Italian's Insight to Travel Italy: St. Regis Grand Hotel Rome

Rome has some great hotels. One of them is the St. Regis located near piazza Repubblica. A great central location, it is in walking distance from the tourist, business and government destinations. This is an opulent 1800s building with heavy molding, granite columns, cotton silk wall coverings, gold inlays, beautiful epic paintings, and highly professional staff.

The reception is a horizontally elongated hall waiting area that opens into two corridors moving around the exterior of a center ballroom with a dining area and bar. Whether you are meeting heads of state or your friends from around the corner the St. Regis says you have arrived.

The rooms and sweets surround in a velvety and lush environment. The bathrooms are a work of art in their own right, completely finished in granite and white Carrara marble, huge wall mirrors, Jacuzzi tubs and rain drop showers, one could easily

forget the reason of visiting Rome and spend the day relaxing in a hot tub with bubbles gently massaging the entire body. King size beds are the standard for most of the rooms I have stayed in. Complete with Internet, satellite TV and other business services the St. Regis is the perfect place to get some work done before going out in the evening.

I have only eaten once at the restaurant with the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ivory Coast. The food was well prepared, the wines selection excellent and the staff both professional and helpful. The restaurant has a wide variety of dishes including Nouvelle Cuisine but I would stay with the fish or the typical Roman dishes. The cook can, on special order, prepare just about anything you may desire with a little notice.

The bar, instead, is a place I have come to know well. The St. Regis is my hotel of choice for most business visitors. While waiting to go to dinner, or to finish up some business at the end of a long day I have had the opportunity to thoroughly experiment their selection of drinks. It is true that Johnny Walker Blue is my poison of choice however, an occasional Ketel One Vodka Martini or the before dinner Prosecco could slip in.

The Hotel offers a Limousine service to the airport or for other occasions as needed and the reception staff can assist in the choice of both restaurants and nightclub entertainment. The price is very similar to New York however the hotel has recently become part of the Starwood hotels. I am a member of this program and the extra perks really mean something when staying at this hotel. To sum it up: This is a perfect business trip hotel with all of the bells and whistles for a tremendously luxurious experience.