Romeo Roma
Daily price line
Upcoming nightly rates
Review
Character and identity
Set inside the 16th-century Palazzo Capponi on Via di Ripetta, a few steps from Piazza del Popolo, Romeo Roma is the result of a 12-year restoration that paired CEO Alfredo Romeo with Zaha Hadid on one of her final projects. The 74 rooms and suites layer her vaulted ceilings and curved lines over ebony and walnut panelling, with 17th-century frescoes preserved on the noble floor. Dining is Alain Ducasse's first Italian outpost, plus a rooftop Krug Champagne bar. The spa, threaded through Roman ruins, runs on Sisley Paris. Service skews friendly over formal.
Who's it for
Best for:
Design literates and big-spending couples who want a contemporary, futurist counterpoint to Rome's more classical grandes dames, with serious cooking attached. The Centro Storico location suits walkers who want Piazza di Spagna and the shopping streets at the door, and the kids' playroom means families are genuinely welcomed despite the exclusive feel.
Should look elsewhere:
Travellers who prefer formal, choreographed five-star service and traditional Roman decor will find the relaxed staff register and avant-garde, yacht-like interiors jarring. The screened street entrance and one-percenter pricing also won't suit anyone after a softer, more democratic atmosphere.
Bottom line
What you are paying for here is a singular design statement: Hadid's curves grafted onto a Renaissance palazzo, with Ducasse cooking and a ruins-set spa to match. Book a suite on the noble floor to get the fresco-meets-futurist juxtaposition that justifies the rate; the deluxe and premier suites are striking but less historically charged. Go for the eight-course degustation at least once.