Below is my hotel review for the Crowne Plaza Rome (IHG brand of hotels).  I stayed at American hotels because I wanted to use points for award reservations and for more modern conveniences.  These hotels are not found in the city center (as most American International brands are not usually in the center of town) but they were all easily accessible, modern, clean and luxurious.  I booked award reservations 4-6 months out from my arrival and found availability.  The toughest was Rome which makes sense given that it’s a large and visited city.

Featured photo by Jason Briscoe.

Crowne Plaza Rome / St Peter’s

Via Aurelia Antica 415 P.O.Box 9076, Rome – 00165, Italy;   Email: cpstpeters@hotel-invest.com

Hotel Review:

My stay was in early May.  This hotel was very clean, modern and everything you would expect from a Crowne Plaza.  It’s not in the heart of Rome but the city is very easily accessible. 

I stayed here using points and was upgraded at check-in to a suite.  This meant an additional, attached room.  My room was a double queen bed layout and the additional room had a couch, extremely huge wooden table (maybe for breakfast or meals), a tv, a walk-out balcony and an extra bathroom (very helpful).

There was always complimentary coffee and tea.  The coffee was Nescafe and I have no idea if it was a distinct roast for Italy but it may be the best instant coffee I’ve ever had.  I had this same one serving package at several other Italian hotels and same deal – really tasty coffee.

This hotel doesn’t have an executive lounge which is a bummer since most Crowne Plazas’ do have them (or is that only in the US?).  In lieu of that, the hotel gave me more points and the suite.

From my rooms’ balcony, I could see a very large Olympic size swimming pool.  Unfortunately, I never made it down to the pool but it was in use by many kids, parents and adults.  I also didn’t get a chance to try out the hotel restaurant.  There is also complimentary wi-fi.

One night we got pizza in the neighborhood near the hotel.  It was an interesting process – the pizza is baked in a giant rectangle which is cut into squares.  There are many options (ie. Different squares with different toppings like potato or mushroom or mozzarella & balsamic, etc).  Then they weigh it and charge by the weight.  The experience was as fun as the pizza was delicious.

Getting to/from:

From FCO airport to the Crowne Plaza Rome was $40 euros for 4 people with 4 carry on bags.  Not sure if that is the going rate or if it’s a seasonal rate but that’s what we paid.  It was a 20-25 minute ride.  Another option is to take a train or bus from FCO to the center of Rome and then take the metro&bus back to this hotel.  I recommend the taxi but if you have the time and want to save the $$, then the bus/train/metro is an option.

If you buy a bus ticket from the front desk (1-2euros), then wait in front of the hotel on Via Aurelia Antica (street).  Take the local city bus (98, 98F, 889 – double check your route) and get off at the metro (stop: Cornelia).  From there, you may access any part of Rome that you want.  If you’re on the bus, you can also see the neighborhood near the hotel which has many shops and food options.  There are supermarkets, pizza places, etc.  In other words, the hotel isn’t isolated as some other American hotels can be in Europe. 

Prior to arriving, I emailed the hotel to ask about transportation.  They shared the following document: Crowne Plaza Rome/St. Peter’s Shuttle

Other:

One thing I do want to mention that pertains to all the hotels I stayed at in Italy – hotels charge you a city tax per person for staying there.  This is similar to the resort tax that many hotels charge in Hawaii or other islands.  This appeared to be a tax on anyone who can afford to stay at an American hotel.  Does anyone have a different take on this?  For my 3 night stay, I paid $80 euros which I thought was much considering I got no extra value for that charge.  City tax is $6 euros per person per night.

Recommend (Y/N): Yes

I would recommend this hotel to anyone wanting to stay in/near Rome, use points for a free hotel night, looking for a more modern hotel or just wondering what this particular hotel is like.  It was so nice that I kind of feel guilty that I didn’t spend more time there – I was out early and back late exploring Rome (which is how I spent most of my trip to Italy).