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Hotel Review: Intercontinental De La Ville Roma

October was an Intercontinental month for me (my Intercontinental Dubai Marina review). I usually don’t stay in Intercontinental hotels but since I had to spend my two free night certificates and make the most value of my points they seemed the right choice.

I booked the Intercontinental De La Ville Roma for our 24 hours in Rome sightseeing tour.  The hotel is pricey and now I know why. It is in the city centre of Rome with close proximity to everything and in one of the most expensive districts. Average cost per night is approximately £350. So using your free certificate does make sense.

We arrived in the hotel at 8pm due to the fact that we had to go around the block carrying our heavy luggage for 40 minutes.  I was a little frustrated because there was an easy way to get the elevator up from Piazza de Spagna metro station. If we had done this it would have taken us only 10 minutes or less. I definitely advise the hotel to put this information on their front page and not having to try and locate an email or to ask for directions. Also the Spanish steps were closed, so even if we wanted to carry the luggage up the stairs we couldn’t.

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The property has lots of character. Upon entering there is a a small lobby with the reception and a concierge service. At check-in I didn’t expect an upgrade because I am only a Gold IHG and the Intercontinental properties have their own loyalty program called Ambassador. However when I asked for a late check out they happily provided me with one until 1pm and they also recognised me being a loyalty member. I believe I was also upgraded to a larger and nicer room with a window; which was a nice touch.

The room

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The room was on the fourth floor and it was spacious with a high ceiling. It has this old flare which I am not very keen of but having read some of the reviews I expected much worse. As a room it seemed pretty standard and nothing different than any other property. The bed was very comfortable  and I loved the pillows. It can do with an update just to freshen up the rooms and change some of the tired looking furniture.

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Bathroom

It was a standard bathroom with the Intercontinental amenities.

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The terrace lounge

On the top floor they have this nice terrace lounge / restaurant which I wish I knew about earlier because I would have loved a drink with a view. But we had already had dinner and drinks beforehand. They had live music and you can see the city of Rome. One thing I wasn’t very happy about and I think it should be communicated better is the opening times in the morning. When we arrived in the evening we had already had dinner and drinks so we didn’t want anything. I asked what time they open in the morning and they said at 10am  which was perfect and I planned having breakfast on the terrace.

After we finished our tour around Rome I specifically left an hour to enjoy a coffee and the view of Rome from the terrace. I believe it was about 11.30am. However upon arrival me and one more couple were told that they open at 1pm and we can’t stay on the terrace. They agreed to let us sit on the chairs but they were clearly annoyed with our presence so we just took few photos and left. I think there can be better communication about what time the terrace is open for guests.

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Customer Service

The staff at the reception were great, polite, cordial and happy to show you how to get to the major sightseeing places. We didn’t have breakfast or interacted much with other staff so I can’t comment on other aspects of the property other than reception.

Overall I have mixed feelings about this hotel. On the one hand I liked it for its central location and on the other hand I am not very keen on the decor and the terrace mix up; especially since I blocked one hour for breakfast just to be there.

Would I pay the cash price for this property? Personally I am not sure .

I love a good deal and for a free stay this was excellent. However If I were to part with my cash I would probably chose a different property that is closer to my taste, yet central. I think the IHG Indigo property in Rome is great and I was looking to book this one but unfortunately there was no availability. As a redemption there is no doubt it is a decent redemption of your free night. On points it costs 50,000 points per night or £350 in cash. If you are running for the new IHG promotion that gives you a free night stay then a weekend in Rome and this property is a good deal.

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