Which room should you book at the Hassler Roma?
Book a Grand Deluxe Room and ask for the city side: its page lists a walk-in closet and a separate shower, and the choice of view is the quiet garden courtyard or the Roman skyline. The Hassler sits at the top of the Spanish Steps, and the city view is what that position is for.
The Deluxe Room, the Grand Deluxe Room and the Junior Suite each come in two versions, garden side or city side, and the hotel lets you choose. That makes the side a bigger decision than the category. The city side looks out over the rooftops of central Rome. The garden side faces the hotel's own courtyard and is the one the hotel itself calls protected and hushed. If you are a light sleeper, or the trip is in July and August when windows stay open, take the garden side and go up to the 7th floor terrace bar for the view instead.
One thing the hotel does not publish is room sizes. None of the room or suite pages gives square meters, so compare categories by what each page lists, as below, and ask the hotel for the size before you pay for an upgrade.
How do the Hassler rooms and suites compare?
| Category | What the page lists | View |
|---|---|---|
| Deluxe Room | King-size or twin beds, marble bathroom, up to 3 people, can connect | Garden side or city side |
| Grand Deluxe Room | Walk-in closet, separate shower, many connect to suites | Garden courtyard or skyline |
| Il Palazzetto double rooms | Four rooms in a separate house by the Spanish Steps | Three face the Spanish Steps, one faces Vicolo del Bottino |
| Junior Suite | Living area, walk-in closet, bathroom with shower and bathtub, extra bed possible | Garden or city |
| Classic Suite | Separate living area, second guest bathroom | Not named |
| Executive Suite | Separate living room, guest bathroom, separate shower | Villa Borghese gardens |
| Grand Deluxe Suite Hassler | One floor up from the ground floor, separate living room, guest bathroom | Panoramic, over the Spanish Steps |
| Grand Deluxe Suite Forum | Second floor, French balcony, separate living room | Panoramic, over the city |
Every category takes up to three people. A French balcony is a full-height window with a railing, not a space you can sit on.
Which Hassler room should you skip?
Skip the Deluxe Room on the city side if you came for the view; it is the entry category, and the page promises a city view without the walk-in closet or separate shower the Grand Deluxe Room adds. The Deluxe Room is the right booking in two cases: two friends who need twin beds, which only its page mentions, and a family that needs two connecting rooms.
I would also not pay for the Classic Suite for the view. Its page names no view at all, only a living room and a second bathroom. That second bathroom is the reason to book it: two people getting ready for dinner at the same time.
Is Il Palazzetto worth booking instead?
Yes, if a window on the Spanish Steps matters more than staying in the main hotel. Il Palazzetto is a separate house of four rooms beside the Steps, run by the Hassler, and three of the four look onto the Steps themselves. They are the only rooms below suite level whose page promises the Steps.
The catch is that one of the four faces a side lane, Vicolo del Bottino, instead, and with only four rooms you have little room to swap on arrival. Ask which room you have when you book. You still get the main hotel's breakfast, spa and the 7th floor terrace bar, a short walk up the Steps.
Who should upgrade to a suite at the Hassler?
Upgrade for a view no room has: the Steps, Villa Borghese or a terrace.
- Over the Spanish Steps: the Grand Deluxe Suite Hassler, one floor up from the ground floor, whose page puts the Spanish Steps right outside.
- Over the rooftops, with a window to stand at: the Grand Deluxe Suite Forum, on the second floor, with a French balcony.
- Over a park: the Executive Suite, which faces the gardens of Villa Borghese. It is the one green view among the suites.
- Outdoor space: the Trinità dei Monti Presidential Suite, with a private terrace and five balconies looking at the church at the top of the Steps, or the Villa Medici Penthouse on the 7th floor, with its own terrace.
For a family of three, the Junior Suite is the smallest category with a living area and an extra bed, and the first category up from the rooms whose page lists both a shower and a bathtub.
What should you ask for when you book?
- The side, by name: city or garden. The Deluxe Room, Grand Deluxe Room and Junior Suite come both ways.
- The size: the hotel does not publish square meters, so ask for the size of the room you are being given before you pay to move up a category.
- A bath: if a bathtub matters, ask; neither room page lists one, and the Junior Suite page does.
- Connecting rooms: Deluxe Rooms can connect, and many Grand Deluxe Rooms connect to suites, which is the way to keep a family together.
What else should you read before booking a Rome hotel?
The where to stay in Rome guide compares Campo Marzio, Monti, the Colosseum and Piazza del Popolo, if you are still deciding where in Rome to be. The four-day Rome itinerary spends a morning at the Borghese Gallery, a walk through the park from the hotel.
Before you land, the Rome airport transfer guide covers the ride in, and the Rome booking order guide lists what to book once the hotel is set.