There are perhaps six hotels in Rome where the view out of the window is itself a reason to book, and this is one of them. The Albergo del Senato occupies a nineteenth-century palazzo on the north-east corner of Piazza della Rotonda, which means a portion of the rooms look directly at the portico of the Pantheon, close enough to read the inscription.
Be clear about the trade. The rooms are comfortable and correct rather than memorable — good linen, heavy curtains, marble bathrooms, and a decorative scheme that has not changed much in fifteen years. Some of the cheaper categories face an internal courtyard and are genuinely dark. You are paying for the address.
The address earns it. The roof terrace, open from April to October, is the reason to take breakfast here rather than at the bar around the corner: the dome of the Pantheon at eye level with coffee is not a thing you can buy elsewhere at any price. It is also open in the evening for a drink, and it is quiet — the piazza empties after eleven and the double glazing does the rest.
Who it suits: first or second visits to Rome, where being able to walk out of the door into the centre matters more than square metres. Who it does not: anyone travelling by car (there is no parking and the whole area is inside the ZTL), and anyone expecting a design hotel.
The hotel is inside the ZTL, so a car cannot reach the door and a rental will cost you a fine if you try. From Fiumicino take the Leonardo Express to Termini and a taxi, or a fixed-price airport taxi to Piazza della Rotonda. The nearest metro is Barberini, twelve minutes on foot — the centre of Rome simply is not well served by the metro.
We booked the piazza-view room and it was worth every euro of the difference. Waking up and opening the shutters onto the Pantheon is something I will remember longer than most of the museums. Breakfast on the terrace, go early before eight.
Position is unbeatable and the staff could not have been more helpful about restaurants. But our first room was on the courtyard and had no daylight at all — we asked to move and they sorted it. If you are booking the cheapest category, ask what it looks onto.
Quiet at night, which surprised me for a hotel on a piazza this famous. The terrace was still closed in March, which is the one thing I would check before booking in winter.
