Mama Shelter Roma — Hotel in Rome

Just came back from 4 nights here and it was excellent. I’ve never seen so many staff be so happy - the cleaner was always smiling and said hello, the reception staff were upbeat and friendly but not false, they seemed genuinely happy to help and sorted taxi’s gave advice for places to go and see (not hard it is Rome) but how to get there and good times etc. which was nice. My wife commented on just how happy all the staff seemed and it created a really positive vibe. Check out is 12 not 10 or 11 like a lot of places so you can actually have a nice breakfast and relax, go back shower and get dressed before leaving.

The breakfast was good: lots of choice. So many sweet treats, but healthy options too including a fruit juice machine that you can pop various combinations in to make your own fresh fruit and vegetable drinks. Now, as a Brit I have to say the sausages were not quite right - the kids wouldn’t eat them as they were pink inside and tasted nothing like a traditional British sausage, and the mushrooms were not cooked to my liking, but those are personal preferences and the ONLY negative about breakfast. There is a Barista and they make whatever drink you want for breakfast, which no one mentions but once you know it’s a great bonus. Personally I used the tea leaves and mixed my own tea in the morning which is great.

The pool is not that big and you have to book a 1 hour slot to use it - we missed out one day and noticed on some days people went over their time so it was a little crowded but on our last day we had it to ourselves for 30 mins so for a City Centre hotel it was good. Lots of seating around the pool, decent sauna with good heat, nice steam room.

Gym is good as a studio for 2 - 3 people to use and enough in there for a city break and maintenance training / general fitness.

The rooftop bar is excellent - we didn’t know you have to book, so we just went up and they found us seats and it was the middle of August so I’m sure they would try to accommodate anyone. The cocktails are awesome and the music was good as it was old classics with a modern twist and again made for a nice atmosphere as it appealed to lots of people. Again the staff were positive, smiling and really attentive and I am sure one of the staff was on a breakfast too, so to do a long shift like that or a split shift and still be happy at work means the atmosphere is just positive, but relaxed and genuine not like some resorts where the staff look tired and put on fake smiles.

The hotel is a 10 minute walk to the Vatican and you come down the side of the museum entrance so great spot. Not much around the hotel, a cool Lauder that washed all our clothes for €16 euro so barely anything to clean when got home, a convenience store that is tucked away down a long flight of steps but was SO CHEAP - 9 bottles sparking water €4 , huge tray of sushi €9 , cokes €2 for the large bottles. Definitely worth getting some things there.

Sorry but don’t use the little kebab shop on the hill down to the city centre, we threw all 3 of ours away as they were gross. The pizza was ok, but don’t get the kebabs.to It was best to eat at the hotel as the prices are reasonable, pretty much the same as outside the hotel or cheaper for some and the food was decent.

Free retro arcades for the kids was nice - I got beaten on various versions of Street Fighter and played some old classics from my...

We were hoping to find a permanent place to stay because we come to rome 3times a year but we will definitely not come back. There are far better air bnb’s. Don’t waste your money on this place place that is all looks and no substance. The worse part of this review is this was my experience in a low season. I cannot imagine what it would be I high season.

I have mentioned things I wish I knew before booking;

Snack floor. Was a vending machine by the lifts.

Arcade games are fake, can’t actually play.

Breakfast was a massive low quality spread. Hot food was cold and not nice. You can find tastier, cheaper and locally sourced patisserie 500yards away.

Check-in Said they couldn’t find our booking.com. We spend 30-40mins waiting for the receptionist to find our booking on their system to then justify their cold/rude manner by saying we hadn’t booked directly so what could we expect.

Room The bed was in the middle of the room. And the windows looked out to another building. We could see a thin strip of sky. The room felt quite claustrophobic. We also had warm, not hot water and the water pressure in the large shower head was weak. There’s no tea/coffee stand in the room No glasses to drink water No bath robes or slippers even though there’s a ‘spa’ free of charge In the building. The hotel is on a very busy road so it was noisy until about 1am don’t expect to sleep with the windows open. You could not take coffee cups up to your room because apparently they didn’t have enough. Disposable cups given were floppy and poor quality for hot coffee. So coffee in bed is not possible. No iron in room. Room/cleaning service barged into our room on two separate mornings which was frustrating. It was 9am at both times so not very late. The soap/shampoo in the room was so bad I went to the supermarket to buy some.

Room change I had slept really poorly in this room and asked if we could change because the space felt a little enclosed. The receptionist then said you paid for what you got. There’s not much I can do. I said, in comparison to the prices you are marketing now we’ve actually paid £150 too much. All rooms at this time were on offer. I asked, Is there anything you can do? We then were lectured on the varying fluctuations of rooms. After circling the breakfast buffet we were then told a room with a different layout was found. Which was much better but again the experience of getting to this point was disappointing.

Spa No towels available, we had to use our hotel room towels. Steam room was hard to control. The on button was outside of the room. So you have to leave the room to turn it off otherwise it just got hotter and hotter. The sauna wasn’t hot. There was no bucket of water to pour on the stones. The pool was small and full of children screaming. There was no water to drink on that floor, it had all run out.

Complimentary cocktails Were poorly made. Watered down. We ordered an old fashioned and...

Tops: The team: was superb. Everyone from receptionists, to restaurant team and cleaners (who cared about saying morning/evening every single time they see you in a corridor). The breakfast: quality wise, it was the best I've had in 10 years of travelling around 4/5*, including the Hilton. Everything in the bakery was freshly baked and prepared, charcuterie/cheese selection was proper, hot counter eggs and sausages were nicely cooked, nice selection of cold drinks (I enjoyed OJ for the first time in a hotel as it was freshly squeezed). Nice touch to offer coffee from a real bar rather than cheap self service coffee machines. The building: overall new, well decorated and with no faults . Location: close to station, close to city centre, with a supermarket 2 min walking distance. Honesty: My friend came for a couple of night and being in the touristic Rome, I was ready to be ripped off by surcharge. With surprise, we paid a more than fair upgrade.

Downsides: Comforts: if you don't do room service it's fine, but at least the lack of it should be compensated by a stocked mini bar in the rooms. A bit of wine, soft drink and some spirits guests can pay for at checkout time if consumed. Kettle or coffee machine in the room is a must for the morning especially if you don't have room service. Not a fan of one single soap for everything, didn't feel luxury- especially if you are paying +£100 per night you'd expect something more pampering. Cleaning of the room: overall good, but the cleaner always missed the bidet which accumulated dust over the week. Toileters (the only soap available) was not stocked up replaced when finished, same for the little beauty kit. SPA: had what it was needed, but if you're offering a spa service for your guests then at least slippers should be in every room. Spa ambience needed a deep clean, tiles were black and mouldy in the steam room and pool. Pool stair was rusty. Pool temperature was not 29 degrees, I'd argue it was not heated at all. This was the big miss for me as I choose you for the SPA, looking forward exploring Rome in the day and relaxing in the pool in the night.

Overall well done everyone, will be back at Mama sShelter for my next...