We really enjoyed our stay at the Ercoli hotel. We thought it was more of a 3 stars hotel. The room was very clean, the breakfast was very rich and satisfying, and the staff was very friendly. The hotel is situated in a nice neighborhood but is a bit far from the center. There are bus lines arriving close to the hotel, we walked a few times but it can be exhausting. There are nice restaurants in the area. It is a Great value for the money.
Flavio helped us a lot with directions, recommendations and everything we needed.

The staff at Hotel Ercoli was very nice and with one exception, they all spoke English very well. The breakfast served complimentary was delicious and very similar to the one in the hotel in Venice that we paid almost twice as much for. It had flaky croissant, strong Italian coffee, cured meats, cheeses, the freshest fruit I'd ever had, tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, rolls, boiled eggs ....
The rooms were clean, nice but small, however most European hotel rooms are smaller than the American version. Our street-side room was a bit noisy, but there was construction on the building across the street.
We walked to Termini in a few minutes or took cabs. Cab rides were quite affordable because the hotel is nearby most attractions. It only cost 11 Euro to get to the Vatican and 6 Euro to get to Piazza Navona.

I have stayed in several hotels, family owned B&Bs & other types of accommodation in Italy, etc. Hotel Ercoli can be loosely classified as a "hotel". As you walk into the main building, each floor consists of either a small 2 star hotel, pensione and residential apartments. To make your way to Ercoli, you go up the small old fashioned elevator to the floor where it's located.

When I entered the small reception area, I was welcomed by a friendly older man that didnt speak much English. Luckily my Italian gone me by. As soon as he showed me to my room, it was clear that the AC (which is advertised on their website) was not on. So, I kindly asked him to turn it on but he said they dont turn it on for another 1-2 hours (meanwhile, it was already close to 7PM and one of the hottest days this Sept). Later, I asked again to turn the AC on because the room didnt cool down after opening the window. The man turned it on but it was only blowing hot air. A few hours later, I advised him it still wasnt working so he flipped another switch but that didnt help either. Needless to say I didnt sleep that night!

The next morning I asked the girl working the front desk if they can fix the AC or change my room. She said there was nothing they could do about the AC and they were fully booked. So, luckily, I find another hotel down the road at almost the same rate and checked out of Ercoli.
It is interesting to see that many guests that have reviewed this hotel have had the same issue about the AC. So, if this is a consistent problem, then dont advertise the hotel has AC.

Overall, the "hotel" might be an average budget option depending on if you are are ok with fairly dark and modern rooms that lack character. This is a very basic hotel and the pics on the website make it look nicer and as if it's a hotel that is bigger than it really is. that being said, the rooms were clean and a decent size; just dont expect any frills...and possbily no AC.

We stayed at the hotel in September 2010, the staff are polite and Tomas is charming, he liked to practice his English. The breakfast is buffet style and offers a selection of rolls, croissants and other breads, cheese , meats , yoghurt, cereals and drinks etc, it is served in a very nice breakfast room. The room was small but adequate with a fitted wardrobe, desk, and a double bed and night tables views over the street which when we were there was no problem with noise etc. The downside is that the hotel is in a old building with a very old metal lift, but it was working all the time with no problems whilst we were staying.
We would go back to this hotel next time we are in Rome.