Stay in Rome at the five-star Hotel Regina. I did and it was a pleasure.
“Would you like the same table as yesterday, Mr. Reid?” asked the hotel’s breakfast bartender on my second day, adroitly remembering both my name and where I was sitting the previous morning. This flattering attention to detail was, I’m sure, part of the hotel’s training schedule.
And it worked. I’ve stayed at many large upscale hotels, but not all require staff to remember their guests’ names and seating preferences. (The hotel has 127 rooms.) It’s not deference — it’s bothering to care.
Carlton Reid checked into the Baglioni Hotel Regina pictured above, a prestigious five star hotel located on Rome’s fashionable Via Veneto
“When in Rome, stay at the five star Hotel Regina. I did and it was a pleasure,” notes Carlton. Above is the dining area of the hotel’s Caffe Baglioni
The Regina is wall-to-wall Siena marble, but so are many of Rome’s best hotels. It’s the people who really make the difference and because of the caring of the breakfast bartender and other staff who go out of their way to be helpful and pleasant, I remember and recommend the Regina much more.
It is one of Rome’s most prestigious five star hotels, several of which can be found close together on fashionable Via Veneto.
From the hotel it is just a ten minute walk west to the Spanish Steps and an even shorter walk north to the beautiful gardens of Villa Borghese.
With no great views except from the chic rooftop suite, the Regina, owned by the Baglioni group of luxury hotels, has to stand out and stand out in other ways.
I arrived at one folding bike. That didn’t bother the bouncer in the blue suit.
He helped me carry my bike bags to the marbled lobby and since I was early for check-in, he directed the bike to be placed on a luggage trolley until it could be taken to my room later.
The cart was wheeled under a bronze statue of a gladiator, just one of the works of art in the opulent lobby.
“With plasterwork and a sweeping white marble staircase lit by Venetian glass chandeliers, this Art Deco entryway is fit for royalty,” says Carlton
Carlton arrived at the Hotel Regina on a folding bike (left). “That didn’t bother the porter in the blue suit,” he says. Pictured at right is Carlton’s view from the white marble staircase of the Hotel Regina
Italy’s Queen Margherita, pictured above in the 1870s, stayed at the hotel immediately after the assassination of her husband, King Umberto I
Decorated with crown molding and a sweeping white marble staircase lit by Venetian glass chandeliers, this Art Deco entryway is fit for royalty.
It’s no wonder, then, that one of the first guests when it opened in 1904 was Italy’s Queen Margherita, who lived at the hotel immediately after the assassination of her husband, King Umberto I. The retired monarch, after whom the Margherita pizza is named, stayed for nearly two years awaiting renovations to her royal residence next door.
First known as the Liberty Hotel, the name was changed to Regina – Italian for “queen” – shortly after the former queen moved into the Palazzo Margherita (the palace is now part of the heavily guarded American Embassy across from the hotel).
Hollywood royalty recently stayed at Hotel Regina. During the filming of the film “House of Gucci” Lady Gaga stayed three luxurious months in the Roman penthouse suite on the top floor of the hotel. (I assume the producers negotiated a long-term discount – the suite with 360 views over the Eternal City is £7,800/$8,800 a night.)
During the filming of House of Gucci, Lady Gaga stayed for three luxurious months in the Roman penthouse suite on the top floor of the hotel (pictured).
The Roman Penthouse Suite with 360 degree views over the Eternal City costs £7,800 per night
Lady Gaga shoots House of Gucci in Rome
Although I had no blue blood at all, I was treated like royalty by the hotel staff.
The receptionist ushered me into the salon-style dining room, where breakfast was still being served.
I sat in a low, upholstered chair and served tea and cake.
I arrived early to see if I could get a mid-morning check-in.
I hadn’t slept because I had arrived in Rome after midnight to take sunrise photos of the ancient Via Appia, the oldest and perhaps the grandest of all Roman roads.
An early check-in was duly arranged and to recover before sightseeing I closed my room’s reassuringly heavy curtains and slept like a baby for a few hours.
Carlton says he “slept like a baby” in his junior suite (pictured above) with “reassuringly heavy curtains.”
Pictured is the bathroom in the hotel’s Ludovisi Suite. “The Regina is made of Siena marble wall to wall,” says Carlton
The Regina sits on a tight bend in the elegant Via Veneto. This is one of modern Rome’s most famous highways, hailed as the center of dolce vita (“the sweet life”) in the 1950s.
The rich and famous poured out of the street’s bars and restaurants, as immortalized in Federico Fellini’s seductive 1960 film “La Dolce Vita,” which starred tabloid journalist and aspiring novelist Marcello Rubini in a series of high-society gossip and starlet Scandals sought smoky bars and nightclubs (this art-house film earned the world the word “paparazzi,” coined by the character paparazzi, a pushy news photographer).
The restaurants on Via Veneto continue to be a draw, including Hotel Regina’s chic Brunello Bar and Restaurant, which is popular with locals.
The area around the hotel was hailed as the hub of dolce vita (“the sweet life”) in the 1950s. Above is the Dolce Vita Suite
The chic Brunello Bar and Restaurant at Hotel Regina, pictured above, is a favorite with locals
Chef Luciano Sarzi Sartori puts modern twists on traditional Italian dishes at Brunello Bar and Restaurant
Carlton tried Brunello’s version of tiramisu with a dark chocolate heart
The restaurant’s gold and black decor is dotted with brass lamps in the Arabian Nights style and contrasts with the rest of the hotel’s regal salon feel.
Chef Luciano Sarzi Sartori – who has cooked for George Clooney and other stars – puts modern twists on traditional Italian dishes.
Brunello’s is an evening destination; Breakfast is served in the salon-style dining room, where you will be treated like royalty by your well-trained and wonderfully attentive hosts.
TRAVEL FACTS
The Baglioni Hotel Regina is just a few minutes’ walk from the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, and close to Rome’s posh shopping streets. Double rooms start from £270 a night, with a junior suite costing three times as much.
The Baglioni luxury hotel group has upscale hotels in London, Venice, the Maldives and Sardinia, many in buildings of historical, cultural or artistic value. The 127-room Hotel Regina is the group’s Roman flagship.
ADVANTAGES: Beautiful rooms throughout, a dream if you love marble and art deco with everything. The staff is wonderfully attentive and friendly. The (expensive) suites have balconies and the best views.
DISADVANTAGE: Some people might find the opulence OTT and maybe even cloying. The hotel’s website focuses primarily on the exclusive and pricey Roman Penthouse Suite, suggesting that many of the rooms have stunning 360-degree views of Rome. My junior suite was luxurious, the only view from the window was of the street below.
Valuation: 
Carlton Reid traveled to Rome on a Tern folding bike and an Interrail pass. The legendary pass celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. Introduced in March 1972, the Interrail Pass was originally only intended for young travelers and allowed people up to the age of 21 to explore 21 countries by train with just one rail pass. Since 1998, the Interrail Pass has been available to travelers of all ages. More than 10 million travelers have enjoyed “interrailing” across Europe. Visit eurail.com for more information.
