Crypta Balbi

My family and I just spent a week at the Grand Hotel Olympic in Rome. The hotel was situated in the Prati neighborhood; this is a great location for the Vatican, restaurants, subway access and shopping. The hotel is listed as a 4 star; however expect 3 star amenities. We had 2 rooms: my husband and I had a room, queen-sized thin mattress and pillows. The room and bathroom were clean with great housekeeping. However, we only had 2 nightstands and a small armoire to house our belongings. Our adult kids shared a twin room. Bathrooms had shower and bidet, with hairdryer. Body wash is included. Bring your own shampoo. Hot water was plentiful as was the water pressure. Small safe and bar fridge in each room. Air conditioning available throughout. Small elevator and spotty WIFI was available. Wonderful hot and cold buffet breakfast available. Staff was friendly, helpful and assisted with arranging a taxi back to the airport. Even though the furnishings in the room could have been better, I would not be opposed to staying at this hotel in the future!

Excellent breakfast, and staff. Air conditioning was kind of hot.

The staff at Hotel Maximus were extremely polite, friendly, and attentive throughout our stay. They were by far the highlight of our experience. The room was surprisingly spacious for Rome, which we appreciated. However, it was not as clean as we expected. The biggest drawback was the location. Although it is relatively close to the main train station, it is far from most of Rome’s main attractions. The neighborhood is not very tourist-oriented, and we didn’t feel particularly comfortable walking around at night. One evening, there was no hot water for showers, which was very disappointing after a long day of sightseeing. Overall, we found our stay disappointing, even for a three-star hotel. While the staff were excellent, the location, cleanliness, and hot water issue significantly affected our experience.