OUT OF THIS WORLD
by A TripAdvisor Member
I loved this hotel, the design, the style, the rooms - so cool - and the roofdeck was the best I've seen - it was like the Soho Club in New York, only bigger and more glamorous.
Just stayed two weeks ago, was supposed to have stayed for 4 days but ended up extending our trip and staying a week.
One of the reasons that we enjoyed it so much is that the hotel is really an experience and not just a place to sleep at night. the moment you walk into the hotel everything is unique. it is a beautiful luminous space, not the heavy carpeted drapy lobby one is used to in luxury hotels. The staff is very warm and accomodating. The bed was so comfortable it was hard getting up in the morning. Even the breakfast up on the roof top was a delight. Next time though I will get a Junior Suite as the standard room gets a little cramped after a few days- Other than that it was a perfect experience.
Unique in every way...a superlative stay!
by A TripAdvisor Member
If you enjoy modern design/architecture this is the hotel for you. I considered the Exedra, but stayed away when I read reviews here indicating a theft problem.
From the moment you arrive, the minimal design is striking: No big hotel signs or marquis, no bustling lobby. If you didn't know this was a hotel, you'd think it was something else from the outside. I found the consistently cool ambiance and decor of this hotel a mood enhancing experience in itself.
Our double room was a bit small, but adequate for our 4 day stay. I have stayed in Shrager hotels and design hotels but the rooms here outdo them all. All the rooms face each other across an open courtyard. In the evening, all the rooms are illuminated creating a soothing multi color effect, like jewels. Each morning, you press a button on your bed control box and raise the window shade...it was like raising the curtain on a new day of theater. Learning some of the controls for the lights, dvd, tv, were not all that intuitive, but everything worked. Bring a favorite cd(s) as you have a dvd player and the Es. hotel signature cd for sale in the lobby is 39(!) euros. Our bootleg cd of chill music we bought on the beach in Fregene from a Morrocan hawker rocked.
When I made the reservation I was bummed that I had to pay for breakfast as we're not generally early vacation risers. But the breakfast was worth it and worth getting up for. A full buffet of every type of euro breakfast food is available from 6:30 to 10:30 every day. World newspapers are free (get there early for your Trib or USAT). Staff actually tell you when they're taking down the buffet so you can make a last pass. After that, a light snack was all we needed to make it to dinner each day.
The rooftop pool was astounding for Rome. It is large, with comfortable chairs/loungers and a bar serving snacks and lunch colocated. It's so good, we eschewed the beauty and charm of the eternal city and ended up spending an entire day up there. The gym was similarly great (freeweights, cardio, universals). Didn't try the restaurant.
Staff were all courteous, prompt, and unobtrusive. There's an attached garage for your rental car or you can park your moto outside. Checked out and walked right across the street to catch the Davinci express to the airport. Wow.
Only gripe in 4 days was an undelivered bathrobe. Surrounding neighborhood can be sketchy for single females walking alone so just use your common sense and proper mindset.
As my train pulled away from termini and I saw the outside of the hotel, I was again reminded of the value of this hidden gem. It is a tranquil, cool oasis that overwhelms with understatement.
Thanks to all who reviewed, as it helped me make my decision. I hope mine can help someone else.
An oasis in the middle of Rome
by A TripAdvisor Member
Es hotel is not a hotel for the elderly people who tend to like large heavy furniture and rather boring rooms.
I stayed, together with my girlfriend (23 and 25), at the Es for eight days - and it was GREAT!
The rooms are very nice and of a suitable size. Flatscreen, Dvd and a very comfortable bed.
The location of the pool, gym and restaurant is on the seventh floor. Everything in a modern minimalistic style - which is very intriguing. (Gym (7.00-21.00) and pool (7.00-19.00) is free of charge.
We tried the restaurant once and it was amazing even though it was rather expensive. Around 200 euro for three dishes + wine, water and service.
The staff are friendly and very helpful - unlike a lot of other italians who generally seems to have a great deal of attitude towards young tourists.
It is obvious that the staff has been hired to provide a great and smiling service to the guests at the hotel. Prior to our stay at the ES we stayed at the Bellini (4*) in Venice - the staff did their job - but nothing more.
A few negatives:
There are no places to dry your bathing shorts - so bring a line. You will recieve towels at the pool - so that´s not a problem.
There is no place to put your clothes, but a few hangers.
Some of the rooms located on the sixth floor have a terrace but it is of no use since there are no chairs or tables - and there are none in the room.
The hotel is generally not all that good at informing their guests of the amenities included in the room rate - so it took us quite a while to figure out how much we had paid for.
But as I have said pool and gym is free - you can take a bath next to the gym.
As it has been noticed in former reviews the hotel is located in neighbourhood which is not all that nice. I wouldn´t walk around the neighbourhood to the south of the hotel in the late hours.
We always went to the city in the evening and returned around midnight - but we never encountered any problems. We felt save walking along the Termini to the hotel - but always stayed on the side of the road closest to the Termini (made us feel more safe).
In the day there is no problem. And generally it wasn´t a problem at all - if you use your common sense.
Generally all of this was not big problems and we both feel that the ES was worth their five stars and that it is certainly recommendable.
r u young and an exhibitionist?
by TripAdvisor Member colorhappy
if you are, you will love this place!
the staff will pay attention to you. You won't mind that when you open your window shades you are looking in all the other rooms of the hotel. and they are looking in yours. The architecture is a WOW, but the rooms are starting to peel. there is no place for your luggage let alone your partners'. some of the high tech touches work great and some don't. The black flip flops they give you are comfy as you go upstairs to a stunning dining room for breakfast.but the neighborhood can be challenging.
Hi tech.. with a lot of zeros!
by TripAdvisor Member kitty33
Stayed here for one night at the tail end of a Med cruise that wound up near Rome. Thank God it was only one night! This was our third trip to Rome, one of my fav cities and we couldn't wait to leave.
First off, when we pulled up the the hotel, it was called SAS Radisson, not ES Hotel. I thought surely our driver had made a mistake and came to find out they had changed the name only a few days earlier. So now, it is no longer a cool boutique hotel, it is a tourist class, chain hotel. This may actually be a good thing. Maybe Radisson will find a way to iron out all the bugs.
Now to the zeros:
ZERO neighborhood! Dirty, digusting, not near anything except the noisy train station and absolutely terrifying at night! Minimum 10E cab ride to anywhere. My 6'2", 245 lb. husband and I made the mistake of venturing out on foot that night in search of dinner. We got about 1 block away and ran back. It was THAT scary.
ZERO service! The hotel was overwhelmed with tours when we got there. We were told they were overbooked and had to wait 5 hours for a room. We were exhausted. There was nowhere to go in this area. It was awful. Room service takes forever. They come in, drop the tray and run out as quickly as possible. That night, housekeeping knocked on the door and literally threw a bunch of towels at me when I opened up and ran away. I will give credit to the young man who tried very hard to make our DVD player work. Thanks.
ZERO functionality! Yes everything is ultra mod and "euro cool" looking, but the the design is so bad as to make it an effort to stay there. You deserve a nobel prize if you can figure out the room keys, lighting set up or electronic window shades. The bathrooms have no tile surfaces, even in the shower, so everything is wet, moldy, cracked, peeling and gross. No, I mean absolutely NO, storage space. Rooms are tiny. Not enough room for you and your luggage. Hallways are dark, sterile and confusing. Lobby is similarly dark, cold and uninviting. The whole place is like a science experiment gone bad, or, a scary fun house.
ZERO privacy! In your room, in the bathroom, anywhere. Way, way, way, way too much glass everywhere.
I could go on, but I actually feel badly about being so negative. There are so many other wonderful places to stay in Rome. Just don't do it!
Triumph of Style Over Substance
by TripAdvisor Member NickBB
This hotel is truly awful and the whilst its style is initially appealing, the experience spirals downhill rapidly. The service is so confoundingly bad that it's hard to even type! I am now down to my last shirt and have put in my laundry for four days straight and they now deny it happened! the bedroom was made for dwarfs and the lighting system will challenge the smartest amongst us. The shower flooded the room, the bath plug doesn't work and the endless cabaret of workman, internet amateurs, lighting technicians all made this stay just so painful. The only relief is a trip to Harry's Bar!
Being in Rome, I would have rather been an early Christian in the Colisseum with the lions than spend another night in this hotel. They should turn this into a nightclub!
Disaster! Possibly the combination of Swedish and Italian?
fabulous
by A TripAdvisor Member
fabulous! on arrival you would think you were entering a state of the art hospital but on closer expection you will find a hotel that is very different, we were greeted by michela who was exceptional, she helped us in every way possible and was the perfect hostess, the hotel is very sparse and minimal - no good for granny - there is some cutting edge design but i feel it will require updating shortly to keep it ahead of every one else. service and eating was first rate. the only downside is the surrounding area almost ghetto like but still quite interesting - if you feel unsure with the surroundings then jump in a taxi - cost approx 5 euros - to get you into the thick of it. once again thank you hotel es for a fantastic stay. we will return.
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