Elegant and nicely furnished lobby area
Bus stop outside hotel door
Cozy, traditionally styled rooms with free mineral water and coffeemakers
Free buffet breakfast served in vaulted-ceiling dining room
Small lobby bar with modest seating
Two computer stations for guests' use
Free Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi signal slow and intermittent
Liquid soap dispensers in bathrooms
Some rooms are tiny
Some guests are given rooms in an annex down the street
No fitness facilities
The 57-room boutique Gambrinus Hotel is a restored 18th-century palace. The lobby, with its Roman marble floors and ornate Murano glass sconces and centerpiece chandelier, exudes elegance. Rooms, including suites, with red, beige, green, or yellow striped wallpaper, are pleasant enough, but nicks on the furniture and bathroom soap that comes in liquid dispensers detract from the elegance. While Wi-Fi is free, the connection is sluggish. The location is a bit inconvenient, as not many sights (aside from the Villa Borghese and Via Veneto) are within easy walking distance. There is a bus stop right outside the door, though, and Termini Railway Station is a 15-minute walk. The similarly priced Moses Fountain Hotel and Hotel Rex are slightly more central.
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Scene
Elegant reception area with a small bar
Housed in an 18th-century former palace, the Gambrinus Hotel first opened as a hotel in the
1970s, and reopened after an extensive renovation at the turn of the millennium. The glass
doors of its assuming entrance swoosh open into an airy
and elegant reception area where polished, gilt-lined marble floors lead through
a gracefully curving archway to a sleek, dark-wood check-in desk -- all softly illuminated by ornate Murano glass sconces and a centerpiece chandelier. There's also a marble trimmed, golden-mirrored elevator, but the aura of elegance ends abruptly at the lackluster lobby bar area, with its vending machine and plastic-covered seating.
Location
Somewhat removed location within a 15-minute walk of Termini Railway Station and Villa Borghese
The hotel is located
in the old "Horti Sallustiani" district, about a 15-minute walk from Termini Railway Station, or a short bus ride (there is a bus stop within a few feet of the hotel). Although there are plenty of bars and
restaurant in the area, there aren't many tourist attractions within easy walking distance -- although the Villa Borghese and its pretty gardens are
about 10 to 15 minutes away on foot, and the Teatro dell'Opera is within a 20-minute walk. The Spanish Steps and the beginning of Rome's
historic center are about 10 minutes away by taxi (or a 25-minute walk). The Barberini metro station is about a 10-minute walk from the hotel, and connects to the Vatican in a few stops.
Rooms
Traditionally styled rooms include free mineral water and (patchy) Wi-Fi
The hotel has 57
rooms, which include suites with separate living and sleeping areas. All are decorated in a traditional style, with striped
wallpaper and drapes, antique-style furniture, and patterned fabrics. Amenities
include flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, minibars with free mineral
water, safes, and coffeemakers. Some of the bathrooms have stand-in showers, while others have shower/tub combos. All have wall-mounted hairdryers. The soap
dispensers, like the vending machines and plastic cups in the lobby bar, detract from the hotel's nod toward elegance. In-room Wi-Fi is free, but the signal is spotty. Be aware that some rooms are tiny and overlook an
unattractive courtyard, and that others are in an annex a
few doors down the street.
Features
Free buffet breakfast served in a vaulted dining room, and a modest lounge bar
A large buffet
breakfast is included in the room rate and is served daily in the vaulted-ceiling
breakfast room, but guests have complained that the quality can be inconsistent. There is a
small lounge bar with a modest selection of drinks, although it offers little in the way of
ambience. While free Wi-Fi is available throughout the hotel, the signal can be spotty.
