Hotel Monte Cenci

Highly recommended hotel for visiting Rome. Very close to the city's most famous and must-see sights. The hotel is very comfortable and the service is wonderful; they are very friendly and provide everything you need. Special thanks to Paolo for his exceptional service and helpful advice. We will be back...

We booked Hotel Monte Cenci expecting a luxury 4-star experience. What we encountered instead were serious, recurring problems across two different rooms, followed by a management approach that minimizes issues rather than fixing them. In the first room, we dealt with constant noise from the hallway and adjacent rooms, a ringing HVAC system, a toilet that ran continuously, and inconsistent hot water. After reporting these problems, we were moved to a second room — which turned out to be even worse. The second room had a constant sewage/gas odor coming from the bathroom that filled the entire room, a bathroom door that did not lock, and a non-functioning towel warmer, in addition to continued noise issues. The odor was persistent and noticeable upon returning after being out, and it remained overnight. These are not minor inconveniences — they are sanitation, privacy, and basic maintenance failures. What is most frustrating is that many of these same issues are repeatedly mentioned in past guest reviews, going back years. Rather than acknowledging responsibility or fixing the underlying problems, management responses consistently dismiss concerns with generic replies. This strongly suggests the hotel is aware of these issues and chooses not to address them. After two unsuitable rooms and no meaningful resolution, we checked out early and involved Booking.com. This property relies heavily on its location and marketing. In reality, it feels poorly maintained and misrepresented. A hotel charging 4-star prices should not have recurring plumbing odors, broken bathroom locks, or chronic noise problems — nor should management treat legitimate complaints as inconveniences to be brushed aside. This is not a luxury hotel, and it is not worthy of its star rating. We would not stay here again and cannot recommend it.

We absolutely enjoyed our stay here. The room is spacious and clean, old but solid in a way like an Italian gentleman that makes you feel reliable in every aspect. We escaped from another hotel (yes, we chose to pay for the early checkout penalty just to get out of there) that seemed fancy from its newer appearance but screamed cheap from every detail. Location is perfect if you are looking for real Roman experience — not the newer district with 5 star hotels nor the tourists swamped area. Yet it’s 10-20mins walk to either, and 10-20mins taxi to most places without the traffic jam in the central tourists region. Best place to start city walk and get lost — south to Trastevere and north to Campo de’Fiori. Supermarket right in front of the hotel too. Special thanks to Paolo (I hope I had your name spelled right) who filled our free-roaming itinerary with hidden gem for places and food. Yes Paolo zucchini flower (plus fried zucchini) at Hosteria Constanza has been the absolute best. I want to come back.