.||Let me start with the owner/manager who was in all ways absolutely exemplary. Our pre-arrival confirmation & any correspondence was dealt with expeditiously. Upon arrival (around 11:30PM), the room we were provided was a very good size and was clean in most respects. That said, in our opinion, the hotel does not live up to its 4 Star rating. ||The single biggest problem we had was that as soon as we entered the room there was a VERY strong smell of scented air freshener having been sprayed in the room. My wife & I are both allergic to scents of any kind and this smell was absolutely overpowering. When I requested a change in the room, the manager informed us that the property was full for the night and as such no other rooms were available. To be fair, he offered to move us to another property of theirs, but it was almost midnight and I did not want to move to another property about which I knew nothing. To get rid of the scent, we opened the door to the small balcony and spent the night in a very uncomfortable environment. Next morning we were shown another room; however, that room too had the same very strong smell of air freshener. We decided to stay in our original room, but insisted that no air freshener be used in our room while we were staying there. That request was appropriately handled. ||If you are booking this hotel and are allergic to scents & perfumes, I strongly suggest informing the manager in advance and asking that no air freshener or other scents be used in preparing the room for your arrival. ||Other reasons why the 4 Star rating is in our opinion not appropriate:|1. The room had cheap $$ store type disposable plastic glasses in the room. There was no glassware or ceramic cups etc of any type in the room.|2. Several cracks in the wall/flooring were visible (especially in the bathroom/toilet areas).|3. The room lacked some basic necessities like a box of tissues.|4. While the bed was reasonably comfortable, there were no blankets, duvets or comforter in the room (and yes, Rome does get fairly cold at night especially in late November).|5. There was no kettle, coffee maker or tea/coffee supplies in the room. There is however a McDonalds which is a 2-minute walk from the hotel. |6. Breakfast is not provided (Paid or included).|7. The room did not have a telephone or any “Do Not Disturb” sign.||In conclusion, I’d say that overall, the Aurelius is a decent place for the price we paid. However, the strong smell of air freshener was a deal breaker for us. Also, given the absence of some basic amenities noted above, in our opinion, it definitely does not qualify for a 4 star classification. A 3 Star rating would be generous.||The best attribute for this property is the always smiling and extremely helpful owner/manager who tries to address any issues brought to his...

We booked this hotel based on its 4 Star rating AND consistently excellent reviews on TripAdvisor. I am writing this review to provide a fair and balanced assessment based on our experience.||Let me start with the owner/manager who was in all ways absolutely exemplary. Our pre-arrival confirmation & any correspondence was dealt with expeditiously. Upon arrival (around 11:30PM), the room we were provided was a very good size and was clean in most respects. That said, in our opinion, the hotel does not live up to its 4 Star rating. ||The single biggest problem we had was that as soon as we entered the room there was a VERY strong smell of scented air freshener having been sprayed in the room. My wife & I are both allergic to scents of any kind and this smell was absolutely overpowering. When I requested a change in the room, the manager informed us that the property was full for the night and as such no other rooms were available. To be fair, he offered to move us to another property of theirs, but it was almost midnight and I did not want to move to another property about which I knew nothing. To get rid of the scent, we opened the door to the small balcony and spent the night in a very uncomfortable environment. Next morning we were shown another room; however, that room too had the same very strong smell of air freshener. We decided to stay in our original room, but insisted that no air freshener be used in our room while we were staying there. That request was appropriately handled. ||If you are booking this hotel and are allergic to scents & perfumes, I strongly suggest informing the manager in advance and asking that no air freshener or other scents be used in preparing the room for your arrival. ||Other reasons why the 4 Star rating is in our opinion not appropriate:|1. The room had cheap $$ store type disposable plastic glasses in the room. There was no glassware or ceramic cups etc of any type in the room.|2. Several cracks in the wall/flooring were visible (especially in the bathroom/toilet areas).|3. The room lacked some basic necessities like a box of tissues.|4. While the bed was reasonably comfortable, there were no blankets, duvets or comforter in the room (and yes, Rome does get fairly cold at night especially in late November).|5. There was no kettle, coffee maker or tea/coffee supplies in the room. There is however a McDonalds which is a 2-minute walk from the hotel. |6. Breakfast is not provided (Paid or included).|7. The room did not have a telephone or any “Do Not Disturb” sign.||In conclusion, I’d say that overall, the Aurelius is a decent place for the price we paid. However, the strong smell of air freshener was a deal breaker for us. Also, given the absence of some basic amenities noted above, in our opinion, it definitely does not qualify for a 4 star classification. A 3 Star rating would be generous.||The best attribute for this property is the always smiling and extremely helpful owner/manager who tries to address any issues brought to his...