The St. Regis Rome

It’s not at all an exaggeration to say that the St. Regis Grand Hotel, Rome has what might be the ultimate luxury-hotel pedigree. Not for the St. Regis name so much as for that of César Ritz, who founded the Grand at the close of the nineteenth century. Upon its opening it was by a long way the most lavish hotel in Rome, and even now it would be difficult to make a case for any of its competitors.

Once inside it’s clear that not only did the design-hotel revolution completely pass this place by, but so did most of the rest of the twentieth century. The Grand is practically a museum, a monument to a bygone era of European hospitality, and while there are other Roman hotels that technically match the Grand amenity for amenity, there are few that could hope to project the same air of wistful, nostalgic luxury.

Rooms range from Superior on up to the Royal Suite, and a couple of others depart a bit from the house style: the Designer Suite takes a Forties Parisian style, and the Bottega Veneta Suite is a one-off in an exceedingly stylish contemporary vein. And for guests in sensitive situations, the Grand offers a separate diplomatic entrance, complete with private parking and a dedicated elevator.