Should you book the Hotel Hassler or Hotel de Russie in Rome?
Hotel Hassler or Hotel de Russie? For a couple on a first trip I'd book the Hassler, for the view over Rome from the top of the Spanish Steps; for a family, a longer stay or anyone who wants a pool, I'd book Hotel de Russie. The Hassler sells height: rooms on the city side look over the rooftops, Imàgo serves dinner on the 6th floor, and the 7th Floor Terrace bar is open every afternoon and evening. De Russie sells space: a Superior Room of 30 to 35 square meters, family rooms for four of 80 to 100 square meters, a garden and a spa with a saltwater pool.
Both are at the Piazza di Spagna end of the center, the Hassler above the Spanish Steps and de Russie on the street that runs from the square to Piazza del Popolo, so the choice is about the hotel, not the neighborhood. Neither publishes rates on the pages I checked, so price both for your dates before deciding.
How do the Hassler and Hotel de Russie compare?
| Hotel Hassler | Hotel de Russie | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | Piazza Trinità dei Monti 6, at the top of the Spanish Steps | Via del Babuino 9, between Piazza del Popolo and Piazza di Spagna |
| Size | 82 rooms and suites, 21 of them suites | 117 rooms, 47 of them suites |
| Smallest room | Deluxe Room, size not published, garden or city side | Superior Room, 30 to 35 m², garden or city side |
| The room I'd book | Grand Deluxe Room, city side | Deluxe Room with Garden View, 45 m² |
| Views | The rooftops of Rome, the hotel's garden courtyard, the Spanish Steps or Villa Borghese, by category | The Secret Garden, the city or Piazzetta Valadier; one suite faces Piazza del Popolo |
| Garden and terrace | Palm Court garden for warm-weather meals; 7th Floor Terrace bar, 12:30pm to 11:30pm daily | A terraced 19th-century garden behind the hotel; Le Jardin de Russie sets tables in it in summer |
| Spa | Gym 8am to 7:30pm, sauna and treatments; an 800 m² spa it says is almost ready | Irene Forte Spa: saltwater hydro pool, sauna, steam room, five treatment rooms, gym |
| Restaurants | Imàgo, Michelin-starred, 6th floor, Tuesday to Saturday, seating 7pm to 8:30pm; Salone Eva, 11am until late | Le Jardin de Russie, Italian, with a summer terrace in the garden |
| Bars | Carmen's Bar from 11am, the 7th Floor Terrace, Il Palazzetto wine bar | Stravinskij Bar, inside and on Piazzetta Valadier, heated in winter |
| Families | Every room up to 3 people; extra bed in the Junior Suite; Hassler Penthouse up to 5 | Three family categories for four, 80 to 100 m² |
| Check-in and out | 2pm in, noon out | Not in the factsheet |
| Rates | Not shown on the room pages | Not shown in the factsheet |
Who should book the Hotel Hassler?
A couple or a solo traveler who wants the view from the room and dinner upstairs. The Hassler is the smaller hotel, 82 rooms and suites, and its position at the top of the Spanish Steps is what you pay for. Imàgo is Michelin-starred and opens Tuesday to Saturday with seating from 7pm to 8:30pm, so book it with the room if dinner there is part of the plan.
The catch is space and the spa. The Hassler publishes no room sizes, every room takes three people at most, and its wellness page lists a gym, sauna and treatments with a larger spa still to open. The Hassler room guide says which side to ask for.
Who should book Hotel de Russie?
A family, a longer stay, or anyone who wants a pool and a garden to come back to in the afternoon. De Russie publishes its sizes, and they are generous for central Rome: the entry Superior Room is 30 to 35 square meters, and the Family Suite Garden View is 100 square meters for four. The Irene Forte Spa opened in March 2026 with a saltwater hydro pool, sauna, steam room and gym.
The catch is the view. No room looks over the rooftops the way the Hassler's city side does; the best outlook is the hotel's own terraced garden, and only the Popolo Suite faces Piazza del Popolo. The rooms over Piazzetta Valadier look onto the Stravinskij Bar's outdoor tables. The Hotel de Russie room guide has every category with its size and view.
Which is better for a family, the Hassler or Hotel de Russie?
Hotel de Russie, because it sells rooms built for four. Its Family Room, Junior Suite Family and Family Suite Garden View sleep four in 80 to 100 square meters. At the Hassler every room and suite except the Hassler Penthouse stops at three, so a family of four needs two connecting Deluxe Rooms, which the hotel offers, or the Hassler Penthouse, the one category listed for five.
What should you ask for when you book?
At the Hassler, ask for the city side and the room's size. The Deluxe Room, Grand Deluxe Room and Junior Suite each come garden side or city side, and the hotel gives no square meters, so ask before you pay to move up. Check-in is from 2pm; on an overnight flight, plan the morning around that.
At Hotel de Russie, ask for the Secret Garden side by name. The Deluxe Room comes in three versions, garden, city and Piazzetta Valadier, and only the garden one is 45 square meters. Book on the hotel's own site and confirm the category name matches the 2025 list.
What else should you read before booking a Rome hotel?
The Hassler room guide and the Hotel de Russie room guide pick the room once you have the hotel. Where to stay in Rome covers Monti, Campo Marzio and the Colosseum if neither hotel fits. Both hotels are a short walk from Villa Borghese, so the Borghese Gallery tickets guide is worth reading before you book a morning there, and the four-day Rome itinerary plans the rest.