Piazza di Spagna 9

After the reception closes at 20:00, the hotel becomes effectively a private apartment. A tray of whisky, grappa and mixers is set out in the dining area for guests wanting a nightcap; the candlelit lobby is empty; the library opens directly onto the piazza below.

The pleasure of Piazza di Spagna 9 starts at the entrance. The door is unassuming wood at street level, set into the side of an old palazzo across a small courtyard — easy to walk past on first arrival, which is part of the design. A lift carries you three floors up to the hotel proper. The lobby feels like an art collector's apartment — limited contemporary pieces, custom furniture, a library that doubles as the breakfast room with windows opening directly onto the Spanish Steps below.

Eight rooms and suites occupy the space. Each is individually designed with custom art and bespoke furniture; the Sunrise junior suite faces the piazza directly, the Master Suite and Grand Suite carry separate identification codes and function semi-independently. The defining feature throughout is the integration of art and stay — the headboard, the table, the lighting in your room are likely to be commissioned works, and the wall pieces are typically by named contemporary Roman artists. Nicola Guerraz, whose work is consistently featured, runs an Art Lab studio in Rome that hotel staff can arrange visits to.

The hammam-and-hot-tub spa room is hidden in the building, by reservation only, with locally produced essential oils and candlelit treatments. There's no in-house restaurant — breakfast is at La Buvette next door — but the position is its own dining advantage. Roscioli, the salumeria-bakery hybrid that's one of central Rome's defining food addresses, is fifteen minutes' walk south near Campo de' Fiori. Marzapane and the Sant'Eustachio trattorias are similar distances. The Via Condotti shopping spine connects directly to Piazza di Spagna — Bulgari, Gucci, Valentino flagships within thirty seconds of the door.

For travellers who want central Rome at its most concentrated and least hotel-like, Piazza di Spagna 9 is the right call. Best suited to couples, repeat visitors, and travellers who'd rather stay somewhere that doubles as a Roman residence than somewhere that functions as a conventional hotel.