Hotel Grifo

The best part of the hotel is the wonderful staff: friendly, helpful, and accommodating. Our room was small and so was the bathroom. I had to keep the shower doors open to complete showering. We booked two rooms. The other room was much larger, but there was a slight musty odor. Neither room had much shelving or drawers for clothes, nor could either boast of pleasant decorating. But the air conditioning was excellent and they were clean. Breakfast was mediocre. The scrambled eggs (the only choice) were watery and the other choices were limited as well. But they do have a menu to order additional items from the kitchen. I think Grifo is suitable for younger travelers on a budget who want a clean, safe hotel in a prime location.

TLDR: This hotel is perfect when checking off the following: - Service - Cleanliness - Location - Price This hotel is not for you if: - You have trouble with stairs My wife and I are in our mid 20's and we stayed here for a few days at the end of October 2023. We walked here from the Roma Termini train station which took us about 20 minutes. More inclines than I expected, but that's a me problem. We arrived before noon, check in wasn't until 3, but they let us store our bags in a storage room with no problem. I really wish I remember the name of the two people we spoke with at the desk. When we arrived, we were welcomed by a woman who took our bags for us. She then proceeded to pull out a map and highlighted some local restaurants and coffee shops. I will admit, initially I didn't care for listening to this but she did highlight the general streets we should remember and it really helped get us back to the hotel without needing Google Maps. There was a second gentleman working the desk for the majority of our stay there. He was incredibly hospitable. What really struck me was that he could speak multiple languages. We spoke English, and he was fluent. During breakfast we could hear him speak Italian (of course), Spanish, and I believe I caught some French in there. Speaking of breakfast, you do have to let the desk know when you plan on eating the complimentary breakfast. The room is small so seating is limited. The breakfast selection is small, but being complimentary, you can't complain. I was satisfied with the pastries and yogurt. The coffee machine is easy to use and creates a delicious cup of espresso. On top of the breakfast bar, there's a small menu you can order from (also included) for things like hot toast, sliced cheeses and meats, as well as fresh fruit (the fruit was always random and you didn't get a choice. One day was a pear, another was two small apples, for example). Our room was on the third floor. This is where I point out my comment on stairs: The hotel is small. There's one small elevator in the building. When I say small, I mean it is tiny. My wife and I packed in there and basically straddled our suitcases. The stairway is also narrow and spirals up. You pretty much cannot pass people unless your on a floor. Walking isn't an issue for us, but this is something you should consider regarding your physical ability when looking into this hotel. The room itself was spacious. Window overlooked the street, bed was firm to my liking, the desk is nice to have, and overall there was more space than two people really needed. I read reviews on the shower being small. We just got off a cruise with a small shower. I am 5'6 210Lbs and the cruise's shower was uncomfortable. The shower at Hotel Grifo is bigger. It's hard to explain, but all you have to do is reposition the shower head and you'll be fine. We will inevitably come back to Rome in the future and would absolutely stay here again. With that said, there are a few criticisms about the room that, while not a deal breaker, would be nice to see addressed on our future visit: - The chair for the desk needs felt padding on the legs. I get I can just lift the chair, but pulling it screeches so loudly. You can hear people in adjacent rooms pulling their chairs as well. - The bathroom could use more towel racks or hooks. There's plenty of wall space to add it. We had to hang our towels in the room to dry. - A closed door closet. Not sure if other rooms are like it, but ours just had an open closet with a bar and plenty of hangers. There was really nowhere to put stuff away, like our suitcases. - More outlets. In the room, the only outlets were by the desk (which is in the opposite corner of the room from the bed) and under the TV (which hung about 5ft above the floor). The beds didn't have any outlets next to it or the side tables, at least none that we found. Overall, we paid a comfortable price for an incredibly nice hotel.