Hotel Eden — Hotel in Rome

We had the best time at the Eden. It’s a great old-world hotel that’s been totally spiffed up, with an amazing staff (more on them later). This place is aptly named… it overlooks the Villa Borghese Gardens and the church at the top of the Spanish Steps… and, from its rooftop glassed-in restaurants and bar, almost all of Rome. ||Immaculately renovated a few years ago… the place still looks fresh and elegant. Compared to the other Big 3… the very touristy and dated (albeit in a classic way) Hassler and the Hotel de Russie (great patio but a little rough around the edges and in a lesser location)… the Eden stands alone at the top of the hill. Just a bit removed from the action of the Steps and Via dei Condotti but still walking distance to everything important, it had the perfect location for our Roman adventure. BTW, the city looks way better in January than it it did the last time we visited in the month of July… IF you get good weather, which we did. No crowds… no tourists… just Italians. It was great.||The hotel is not big but it is luxe. The small lobby is elegant and there’s a beautiful ground floor bar (though I never saw anyone in there). The fancy restaurant and a second bar/more casual restaurant are on the top floor. Our room was good-sized, not huge but elegantly appointed, with a formal entry and a narrow set of French doors opening to a small balcony. If a balcony room is in your budget, get it...even if you just stand out there for a moment or two, which is all we did given the chilly temperatures. From the room and balcony, you have a wide panorama of the charming rooftops of Rome, the back of the Hassler, the church at the top of the Spanish Steps and the Villa Borghese Gardens. Stunning. ||The large marble bathroom had the same large windows and views. If you stay here, definitely take a bath in the soaking tub… a sublime experience with that vista. I’d suggest a room facing Via de Porta Pinciana, not Via Ludovisi, as the latter side is above the hotel entrance and opposite a mostly underground parking garage (albeit with a garden on top). Neither is that busy of a street but I think the views on the Porta side are better. We were on the floor directly below the bar and more casual restaurant, which gave us the best views in the hotel and was also very convenient… you could take the “private” stairs up to breakfast and dinner. The downside was you could hear a little bass from the bar late at night through the ceiling. Not terrible but it was there. Still, I wouldn’t trade those views for a lower floor. ||Overall, the hotel was very quiet. It may have helped that it was not too crowded most of the time we stayed there. The beds were great and we slept very well.||I saved the best for last… the people who work here. They’re everything you’d want from a luxe Italian hotel… and then some. Uniformly nice, warm, friendly and helpful (and often fun and charming) at every encounter. I’ve not always experienced this in a country where so many tourists come and go and there's a lot of wear and tear on the staff. It does help when you’re staying at this high a level, but it’s not always a guarantee. ||Check-in was easy. We arrived late the first night and were greeted by the welcoming night front desk manager, Marco… who took us right up to our room. Breakfasts were fantastic… (they were included in our rate… definitely opt for them if you can)… maybe the best I’ve ever experienced. The food was very good and the views remarkable but it’s the people I remember so fondly. What great guys we had serving us. The first day it was Francesco (nice and fun) and then Marco later that meal and the next two breakfasts as well. What a charming man. Genuinely a delight. So funny and full of life. It was a blast to start the day off with him. ||We ate lunch out every day but had two dinners in the upstairs bar (adjacent to casual restaurant, where breakfast is served). Dmitri, Walter and Stefano were great, as were the female hosts. One night we didn’t get the table we requested (we had requested it twice, before we arrived and also earlier that day) but they took care of it as soon as possible with a smile. It does help to stay in the hotel and arrive at the bar via the “private” stairway entrance. They know you’re a guest immediately and you’re treated as such. While heading up those stairs, you can see the signed 8 x 10s from some of the famous people who’ve stayed at the Eden recently. Diane Keaton was a staff favorite. Rita and Julia at the front desk were so helpful, too… with Julia assisting us with our way-too-early 6:30 AM checkout. Due to an early flight our last day, we missed enjoying our last breakfast on the rooftop with Marco but we had room service promptly at 6 AM (as requested), which was tasty as well. During our stay, I tried to get as many names of the staff as I could… but of course, didn’t get everyone. I want to make a special mention of the front door employees… so welcoming, fun and helpful. We never had anything but a pleasant experience with anyone who worked here.||If I could find one small flaw at the Eden, it might be the HVAC system. The register is high up near the ceiling on a wall that directly faces the beds. And it blows hard. You can’t reach it to block it. We ended up turning off the heat at night to sleep (since we couldn’t cover the vent) but the room stayed warm enough. I think in hot weather with the AC on, it might be a little less comfortable than it should for sleeping. I’m not sure what the fix is. A register you can adjust? (The gym is also small and a bit perfunctory. But you don’t come to Rome to work out. At least I didn’t). ||If you have a choice of the top 3 famous hotels, pick the Eden. We visited the others and really, there was no comparison. The new, even more expensive Bulgari may take some business away initially… more on that hotel in another review… but I would never stay anywhere but the Eden. It really was a little like heaven. Special thanks to everyone at the hotel who made our time there so unforgettable. Whoever manages the Eden obviously does an excellent job, so kudos to...

A Gorgeous Hotel with Xenophobic Doormen This hotel was recommended by a friend that was treated like royalty after someone thought she was a writer from a large newspaper establishment. She convinced me to have a drink with her at their rooftop restaurant and bar as she was convinced that we would receive the same treatment as she was given a few days prior where she was served complimentary caviar, drinks and a grand tour of the kitchen to meet the chef. Upon our arrival in an uber black BMW to Hotel Eden June 4th the door man immediately opens her door and I'm left sitting in the car gathering my things as they greet her and precede to open the hotel door for her. Mean while Im still in the car waiting for the doorman to open my door. It wasn't until my friend said to the doorman " can you open her door'" thats when my door was opened with reluctance. We proceed to the roof top deck for drinks, food and a gorgeous view of Rome. Our waiter was polite and accommodating when we didn't like the first drink he immediately offered to change it to this wonderful dramatic drink with smoke it ws amazing. We paid our bill and ordered another Uber I was a bit behind my friend because I had bags from shopping that day to gather. As we exited the hotel door she is ahead of me I see the doorman opening the door for her as well as the car door. As I approach the Hotel door I drop my bags and a few items fall unto the floor in front of the hotel door inside of the Hotel to my left there are the previous doormen just standing there with there hands behind there back just watching me struggle to get my things off the floor neither of them moved an inch nor did they ask if I needed any assistance. They just stood there and watched with a smirk on their face as if it were funny to see me struggling and bending over. Im done picking up my things from the hotel floor and I exit the hotel to get into the UBER. There were the doorman and no one offered to help or open my door when I had two bags and my purse. While my friend had one bag and a purse. I noticed this type of treatment throughout Italy and I believe its because my friend looks very European people often thought that she was Italian. Both of us are attractive women but the difference is our skin color. I am African American with European decent and beautiful dark brown skin which wasn't well received in Italy. I noticed the difference in how I was treated compared to my friends treatment. Its a shame but colorism and Xenophobia was very prevalent at the Hotel Eden I can say that I will never stay here or eat here again. It doesn't matter how much money you have or how much education you have and what you do for a living if your skin isn't white you will be mistreated...

Just got back to the States and wanted to share a review of Hotel Eden. This is a beautiful property. We had a well appointed room on the 4th floor. While we were warmly greeted there were a couple of minor call-outs that irked me as someone who’s spent half of my life in the hospitality industry. 1)I booked via Amex. Prior to my arrival, I emailed the hotel asking that the concierge curate a list of restaurants for dinner. I didn’t get a response to my query so upon arrival I asked the concierge to book a dinner spot. My partner wanted an authentic carbonara or Cacio Pepe for dinner. The concierge, a lovely lady with curly hair, assured me that she would find the perfect spot for Monday night. We never heard a word back. Like nothing. I decided to book on my own. 2) Even though, I booked via the Amex platform, I was never provided with a complete list of amenities. If I hadn’t asked to check my balance, by accident, I wouldn’t have found out about a large credit that I needed to use. Having a credit is always a bonus. Trying to figure out how to use it at 7pm when you check out the next morning by 8 was challenging. 3) I had to open the door to the hotel more than 60% of the time which is no problem except when there are 2 doormen dedicated to this purpose. The guys were usually having side conversations and not paying attention. 4)they add a fee to tip the staff to the bill. While it can be removed, I found this interesting and mildly off-putting. I tipped in every space I was in to each individual that assisted me. ||I will say that the location is perfection, the restaurant is gorgeous, the cocktail lounge is sublime and April, at the front desk, was a true bright spot. She was warm, enthusiastic and genuinely excited for me when I shared news of my engagement.||I’d stay at this hotel again. However, at this price point little things like communication and consistent customer service can’t slip...