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Hotel Review The Hotel Eden in
Rome, Italy
Nicole Kidman and her ex-husband Tom Cruise stayed here in Rome during the shooting of “Portrait of a Lady.” Christian Slater used the foyer to sign autographs. And during their world tour, The Spice Girls gave an impromptu concert from their balcony in Room 208 to the fans flocked in the street below. And those are just a few of the celebrities, heads of state, ambassadors, and other dignitaries who have stayed here in Rome since it opened in October 1889. The Hotel Eden is one of the oldest and most exclusive hotels in Rome. Surrounded by the lush, green parks of the Ludovisi and Borghese Villas, the hotel is just a block or two from the Spanish Steps and the Via Veneto; but its immediate neighborhood gives you a bit of a feeling of seclusion. And while you’re a short walk from the most exclusive shopping that Rome has to offer, you’ll need a taxi to get to most places of interests, The Vatican is over three miles from the hotel; the Colosseum is just over two miles away. And when you arrive at Rome’s Fiumicino Airport, getting to the Hotel Eden is a 20-mile taxi ride. With a total of 121 rooms – 45 Superior, 55 Deluxe, 8 Studios, 10 Suites, and a Presidential, Royal, and Penthouse Suite – the Hotel Eden is a small hotel by today’s standards of “mega-hotels”. However, the Eden’s small size affords them the ability to provide its guests impeccable, personalized service, One interesting thing I noted (but shouldn’t have been surprised about): the floors of the hotel – from the entrance, to the lobbies, to the hallways – are covered in polished carrara marble; indigenous to Italy. The Rooms
I stayed in one of their Deluxe Rooms. My room had a foyer area (with, of course, carrara marble). In this foyer was a spacious, full-wall closet. With plenty of room for all your clothes (for a month-long stay), there’s also a personal safe with changeable combination lock. And of course, a mini-bar; which actually wasn’t a “bad deal”, since the mini-bar prices were the same as the hotel restaurant, bar, and room service. Connected to the foyer is the bathroom – again, more carrara marble. Plus a toilet and bidet. However, the bathroom contains two sinks; helpful for spouses who are impatient with one another! The shower/bath has a water temperature control. You dial the temperature you want for your bath or shower. While a nice convenience, it took me a while, especially since I had to convert from Celsius to Fahrenheit. The Hotel Eden each day provides two clean bath robes, plus a universal AC/DC adapter. Also connected to the foyer – but separated with a door – is the sleeping room. In my room were two beds. Unlike most European hotels with double beds (which are twins), each bed was a few inches larger than a full-size bed. There’s a desk (not too big) with Internet access and a universal power socket, a 3-foot round table with two upholstered chairs, TV, and two two-line phones (one on the desk and one on one nightstand). The room’s décor will take you back decades. With the finest wall appointments and coordinated colors, the room seemed to cry out “Look at the attention to detail!”. The draperies are embroidered with silk. The armchairs were elegant yet very comfortable. Each day, housekeeping comes twice. In the late morning, the housekeepers clean the room. In the early evening, housekeeping provides turn-down service (along with a big supply of chocolates!). Plus, they also deliver two pairs of terrycloth slippers … helpful with all that cold carrara marble. Despite air conditioning in each room, housekeepers always open the windows and shutters of your room. I ascribe that to “traditional service.”
The Restaurant and Bar
The top floor of the Hotel Eden is devoted to its restaurant and bar. The restaurant, La Terrazza dell’Eden, has a panoramic view of the Eternal City (enhanced by the fact that the hotel sits atop a hill). The restaurant is open for breakfast (with a buffet), lunch, and dinner. My favorite dinner there was a sliced filet of beef on au gratin potatoes with asparagus. A dinner guest one evening commented that their tiramisu is the best she’s ever had. The bar, called “La Terrazza”, has a similar panoramic view. In the back of the bar is their Piano Bar. Also in one corner is an area, surrounded by wrought iron, which contains their wines. The bar manager took me inside to show me their offerings. I did see some “young” (mid 1990s) Lafites and Latours; but most their wines were (obviously) Italian. As it turned out, I visited the bar frequently during my stay. Reason: they had a special offering of Louis Roederer Rosé by the glass. I took advantage of the special offering a lot, along with appropriate munchies.
Concierge Services I’ve had the pleasure of using some of the best concierge staffs at some of the best hotels in the world; including the Ritz in Paris, Claridge’s in London, and the Bel-Air in Los Angeles. The concierge staff at the Hotel Eden – without exception – stands at the same high level with these world-class hotels. Led by Head Concierge Maurizio Pangrazi, the Eden’s concierge staff were able to save me a lot of time, money, and headaches while in Rome. If you’ve been to Rome, you’ll know that finding an available taxi, even in tourist areas like St. Peter’s Square, is a hard task. However, the Eden’s concierge staff was always able to get a taxi for me with less than a five minute wait. They also arranged for a sedan pickup for me upon my arrival in Rome. And of course, they were able to get restaurant reservations with ease. But while those tasks may be “common” for most hotels, the “unusual” needs of guests are what define the reputation of a concierge desk. Mr. Pangrazi personally helped me with one of those “unusual” requests. After 30 minutes, he was able to track down a copy of a 16th century book of the Roman Pontifical – in Latin, no less – from the Vatican Bookstore, and arrange for pickup.
Other Hotel Services Despite its small size, the Hotel Eden does have two meeting rooms, the largest capable of holding 75 people. Helpful if you have that need. The hotel also has a gym, to help you work off the wonderful pasta in Rome. Although I work out twice a day, I was unable to use the facilities. During my stay, the gym opened at 7AM, and my activities in Rome started at 8AM and lasted all day. However, from the hotel’s web site, it seems adequately equipped. As an American, one thing that irked me was the size of the elevators. They were about 2/3 the size of an elevator one encounters in this country. Basically, no more than four adults could fit in one elevator car. I have seen that at other hotels in Europe; but it still doesn’t fail to bother me.
Hotel Rates for 2006 These prices may seem steep (and actually are). But as many of you know, hotel rates in Europe are much more than we’re used to in the United States. And as I found out, the price difference between the Hotel Eden and a lower-rated Hilton hotel was just a little over Euro100.00. In addition, the value of the dollar to the euro is the lowest since the euro was introduced. But with that in mind … ready? Superior Room, Single: Euro460.00 per
day And by the way … VAT is 10 percent.
The Superlative Opinion While I used the comparison of the concierge staff earlier, the same comparison with hotels is also true: the Hotel Eden is one of the finest hotels in the world, on the same level as the Hotel Ritz, Claridge’s, the Hotel Bel-Air, and other legendary hotels. Just staying at the Hotel Eden makes you feel special. And just staying at the Hotel Eden makes you feel like you’re living history. Is it worth the price? Absulutely. Maybe, it’s even a bargain. Although the big reason for staying at a hotel is so you don’t have to sleep on a park bench in Rome, the Hotel Eden provides you with the ability to really relax when your day of work or tourism is done. And I was able to relax.
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