Rome, Italy Hotels

When in Rome, you’d prefer to do as the Romans do, and have a nice villa with extra bedrooms available for your family visit. But Italy’s capital can seem unwelcoming if you’re trying to find a family-friendly hotel room large enough to lay several sleepy heads. It is expensive and challenging to find accommodations that sleep more than two people; connecting rooms are rare as well. So, here are our picks of those places that are most convenient and a good value, where families of three or more are truly welcomed.

Tip: November to March is considered the low season; note that most suggested hotels provide a discount for multi-night stays, so be prepared to settle in.

Budget & Moderately Priced Rome Family Hotels

Hotel Villa San Pio
Via Santa Melania, 19
00153 Rome, Italy
+39 06/570057
Friends recommended we stay at the Hotel Villa San Pio because of its beautiful location atop Aventino Hill, arguably Rome’s most affluent neighborhood. Aventino is for walkers because it’s uphill from Testaccio — one of the hippest quarters for bars and restaurants — and above the Roman Forum. It’s also a 15-minute walk to the Colosseum and even farther from that Metro station, but trams and buses are available close by. Expect the grace of a bygone era, with frescoed hallways, a beautiful garden, concierges on staff happy to make dinner reservations, an excellent cappuccino maker and a delicious breakfast…. all the pleasures of not being in a homestay. It’s ideal with older kids who will appreciate the luxurious, Old World rooms that make you feel right at home; young ones will enjoy running around in the gated garden. There is a four-bedded family room.
Rates: $-$$$

Maison Giulia
Via Giulia 189/A
00186 Roma, Italia
+39 06/68808325
This welcoming, seven-room guesthouse is on a quiet cobblestone street just off the Tiber, near to Campo di Fiori, in a posh diplomatic neighborhood. Decor is eclectic and artsy but it’s charming, and you’ll feel totally safe letting the kids wander around on their own. The gracious staff are happy to recommend restaurants and attractions, and WiFi and breakfast are included. Unusual in such a small place are the three- and four-bedded guest rooms; there are also 2BR and 3BR furnished apartments nearby with a required minimum three-night stay.
Rates: $-$$ 

Gioberti Art Hotel
Via Gioberti 23
00185 Rome, Italy
+39 06/45210474
This small yet colorful and contemporary is located one block from the central Termini train station, which is just a half-hour away from the airport via the Leonardo Express train and across from bus and underground stations. While not wildly beautiful, the neighborhood combines comfort and convenience because a well-stocked mall, ATMs and lots of snack food restaurants are outside the door. Best yet is Palazzo Massimo, Rome’s greatest collection of classical sculpture just 2 minutes away. Elegant rooms are stylishly outfitted with built-ins, coffeemaker, fridge, workdesk, sofabed and unexpected niceties like a bathrobe so you can recover from jet lag in comfort. Check their website for family room specials; some doubles connect, too.
Rates: $-$$

Hotel Grifo
Via del Boschetto, 144
00184 Rome Italy
+39 06/487139
According to Trip Advisor, the Grifo is a three-star hotel. It is in the Monti District on a quiet side street near the Colosseum, off the via Nazionale, close to the Piazza Venezia and the Ministero dell’Interno. Furnishings are more eclectic than designed, with light wood pieces and linoleum floors. This décor may remind you of family-run hostelries you have enjoyed in the past. In addition, it offers charming neighborhood views from a simple roof garden where they serve drinks and complimentary breakfast. They have some family triples and quadruple rooms, and all the amenities you need are in the room.
Rates:$-$$

Hotel Nord Nuova Roma
Via G. Amendola, 3
00185 Rome Italy
+39 06/4885441, 800/860-004 (toll free in Europe)
This is a three-star hotel according to Trip Advisor. The property dates back to the 1930s and it underwent a complete renovation, as part of the Bettoja Hotel group, in 2014. Now it features bright, pretty rooms with A/C and minibar, oriental rugs, floral prints and curtains; a gym, rooftop bar, WiFi access and other amenities. Though the largest of the 157 rooms only sleeps three people (they’ll put in a rollaway), it’s well priced and serves a tasty complimentary buffet breakfast.  Not only is it near the Termini railway station, but also near the Trevi Fountain, Opera and new National Museum of Rome. The Nord is the least expensive of the family-owned Bettoja Hotels chain that includes Rome’s four-star Atlantico Hotel, Massimo D’Azeglio Hotel and Mediterraneo, as well as the Relais Certosa in Florence. The four Rome Bettoja hotels also support the arts year round with a special Art & Culture package including breakfast, WiFi, an official walking guidebook, as well as one free priority entry ticket — subject to availability — to exhibitions at the Palazzo delle Esposizioni or the Scuderie del Quirinale.
Rates: $$

Hotel Parlamento
Via delle Convertite, 5
00187 Rome Italy
+39 06/69921000
Trip Advisor gives this hotel a 2-star rating. It is on a small side street between Rome’s Parlamento and Piazza S. Sebastiano and has 23 rooms on the fourth and fifth floors of a 16th-century Palace that is now a larger apartment building. Rooms – some triples and quads – are simple but clean, and rates include private bathroom, continental breakfast, TV, WiFi and A/C (for an extra fee) and a safe for valuables. With several quad rooms, it came recommended to us by Clare Jordan, then seconded by another FTF traveler, all of whom enjoyed their stay. Great rates include breakfast, and it’s family-owned and tended, so very nice atmosphere.
Rates: $-$$

Starhotel Michaelangelo
Via della Stazione di S. Pietro, 14
00165 Rome Italy
+39 06/398739
A short walk from St. Peter’s Square, Starhotel Michaelangelo is a Trip Advisor 4-star rated hotel. It is part of an Italian 22-boutique hotel chain — features 179 high-style rooms with minibar and television. A maximum of three people may stay in each room; an extra bed added for a child under 16-years incurs no additional charge — a bargain in Rome. This hotel’s restaurant, “The Dome,” serves international cuisine. There is also room service, concierge, laundry service and two meeting rooms.
Rates: $-$$ for special weekend rates; family plan includes 50% discount on second room occupied by children up to 16; many online specials.

Hotel Duca d’Alba
Via Leonina, 14
00184 Rome Italy
+39 06/484471
This restored small hotel earned a Trip Advisor 4-star rating. It is typical of Italy’s squished-into-a-room tiny family accommodations. The 27 rooms available include Standard, Superior and Junior Suites. The ambiance,  distinguished by really First Class design, features marble flooring in the lobby, comfortable and elegant breakfast room (a substantial cold buffet is included in rates), ornate marble sinks in tiny bathrooms, phone, free Wi-Fi, minibar, TV & A/C, and stylish, if compact, furnishings. With a very convenient location just minutes from the Via Cavour metro stop and about a 10-minute walk from the Colosseum, its reasonable rates convinced us that being so close in our room could be considered a positive bonding experience.
Rates:$-$$$

Fabulous Family-welcoming Rome Hotels

When budget is not a consideration and you want to treat the family to the best of the best, these hotels deliver an authentically luxe Italian lifestyle.

Hotel Hassler Roma
Trinita dei Monti, 6
00187 Rome Italy
+39 06/699340
Rome’s deluxe hotel, the venerable Hassler Villa Medici, recently received a 5-star rating from Trip Advisor. This Hotel has presided over the Spanish Steps in gilt and marble splendor for over a century. As with many of Europe’s great hotels, infants will be pampered and older children accepted (even enjoyed), as long as they’re well behaved. (Dressed adorably helps too!) We can’t say enough about the service and the rooms, but it’s on Conde Nast Traveler‘s Gold List every year, with good reason. This is an ultra-splurge, the type of place where double rooms are large enough to accommodate an extra bed, but you’ll pay €100 and up for that privilege. Babysitting is available upon request.
Rates:$$$$+

Hotel Forum
Via Tor De Conti, 25-30
00184 Rome Italy
39/ 06/6792446
Definitely the most luxe place in Rome’s historic quarter surrounding the Roman Forum, this Trip Advisor 4-star hotel’s lovely roof garden restaurant has thrilled travelers for generations. Though not the fanciest, it is cozy, comfortable and immaculately maintained, with spacious rooms (including a few family rooms) and all the amenities you could want, excellent service, a popular American bar and private parking. We love the location on Via dei Fori Imperiali, the original route for parades from the Colosseum to Piazza Venezia. Babysitting is available upon request. Early booking discounts apply through the website.
Rates: $$-$$$ ($$$$ for a family suite of two connecting rooms)

Hotel Kennedy
Via Filippo Turati, 64
00185 Roma Italia
39/06/4465373
Considered a 3-star hotel, it was founded in 1963 to honor John F. Kennedy’s memory. The hotel is located between Termini Station and the Basilica of S. Maria Maggiore. Rooms enjoy a panoramic view of the Roman Aquarium Archaeological Park as well as a private bathroom and satellite television. The bedding options include single, double, twin, triple, and junior suite (two bedrooms connected and sharing a bathroom). Children are welcome and roll-aways are available. Rates include breakfast — a morning “all you can eat buffet” set to opera music.
Rates: $$-$$$

Recommended Neighborhood Finds in Rome

Other recommended family hotels we’ve heard of but haven’t visited ourselves include:

• Hotel Abruzzi(+39 06/97841351) – 26 recently renovated rooms in a 3-star place near the Pantheon.
• Campo de’ Fiori (+39 06/68806865) – Baroque style place on Rome’s historic Market Square; has furnished apartments as well as rooms.

Budget Housing in Convents & Monasteries

Families with well behaved children may be interested in the experience of staying in an Italian monastery, an affordable lodging option favored by many Italian travelers.

GD Lodging in Italy’s Monasteriesby Eileen Barish ($20; last revised 2015) suggests more than 400 monasteries around the country that welcome visitors. Ms. Barish cautions that their austerity of decor (though many display great Renaissance art), curfews, simple but hearty meals, and “quiet and contemplative” atmosphere are very different than what many travelers are used to.

Beds and Blessings in Italy: A Guide to Religious Hospitality ($24; last updated 2010) is in a similar vein, produced by Paulist Press with detailed listings of religious houses that accept overnight guests.