Hotel Centro Cavour

Hotel Centro Cavour opened in 2015, and occupies three floors of a former six-story apartment building in the central Monti neighborhood of Rome. Remaining floors are managed by other vacation rental agencies, so there are no permanent residents in the building. Guests must be buzzed in from the street, then take the small elevator to reach reception on the second floor. The check-in area is simple, with a small desk, contemporary seating in basic gray and black, and a handful of magazines set on a side table. It isn't a spot where people linger longer than necessary -- it's just a quick place to stop in between time out sightseeing. The hotel mainly attracts a mix of international guests, primarily tourists of all ages looking for an affordable base from which to explore the city. 

The hotel is located on Via Cavour, a busy thoroughfare that runs from Termini Station to the Roman Forum. While the street is often well-trafficked, the area as a whole is calm and filled with numerous boutiques, cafes, and bars. The neighborhood, known as Monti, has a bit of a bohemian vibe that makes it popular with locals and visitors alike. The hotel is also well-situated for accessing the rest of Rome on foot or via public transportation. The Cavour metro stop (line B) is two minutes from the hotel's front door, and the Colosseum is less than a 10-minute walk away. Fiumicino Airport is about 40 minutes away by car, or it can be reached in about 50 minutes by taking the metro one stop to Termini and boarding the high-speed train from there.

• Five-minute walk to the Roman Forum
• Eight-minute walk to the Colosseum
• 10-minute walk to Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
• 16-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain
• 20-minute walk to the Pantheon
• 22-minute walk to the Spanish Steps
• Six minutes to Termini station via public transit
• 12-minute drive to St. Peter’s Basilica
• 30-minute drive to Rome Ciampino International Airport
• 40-minute drive to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport

The guest rooms at Hotel Centro Cavour are tidy and well-maintained, and come with two twin beds that can be separated or pushed together to form a double bed (common in Italy). Triple rooms are also available. Decor varies slightly, but guests can generally expect cherry-wood furniture and primary-colored bedspreads with matching curtains -- a traditional look that may feel dated to modern travelers. All units have AC, en-suite bathrooms, small flat-screen TVs, mini-fridges, kettles for free tea and instant coffee, and free Wi-Fi with a strong signal. The private bathrooms are stocked daily with basic toiletries and fresh towels, and come with shower/tub combos with removable rainfall showerheads and hairdryers, and most have bidets. 

Noise is kept to a minimum thanks to double- or tripled-glazed windows in street-facing units. However, the best rooms are on the sixth floor because they tend to be slightly more spacious, and several have small balconies with views of the Roman Forum at the bottom of Via Cavour. 

Amenities at this budget hotel are slim. There's no common space except for the lobby. Each floor has a coffee machine that's free for guests, and there's a vending machine in the lobby for basics like chips and extra bottles of water. The hotel does not provide breakfast, but staff can book reservations at a nearby cafe for a typical morning meal of coffee, juice, and a pastry. The front desk is staffed 24/7 and free Wi-Fi is available throughout.