Who's Going
Brad Pitt, Meg Ryan, Antonio Banderas, Cindy Crawford
Reason to Stay
City's Top Hotel, Designer Decor, Gourmet Eatery
Hotel Type
Luxury Hotel
The grand dame of the Rocco Forte chain, Hotel de Russie has been a jetset institution since reopening following a full refurbishment that brought the hotel into the chain's esteemed Rocco Forte brand. Halfway between the Spanish Steps and the Villa Borghese, a cobblestone thoroughfare succumbs to a tranquil hotel front drawn in iron-wrapped windows and glassy lobby well-guarded by ear-plugged security and line of ever-sexy valet. A popular stay for celebrities on their Italian press tours, the lobby is usually alit with various famous faces taking in a drink at the quaff bar or an afternoon coffee on the large terrace that's one of Rome's best during warmer springs and summer months. <br /><br />At times bordering on too formal, the in-house spa specializes in intense massages and cellulite reduction treatments that equally popular with neighborhood housewives as with in-house hotel guests, but with well-equipped gym and pool for everyone else. Longer stays should include a visit to in-house Le Jardin de Russie, a grown-up gourmand with highbrow Mediterranean cuisine created by chef Nazzareno Menghini, shorter stays are better served at one of the city's Michelin standouts.
The Room
A total of 122 bedrooms include 33 suite-level rooms that wrap-around the perimeter of the property varying between interior courtyard views and Roman street scenes separated by soundproof panels of glass. A sophisticated decorating aesthetic is free of the gold and gild at many Italian luxury hotels preferring a more Northern European fashion with alabaster-colored walls and high ceiling lined in thick but not over-the-top-drapery Modern furnishing are upholstered in rich velvets and mohair with period antiques and mid-century Italian pieces scattered around working desks and comfy seating areas that make you want to stay in the room and enjoy a bottle of wine. Suites feature a more trendy design with striped-slipcovers around an 8-person dining room but with dramatic terraces fit for a decadent love affair or at least the thought thereof. Bathrooms are marvelous, but compact, with emerald mosaic tiling and oversize porcelain vanity suspended from the wall.
Preferred Room
Junior Suite
Special Features
Celebrity Clientele, City Hotspot, Upscale Design
Amenities
Restaurant, Bar, City Views, Lounge, Spa, Pool
