Aside from the hotly anticipated Rome-set sequel to Ridley Scott’s Gladiator bursting onto the big screen this month, these recent hotel openings and seasonal restaurant offerings are keeping this ancient city with the times.
Palazzo Talìa
Luca Guadagnino’s first hotel, Palazzo Talìa, is as much a visual feast as you’d expect from the director of Call Me By Your Name and Challengers. The 16th-century palazzo has been sensitively (and spectacularly) restored by the Federici family over three years, with Studio Luca Guadagnino bringing the interiors into a colourful and contemporary new light. Classical marble, mouth-blown mirrors and handcrafted maiolica tiles sit alongside bespoke furniture, with a monumental floral carpet welcoming guests into the grand entrance — leading to an eye-catching spiral staircase and fresco-adorned Magna Hall by 18th-century painter Gaspare Serenari. Panelled with peach wood and spilling onto a greenery-filled patio, the top-floor Terrace Suite overlooks the hotel’s inner courtyard below. Wellness is inspired by Roman bathhouses, and dining is rooted in the culinary traditions of Rome-Veneto and Campania.
Hotel d’Inghilterra
A ‘Poet’s Corner’ palazzo dating back to the 16th-century, Hotel d’Inghilterra has recently completed an extensive renovation (which began in 2023), preserving architectural features and restoring fabrics and furniture throughout all 80 rooms and upper-floor suites while making some exciting additions. The hotel, which is mere moments from the Spanish Steps, drew inspiration from archived photos and records of the building to maintain the integrity of the restorations. On the ground floor, locals’ favourite Cafè Romano has gained an additional room (and still has its outdoor tables along Via Borgognona), perfect for your morning coffee or afternoon aperitivo. A brand-new spa and rooftop terrace are also in the works, set to open next spring for enhanced unwinding, wining and dining in dolce vita style.
Hotel Vilòn
Extending al fresco dining into the autumn, Hotel Vilòn just launched Il Nido (‘the nest’), an intimate dining experience overlooking the private gardens of Palazzo Borghese. Tucked between Rome’s ancient rooftops, the terrace is set up with just one table for couples and small gatherings to take in the Eternal City skyline. Creative Mediterranean dishes by Executive Chef, Gabriele Muro, appear as if by magic throughout the evening, from homemade pasta and risotto to a special strawberries-and-champagne dessert. Depending on which bedroom you book, you may even have your own view of the celebrated Borghese ‘secret gardens’ too.
Maalot Roma
Housed within the former residence of opera maestro Gaetano Donizetti, Maalot Roma’s winter garden-inspired Don Pasquale restaurant is celebrating the changing of the seasons with a new menu by Chef Domenico Boschi. Settle into the silk sofas beneath the twinkling glass skylight and sample reimagined Roman classics, including a catch-of-the-day tartare (presented as a sandwich), and tortelli filled with 36-month Parmesan cheese, alongside roasted porcini, mushroom broth and dill. Residents of the hotel’s Terrace Suite can dine in blissful seclusion, then retreat into the bespoke Italian-made bedroom and pearly Calagatta Arabescato marble bathroom.
Explore Rome
With 12 SLH hotels in the Italian capital to choose from, start planning your Roman holiday today. Browse and book luxury hotels in Rome.
Previous
Discovering the spice of life on Zanzibar’s shores
Next
4 of the best US ranch hotels for a ‘Yellowstone’-inspired break
Latest stories
A pocket city guide to Bangkok
Bangkok is a city of intoxicating contrasts, where ancient temples, electric street life, extraordinary food and quietly hidden neighbourhoods collide. From art spaces and buzzing night markets to characterful hotels and brilliant bars, discover the places that make Thailand’s capital so endlessly compelling.
The new hotels we’re booking in September
Whether you’re planning your upcoming skiing holiday, next year’s Greek island escape or thinking ahead to much-needed winter sun in Mexico, this month’s edit of new hotels has something for everyone.
Independent Minds: Susanne Hulbekkmo, Skýra Retreat
In the stillness of Finnish Lapland, beside the waters of Lake Norvajärvi, Susanne Hulbekkmo has created a restorative retreat centred on the constantly changing light and temperament of the landscape that surrounds it. Housed in a painstakingly restored Fifties village school, Skýra Retreat – part of the Wellbeing Collection –
10 of the best hotel rooftop bars to take in the views
There’s a particular pleasure in seeing a city or a landscape from above. Rooftops offer a different perspective on familiar streets — whether that means a cocktail in Soho, a pool overlooking the rooftops of Seville or a table with the Mediterranean stretching out beyond it. From polished hotel bars
