The St. Regis Rome

The St. Regis Rome

Putting the Grand in Grand Dame, the landmark St. Regis has been one of Rome’s flagship luxury hotels since iconic hotelier César Ritz welcomed the first illustrious guests in 1894. An extensive makeover has updated the hotel’s style from artwork to uniforms while staying true to its legendary Old World grandeur.

The St. Regis overlooks Piazza della Repubblica and the Baths of Diocletian, just steps from the Termini train station. Though the hotel lists several Rome highlights – the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Via dei Condotti – as within walking distance, guests are more than 15 minutes by foot to any of these. That said, some of the Eternal City’s most prized treasures are an easy stroll away: Judith Beheading Holofernes by Caravaggio awaits in Palazzo Barberini just up the street; and the nearby Baths of Diocletian and Palazzo Massimo alle Terme jointly house the Museo Nazionale Romano, one of the world’s most important collections of classical art.

Gone are the heavy brocades, dark colours, and stodgily formal décor. The latest renovation led by the interior design firm Pierre-Yves Rochon has breathed new life into the St. Regis, with a softer palette of eggshell and dove grey playing foil to bold Art Deco black lacquered and gold furnishing and lending the new lobby and bar a sophisticated glam cachet. Though the winter garden-inspired space is as lavish as it has always been, with its Belle Époque mouldings, grand staircase, and glorious Murano glass chandelier, the new look is sleek and inviting. Along with the monumental lobby, the hotel has added modernised everything from its artwork (adding rotating contemporary installations) to its uniforms (created by haute-couture designer Giada Curti). One delightful historic detail has remained, however: the hotel’s original 19th-century lift, one of the oldest in the city.