This hotel is decorated with lots of marble and lacquer. One can tell that back in maybe the 80s or 90s this was THE place. Still its a great location from which to explore Rome. The staff is extremely friendly and hardworking. The ladies that run the breakfast buffet in the morning are perfectionist, breakfast is always laid out on time and with great presentation. There is a variety to choose from for breakfast.
The hotel rooms are small but all the rooms in Italy or for that matter European hotels are small. The hotel is located one block from Piazza del Popolo, 8 minute walk to Trevi Fountain, 5 minute walk to the Spanish Steps, 15 minute walk to Victor Emmanuelle monument and a leisurely 25 minute stroll to the Colosseum. To head to the Vatican I would recommend crossing over Via del Corso over to Via di Ripetta, take that down to Ara Pacis (10minute walk), cross the bridge (Ponte Cavour), 10 minutes to Castel St. Angelo and 15 more minutes walk from Castel up to St. Peter's Basilica.
You could access all of the major sites on foot from this base. If you choose to take a cab, its about 8-10euro to the Vatican just as a guideline leaving from the hotel about 8am on a weekday. We had a corner room on the fourth floor which was bright, airy and clean.
There is piano bar downstairs where you can lounge after a day of walking and enjoy a glass of wine. During the weekends the bar does get busy.

We went for this hotel because of the reviews, big tip, stay away at all costs. There is a scammer on every Rome corner. This hotel is no different. You are greeted by a very unfriendly ironlady who doesnt really want to be there. After a mazy hike you find your room. The real issue we had with this hotel is the dishonest staff, including the night bar prices, US $15 for a beer, and US $25 for a very ordinary tasting champagne. Day prices vary considerably. Don't leave anything behind in this hotel, consider it gone!! We will never go back to this place.

My travel agent had suggested this hotel. It is one block from the Piazza del Popolo and in the center of everything. Metro and bus are nearby and you can walk everywhere. The rooms were beautiful. I had a corner room on the fifth floor. It was bright and airy with two balconies and a view of the Villa Borghese. The rooftop bar and restaurant were great and the lobby bar was wonderful. The staff was extremely helpful. This is a real keeper.

We found the hotel to very clean and friendly. As everyone has said the location is excellent and this is what you are paying for. We stayed on the 5th floor and had no problems with the sound from the piano bar. The room (standard double) was possibly the smallest room we have ever stayed in europe. Just a word of warning, even if the hotel call you a taxi to the airport and say it will be fixed EUR40 reconfirm this price with the taxi driver before you get in. Our driver took us on an' extended route' to the airport and charged by the meter even though we were told it would be a fixed EUR40 after a heated discussion we paid 50. Always double check prices in Rome, we found extras 'errors' added onto most of our bills in restaurants.