There comes a time in every travelers life when the urge to splurge on really nice hotel room trumps everything else. That’s exactly how I ended up spending one (glorious) night at the St. Regis in Rome.

If you’re looking for luxurious accommodations in the heart of the Eternal City, it’s hard to beat the St. Regis. It’s an exquisite property which will make you feel rich – even if the cost of booking a room means that you’ll have to eat $0.25 Ramen noodles for the foreseeable future.

YOLO baby!

A full review of my one night stay at the St. Regis Hotel in Rome

Long story short, this is an incredibly fancy hotel. I cringed at the thought of spending so much money as I clicked the ‘book now’ button. I felt slightly out of my comfort zone walking through the main entrance for the first time. But you know what? It was worth every penny.

The location

The St. Regis is located in the heart of the city (Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando 3). It’s a short 10 minute walk from the central train station, and very close to some of Rome’s biggest attractions. It took me just 20 (scenic) minutes to walk to the Colosseum.

St Regis hotel Rome exterior
Welcome to McDonald’s! Pretty neat that there’s a St. Regis hotel attached to it, eh?
Main entrance to St Regis hotel Rome
Pro tip: You can tell it’s a baller property when they don’t even bother with hanging a sign on the front door.
Rome St Regis hotel main entrance
The main entrance. For a guy who once reviewed a roadside Holiday Inn Express in Amarillo Texas (and proclaimed it to be “awesome”), I’m feeling a wee bit out of my league here.
St regis rome hotel main entrance floormat
What’s the protocol here? My assumption is that this floor mat is for wiping filthy middle class cooties from the soles of my athletic shoes.

The lobby (and checking in)

So yeah. Walking into this hotel for the very first time is an experience. The lobby is grand. The bellhops (and concierge) will trip over themselves to assist you. And it will take you a moment to find the reception desk. They don’t make it easy.

St Regis hotel Rome main lobby
Yup. I’m definitely out of my league. The lobby is spectacular!
St Regis hotel room lobby bar
That’s the bar over yonder. Don’t worry. I spared the bartender the horror of having to respond to a request for a Bud Light and a pack of unfiltered Marlboros.

Checking in involves sitting at a fancy desk (much like how it is when buying a car). It felt a little forced (and maybe a little awkward), but I was more than a little willing to go with it. The gentleman who check me in tried his damnedest to make sure that I had everything I needed for a pleasant stay.

Getting to my room

I knew I was in for a treat as soon as the door to the elevator opened. Everything about this property oozes ‘luxury’ – to the point where I was almost afraid to touch anything. Walking down the hallway to my room felt like strolling through a museum.

Rome St Regis hotel elevator
Even the elevator ride was a darn near religious experience! I’m in so far over my head here.
St Regis hotel Rome guest room hallway
It’s official. I haven’t even seen my room yet, and I declare this to be the best hotel that ever stayed at. Dayum!
Scott Leazenby in the St Regis hotel Rome
I swear to God I didn’t even pose for this pic lol. This is my 100% natural reaction to what I was seeing.
St Regis hotel Rome first floor hallway
It even smelled hoity-toity.
St Regis hotel room room 106
Room 106 is mine for the evening. I didn’t even care that this could be the dumpiest room they have (and the one they typically give to uncultured Americans like me) – the things I saw leading up to this moment makes it all good.

The room (OMG the room!)

What you’re about to see is easily the nicest hotel room that I have ever spent the night in. It felt every bit as luxurious (and stylish) everything I saw leading up to this point, and I couldn’t help but think that not all St. Regis hotels are the same. 

Remember the room that I had at the St Regis Beijing? This was so much better than that.

St Regis hotel Rome room foyer
OMG. My room has its own damn foyer.
St Regis hotel Rome in room hallway to bathroom
Not only that, there’s a dedicated hallway leading to the bathroom. The f**k did I just get myself into?
St Regis hotel room room 106
It appears as if I have just got myself into one heck of a nice hotel room, that’s what. How a guy dripping with middle-class cooties got himself into a situation this good I’ll never know.
St Regis hotel in room couch and furniture
I’m definitely not complaining though! This couch looks like it cost more than my car if I’m being honest.
St regis rome champagne on ice
Champagne on ice! I like how they assume that I am the type who likes to pop bottles. I didn’t dare tell them that I flew here in economy class.
St regis rome room overview
I’m kicking myself for not drinking champagne as I take these pics. Idiot!
St regis rome bed and pillows
I may be an idiot, but I sure do know how to pick a good hotel room. This bed looks good.
St regis rome lying on bed
God damn! I wonder how much it costs to live here full-time?
St regis rome room looking towards made entrance
Yup. I know absolutely zilch about interior design, but I’m pretty darn good at knowing something good when I see it.
St regis rome in room details
The attention to detail in this room was next-level amazing. I didn’t dare touch anything that looked even partially fragile!
Sitting on the couch at the St regis hotel in rome
Taking a quick break and soaking it all in before I continue on with the review. “I’ve come a looong way from the Deming, NM Comfort Inn, yo…”
St regis rome electrical outlets and USB ports
OK! Here’s some electrical outlet and connectivity port action to help get things back on track. Although I don’t have pics of it, there were USB-A Power outlets located all throughout the room.
St regis rome in room desk
Zooming out a little bit to see the entire desk. Truthfully, I was so jacked up on adrenaline that I never even remember taking this picture.
St regis rome illy coffee machine
An illy coffee maker! Although, this being Italy and all, I’m sure they just refer to it as a sh***y coffee maker.
St regis rome in room minibar
Located directly beneath the coffee maker is this pull out minibar (featuring more champagne). WTF do they think I’m even celebrating, anyway?
St regis rome welcome chocolates
Oh – did I mention the free box of chocolates? I’m starting to feel what it’s like to be somebody important. And I like it. A lot.
St regis rome hand written welcome note
A privilege? Seriously? That’s quite an honor to bestow on a guy who once (during his college years) pooped his pants from the excitement of seeing a cool car.
St regis rome interior design
Let’s just say that this was the second time in my adult life when it would have been convenient to be wearing a diaper.
St regis rome design details
Don’t worry guys, I didn’t have an accident. But the interior design of this room was so good that it wouldn’t have surprised me if all hell broke loose.
St regis rome closet space
Based on everything else that you’ve seen so far, would it surprise you that the closet was the nicest closet I’ve ever seen in any hotel room (like, ever)?

Room service

What possessed me to order room service for dinner is beyond me. Even before I made the call, I knew that I would be paying a lot for very little. At least compared to what I could get in any nearby restaurant.

St regis rome room service roasted chicken
I know. There was a perfectly good McDonald’s right next-door. I just couldn’t resist spending an obscene amount of money on room service! Thank God it tasted better than a Big Mac.

Was it expensive? Yes. Was it delicious? Of course. Did it make me feel like a total rockstar? You’re damn right it did. And I would do it again without batting an eye.

The bathroom

I’ll let the pictures of the bathroom speak for themselves, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that was one of the best hotel bathrooms I’ve ever been in. It was large, extremely bright, and far more than a measly middle class guy like me could ever possibly need. Check this out:

St regis rome bathroom
This is the farthest I’ve ever had to walk to the bathroom in any hotel room that I’ve ever stayed in. And it was glorious.
St regis rome bathroom vanity and mirror
Speaking of glorious – I don’t believe I’ve ever used that word to describe a bathroom in one of my hotel reviews before. But here we are!
St regis rome bathroom layout
Shower on the left, toilet on the right.
St regis rome toilet and bidet
Long story short: I would’ve been well covered in an unfortunate (and sudden) poopy pants situation.
St regis rome shower
Well covered.
St regis rome bathtub
There’s a fancy pants bathtub as well! Shoulda coulda woulda.
St regis rome heated towel rack
Last but not least, perhaps one of my favorite features of this entire experience: the heated towel rack. How did I get this far in life without knowing that this was even a thing?

Pros and cons of my experience at the Rome St. Regis Hotel

As I said at the top of this review, there are times in life when it just feels good to throw caution to the wind and live a little. This was definitely a splurge for me. It was everything I hoped it would be (and more), but it wasn’t perfect.

Pros

  • The location is darn near perfect. It’s within walking distance to nearly everything (including the main train station).
  • It’s an impeccably maintained properly. Nothing was out of place, dirty, or otherwise unsightly.
  • Every staff member I interacted with was incredibly kind and helpful. 
  • Despite it’s location in the center of the city, I found it to be very quiet (and oddly secluded).

Cons

  • It’s incredibly expensive (duh). 
  • I’m worried that it has ruined me for lesser hotel experiences. It was so good.
  • I’m probably in the minority on this point, but it felt a smidge too formal for me. I wasn’t expecting it to be as laid-back as the Moana Surfrider in Waikiki, but this ain’t the hotel for you if you don’t like ‘hoity-toity’.

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