Why book
It’s always refreshing to find smart, affordable hotels in Rome like the new CitizenM. The rooms are pleasingly styled (clean lines, modern furniture) and while they’re not huge, the designers have made the most of the space, with King-sized beds fitted wall to wall, big HD TVs beside expansive windows, and rain showers in the bathrooms. The lobby’s got a colorful art collection, and the canteenM bar is open 24/7.
Set the scene
A blend of informality, cool design, and affordability, CitizenM’s first foray into the Italian market doesn’t disappoint. In a former journalists union building on the Tiber, just a few steps from buzzy Trastevere, it manages to feel more like a friend’s eclectic apartment than a hotel.
In place of a lobby there’s a big living room, with smatterings of objects, art, and books, and comfortable designer furniture placed “just so.” The walls are draped with brightly colored art murals and documentary-style photography from Italian artists Piero Percoco and Camillo Pasquarelli—making the whole experience decidedly more interesting than your average, medium-cost hotel.
The backstory
The original building designed and built in the late 1950s has had a hipster makeover, with big floor-to-ceiling windows, colorful mid-century furniture, and concrete floors. CitizenM has made its name with a commitment to art, which they show off in an ever-evolving wheel of collaborations with emerging and established artists. Here, Roman artist UNO, known for his street art murals, has taken over the ground floor with a striking artwork titled Guarda in Alto, 2023 “look high,” a tribute to the city of Rome.
The rooms
The 162 rooms are smartly furnished with all the essentials and a bit more—we’d call it minimalist-attractive. Rooms are cozy and compact, and the designers have made best use of the space; beds, for example, are enormous with comfortable mattresses and super soft linens. Floor space is sacrificed, but the widescreen TV and super-fast Wi-Fi more than make up for it. Bathrooms feature powerful rain showers and decent size bottles of shower gel and shampoo (pack your own moisturizer). Everything in the rooms, from the blinds to the lights to the air-conditioning temperature, can be controlled via in-room iPads or the citizenM App.
Food and drink
There’s no restaurant on-site but the canteenM bar is open 24 hours, seven days a week, and offers breakfast, snacks, and coffee—all of which can be enjoyed on the rooftop terrace.
The neighborhood
The immediate area around the hotel doesn’t offer much (though you’ll find a supermarket 100 yards away and a small coffee shop just across the river) but you’ve got the Vatican several blocks to the west, Colosseum and Forum to the east and the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain just north, and the Trastevere neighborhood is a nice walk away.
The service
The staff (Mia, Remi, and Daniela on our visit) are lovely. Kid sick in the middle of the night? They’ll change your bed sheets immediately, no questions asked. Wondering what to do on a quiet Sunday afternoon in Rome? They’ve got you covered.
Eco effort
CitizenM has a broad environmental ethos, with all the brand’s hotels either holding green building certificates or working towards achieving them. CitizenM Rome Isola Tiberina is citizenM’s first electrified hotel, meaning the hotel doesn’t use gas and purchases green electricity, meaning all stays are low-carbon. There’s no single-use plastic in the property, and they’re looking to reduce water usage too.
Lungotevere de’ Cenci, 5-8, Rome, 00186
Italy
https://www.citizenm.com/hotels/europe/rome/rome-isola-tiberina-hotel