I try to avoid reading other people's review before posting my own so as to avoid prejudice. However, I couldn't help steal a very short glimpse and noted that many people spoke negatively of this accommodation. I am honestly quite surprised.

Let me qualify this by saying: do not come here if you are after:
a) a Contiki like pub-crawl through Europe;
b) the bells and smells of a Plaza or Savoy; or
c) a base for a large group of people.

I came to Rome with my mother, as I wanted to introduce her to Europe. The Group Palace by Relais was perfect. An old residence converted to a hotel, it was like living as the Romans do. Isn't that what one is supposed to do in Rome after all?

I don't think there are more than 8 or so rooms, so you are never overwhelmed by people coming and going. The lack of guests also explains the breakfast room that you could fit in the bathroom on most hotels, which had from memory only 4 tables (holding about 2 people each). This was easily covered by arriving to breakfast either very early, or very late.

From the little street of Banci Vecchi, a left turn would take you through cobble-stoned streets to smalls piazzas, market squares and some wonderful fashion stores. A right turn took you on to the main drag and in less than 10 minutes we were in either Piazza Navona, Puente Sant'Angelo or 5 more minutes on to the Vatican.

We walked everywhere - even to the Pantheon (quite close) and off to the Spanish Steps and the high-end shopping district (little but further away). The young lady at reception was always pleasant and helped out with any queries we had. She kept insisting somewhere was a 'taxi distance' though to us it was a stone's throw. Perhaps they were used to lethargic tourists who wouldn't walk anywhere - just ask the front desk for a map of Rome and to point out the place you would like to go to, and its relation to the hotel. You will see soon enough how close a walk it may well be. There is no point in taxiiing when walking the streets, smelling the coffee, saying bongiorno to passers by and of course, admiring the local Italian beauties - can all be done on your way to your next must-see-site.

They also had a foreign girl (Eastern European I believe) who it appeared spoke no Italian, nor English but worked her arms off. She was responsible for breakfast, cleaning and all other activities. She never stopped.

On the negative side, if you are carrying a few suitcases you would need to send them up one or two at a time in the lift (which rises within the space the curving staircase leaves in the middle) - or you could do as my mother and I did, and just walk the stairs. The carbs and red wine you will consume in Rome means walking as much as possible isn't just a healthy activity, it is a coma-avoiding requirement :)

Also, the bathrooms (quite simple but ample) had very, very poor water pressure, and rather than try to shower, you would be better off having a bath everyday. The only concern is that the lip of the bathtub is very high, and not at all accessible for travellers with limited ability to participate in Olympic high-jump! Be warned.

The street itself upon first look seems somewhat of a back-alley - but it is a standard Roman street, mere metres away from the main thoroughfare. If travelling alone or with work, I would no doubt stay at a brand name colossus, however with a friend or partner, the Group Palace by Relais would suit me just fine.

Ciao.

NB: The wireless only seems to work in the lobby and not in the rooms - though this could merely have been my iphone, though people with blackberrys were also in the lobby quite often tapping away on their devices...

We decided to try and stay as centrally located as possible when visiting Rome for only 3 days. We chose the Relais because of this, which for the price (USD$125/nt), the location was perfect for walking to the Sistine Chapel or Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain. The only long walk was to the Colesseum and the Roman Forum - which done early in the morning before the streets were crowded was so beautiful to see all the vendors setting up, or restaurants sweeping their patios.
The hotel is off of the main street so you definitely need a taxi to find it. It's super cute but very small as is everything in Europe. They have this little bitty old school elevator that you use to get to your rooms so it's wise to pack small and light if there's more than 2 of you trying to work the elevator at once. The room was actually a very good size for a European hotel. It had it's own bathroom and a queen sized bed, with a desk, and a window that overlooked the back alley.
Number one, we asked for non-smoking room and everything in our room reeked of cigarettes, the drapes, the bedding, EVERYTHING! Since the husband and I do not smoke, I instantly had a headache that lasted most of the trip. Our luggage had been lost for 2 days of our trip so we tried to keep a positive attitude about everything. The bathtub never supplied hot water and when I say bathtub, I mean bathtub - if you wanted a shower, you stood up and used the hose like from the old movies (water spraying everywhere because of no curtain). I was very confused about this but greatful since some people we met had to share a bathroom wtih other guests.
The bed was honestly at least 10 years old, it was like a piece of cardboard. I would say it was probably only 5" tall. There was a TV in there but flipping through the channels, I think there was only 1 American channel or at least 1 with someone speaking English.The complimentary "breakfast" was a cafe machine to supply coffee, cappuccino, etc, some pre-packaged jelly filled croissants, oatmeal, and fruit. There may have been other items there but I don't recall, and I believe there was maybe one table in there, so you have to bring everything back to your room or with you.
The first door man knew of our luggage being lost so we told him to contact us immediately, a new man came on the second night and we told him to call our room whenever it showed up. We checked before we went to dinner, after we went to dinner, and before we went to bed when he ignorantly told us "your luggage is not my problem". Probably sick of us asking about it and calling the airport to see when it would be delivered but we were in the same outfits for 3 day!!! My husband went down to yell at him and at 4 am, we got the call that it had arrived.
Overall, I would say if you're on a budget and want to be centralized, this hotel was not bad at all.

I was booked into one of their other hotels and when i arrived there had been a problem with the booking so there were no rooms . They were super at the front desk to sort out the problem and put me into this hotel . Super hotel , great room and bathroom , wonderful staff . Good breakfast only comment not freshly made coffee . Only thing that i can say you have a lot of traffic on the road behind the hotel . In a good location .
Great price for airport transfers .

Background: My husband and I stayed here for the last leg of our honeymoon (we are a young couple), we stayed on the bottom floor in room 1.

Pros: hotel centrally located in Rome, staff gave us a free Champagne bottle and bottle of water upon check-in, the room was so dark it acted as a blackout curtain, and that's it.

Cons: Oh, where to begin? For starters the room is dingy-dark and located directly next to a street that has out of control honking wars at 2:00 am, crazy parties with people shouting and blasting music all through the night, and construction at 6:00 am. We barely slept. The bed was squeaky, uncomfortable, and felt dirty. The shower was moldy, had a shower head that sprayed out of control everywhere like a water hose, and it leaked everywhere onto the floor! We reported this to the staff 3 times, nothing was done, so we requested a discount, but they would only give us discounts for when we stayed there again (yeah, right!). Speaking of the staff, they were rude, condescending, and distrustful. One day, my husband and I accidentally locked our key in our room, so we told the staff and they were furious. Then the next morning, when the maid arrived with our breakfast, SHE LECTURED US ON HOW NOT TO LOCK OUR KEY IN THE ROOM AS IF WE WERE STUPID CHILDREN! We were beyond insulted. The cleaning staff also rearranged the items in our room (made me wonder if they were trying to steal from us, thankfully we did not leave any valuables in the room), threw away food and water bottles, and placed our personal items that were around the sink IN THE BIDET (including our toothbrushes)! Just terrible. Lastly, the "free" breakfast is a joke. They roll it into your room (and they will scold you if your luggage is in their way, which how are you supposed to know they roll breakfast in on a cart!) and it looks like there is a lot, but really EVERYTHING is stale or expired. I couldn't eat it and ended up buying prepackaged croissants to eat instead.

Bottom Line: DO NOT STAY HERE! We stayed at cheaper bed and breakfasts in Rome and had better service. This place is a rip off and waste of money. If I could give it 0 stars I would. AVOID!