Why book?
Hotel Eden is a Roman institution: a big grand dame of a hotel near Via Veneto that draws the glamorous jet set with its twinkling chandeliers, cream linen furnishings, and smart staff anticipating your every move. If you’re looking for a classy stay in one of Rome’s chicest enclaves, this is your place.
Set the scene
Everything about Hotel Eden is elegant, starting with its location, wedged between the Villa Borghese gardens and Rome’s upscale Via Veneto. The lobby has marble floors reflecting the gold filigree on the ceiling and the freshly-picked flowers erupting out of vases in every corner. Depending on the time of day, guests are greeted with Champagne or coffee in the ground floor La Libreria bar, before being whisked to one of the hotel’s 98 rooms and suites.
What’s the backstory?
Since opening in 1889, Hotel Eden's been one of Rome’s most glamorous hotels, drawing a clientele of ultra-affluent Europeans. In 2013, The Dorchester Collection acquired the Eden and revamped it for the modern day, reducing the room count to 98, adding a spa and a rooftop restaurant, while keeping its Old World opulence and charm.
Nice. What’s the crowd like?
Pick a famous person. They’ve stayed here. We’re talking everybody from Liz Taylor and Richard Burton to Adrian Brody and Monica Bellucci. Their autographed photos are crammed frame-to-frame in the hotel stairwell, and there’s a fun game to be had in trying to find a celeb who’s not on that wall. Outside of Hollywood royalty—and actual royalty—we saw smartly dressed couples on romantic breaks, mothers and their teenage daughters, and a slightly distracted CEO vacationing with his family.
The good stuff: Tell us about your room.
Like the rest of the hotel, rooms have a classic feel, with high ceilings, enormous beds, and soft carpet. The furniture comes in cream and brown hues, and there are antique mirrors and a few paintings on the walls; it all feels fresh, yet appropriately storied. The prestige rooms on the fifth floor have balconies with views over Villa Borghese and St. Peter’s, while bathrooms are as decadent as you’d expect: all snow white marble with golden trim, a walk-in rain shower, and a big standalone bath. Junior suites have a separate work space and entertaining area, while the signature suites come with a butler, a private dining room and kitchenette, and views over Rome.
Food and drink
It’s impossible to go hungry in any of Hotel Eden’s three eateries. Sink into an armchair, cocktail in hand, at all-day dining spot and bar La Libreria, or book a table at Michelin-starred La Terrazza on the sixth floor, which serves a fine-dining Italian tasting menu inspired by Dalí and the Surrealist movement.
But it’s Il Giardino, also on the hotel rooftop, that truly stands out. With views straight to St. Peter’s, this is one of Rome’s most beautiful dining rooms. The service and food is just as elegant, but there’s an easy familiarity to it, too: waiters in white waistcoats greet you like old friends, keen to show off a menu of beautifully plated modern Italian classics (panko-crusted courgette flowers, lamb with artichokes and mint). For something lighter there are pizzas and pastas (creamy cacio e pepe, amatriciana with fresh tomatoes and the crispest guanciale), and the sommelier Federico is a dab hand at pairing Italian wines with your mains. Come sundown, a stylish crowd heads to the adjacent Giardino bar, where expert mixologists prepare the bar’s signature cocktails (I recommend the La Grande Bellezza, made with rose vermouth, mezcal, and mandarin bitters) served with appropriately stylish bar snacks of smoked almonds, potato chips, and olives.
The hotel recently launched Sunday Lunch, a monthly collaboration between Il Giardino head chef Salvatore Bianco and his pals, who happen to be some of the best chefs in Italy (including Franco Pepe from Pepe in Grani and Diego Rossi from Milan’s Trippa). It’s worth booking ahead, not just for the star power, but also for the fact that many restaurants in Rome are closed on Sundays, so things are likely to get busy.
The neighborhood
Set between Villa Borghese and Via Veneto, in one of the higher areas of Rome, this is a true taste of bourgeois Roman life. There are fur-clad Italian nonnas shopping in hole-in-the-wall jewelry boutiques, and office workers playing tennis on Villa Borghese’s clay courts. The hotel is a 10-minute walk to Rome’s shopping district around Via Condotti, while the major landmarks—the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Opera House—are about 20 minutes away. You can also book the hotel’s nifty new open-air car (complete with a built-in picnic basket) for harder-to-reach destinations in the city.
The service
Everything is flawless, but it’s the staff that truly stand out. Whether it’s tour bookings or suggestions for dinner, they really took the time to understand what we were looking for and what activities would elevate our trip.
Eco effort
Hotel Eden participates in a number of environmentally sustainable initiatives. They have a linen and towel reuse program to reduce water wastage, and the restaurant focuses on lowering food waste and buying locally. They also run a comprehensive recycling program in the hotel offices, and support charities Caritas Diocesana Roma, Avis, and Casa Africa.
Accessibility
The hotel has wheelchair-accessible rooms, with lowered entry door viewers and signage, elevated safe and wardrobe racks, folding wardrobe doors, and closed captioned televisions. Bathrooms, too, are spacious enough for wheelchair access, with roll-in shower areas with a bathroom seat, grab handles near the bathtub, and handheld showerheads. With the exception of La Libreria, all public areas are wheelchair-accessible, and service animals are welcome across the hotel.
Anything else to mention?
The hotel recently launched its second exhibition series, Echoes Through Time, which takes guests on an artistic journey through the hotel, from La Libreria and the Sala Borghese up to the sixth floor. Guests can also book onto the “Rebel and Rome” trail, which takes you on a private tour of Caravaggio’s (lesser-known) haunts in the Eternal City.
Is it worth it?
For an Old World abode that stays true to Rome’s dolce vita era, it doesn’t get much better than Hotel Eden.
Via Ludovisi, 49, Rome 00187
Italy
https://www.caritasroma.it/
+39 06-478121