The unexpected

You could easily walk past the newly opened luxury Hotel ROMEO Roma in the Tridente district of Rome and not know it was there. For there are no bells and whistles to be seen, just the original classic Renaissance façade of the 16^th Century Palazzo Capponi around which the hotel is centred, blending seamlessly with the regular shopping streetscape of Via di Ripetta. 

Some 20 metres from elegant Piazza del Popolo, the largest square in Rome and originally the main entrance to the historic city, the hotel opened in December as part of the ultra-luxury ROMEO Collection of hotels.

A casually dressed track-suited doorman with baseball cap keeps a tight rein on who enters as it’s primarily a guests-only establishment, to ensure absolute privacy for guests. Entry is via sliding glass doors – beyond which you discover this is no ordinary hotel. Prepare for the unexpected.

Ahead through high archways, is the central foyer where the pièce de résistance is a ceiling-high waterfall that displays moving coloured graphics. 

Supporting the archways in the middle is one of the palazzo’s original marble pillars. To the right is a brilliant red grand piano; to the left, a magnificent scala nobile, the palazzo’s original marble staircase, that leads to the first floor. 

Elsewhere, are contemporary artworks, massive pots of greenery and quirky designer furniture. The Reception to one side, glimmers with copper-scale walls and canopied ceiling. Works by acclaimed Italian artists such as Mario Schifano, Mimmo Paladino, Christian Leperino and Francesco Clemente from the private ROMEO collection, adorn public spaces.

The renowned architectural design studio of celebrated Zaha Hadid worked on the project for 10 years alongside ROMEO Design and has boldly combined curvaceous contemporary elements with original 16^th Century frescos, marble pillars and wonderfully elegant staircases. It is one of the Iraqi-British architect’s final projects, as she died before seeing the project completed.

But her signature organic fluid lines combine beautifully with the historic and traditional to create a most pleasing avant-garde environment where past and present eras coexist happily alongside each other. 

Step outside into a rear courtyard, Il Cortile, designed as a contemporary urban piazza with casual outdoor furniture, inviting guests to leave the cares of the world behind and to relax and socialise in a refreshing al fresco space. Standing tall in the middle is a strapping magnolia tree from the 15^th century – enjoying its key position in this unique location surrounded by vertical green gardens. 

Dotted around are interesting art installations, a pair of canoe-shaped padded outdoor benches, sun umbrellas, manicured bonsai trees and a fun red wrought-iron park bench comprising a musical score on legs with guitar at the ready.

From here, The Zaha Hadid staircase made entirely of Krion, leads to a first-floor Terrazzino with tables and chairs, sun umbrellas – a 270-year-old olive tree transplanted from Puglia, surrounded by a back wall featuring a modern triptych signed Ugo Nespolo depicting nearby Piazza del Popolo.

At the rear of the garden is a discreet sunken area for bathers and sun-lovers with sun lounges, umbrellas and, intriguingly, a small swimming pool with a transparent bottom. 

Two years into the project while excavating earthworks here, workmen uncovered a spacious building dating from the 1^st Century of the Roman Empire. Once excavations were completed, the site was declared architectural heritage of ancient Rome, with further construction prohibited. Cleverly, the pool was given a glass floor strategically placed above the archaeological dig so guests can view the exposed dig as they swim. 

It seems Ripetta (the hotel is in Via di Ripetta) was an ancient commercial port along the River Tiber which explains old fishing ponds that were found on site, along with ancient coins, mosaics and a white marble head of Livia Drusilla, wife of the first Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. 

It, with other finds, are now on display in the hotel – rendering it an instant museum hotel.

The pool flows through to an adjacent cave-like indoor pool as part of a spacious spa facility by Sisley Paris. There are four subterranean treatment rooms, Turkish-style hammam, sauna, gravitational tub, a fitness centre with the latest Technogym equipment and spacious relaxation room featuring solid salt bricks from Sicily – said to be therapeutic as well as an air purifier.

The hotel boasts 74 rooms and suites over five floors. All different, some feature private saunas and steam rooms, personal gyms, whirlpool tubs and integrated fireplaces. Others have private terraces with panoramic views over the city’s rooftops. 

Only premium-quality materials are used: Carrara and black Marquino marble, Makassar – a rare ebony wood from Sulawesi, lava stone, lots of glass and Krion, a product that resembles natural stone. 

But the showstopper is the ‘noble floor’ – approached via three levels of impressive scala nobile, where rooms are adorned with original 16^th Century frescoes. These Fresco Suites have the lot. Bi-level, they boast a spacious lounge with hidden TV, bespoke fireplace, a balcony with views to Piazza del Popolo, an open bathroom, sauna, steam room and gym on the ground level, with a sweeping underlit Macassar staircase that leads to the upper bedroom where guests can appreciate the beautiful wall frescoes and ornate ceiling at close range.

Located on the sixth floor, the penthouse is an architectural masterpiece. 

Featuring elegant ebony wood interiors, it has two bedrooms with super king-size beds, two bathrooms each with shower cabin with steam room and sauna, free-standing bathtubs and twin handbasins, a separate living area, kitchen and a Kinesis machine – all crowned with an extensive private rooftop garden with splendid city views.

While the hotel has a restaurant with an all-day menu, the gastronomic heart is Il Ristorante Alain Ducasse Roma - the first restaurant in Rome for the world’s most Michelin-starred chef. It is the only facility on the premises that is open to the public, offering dinner from Tuesday to Saturday. The restaurant floors and walls of contrasting Macassar wood and white Carrara marble are a feature as are strip-lit canopy-like ceilings and gleaming walls lit by photographer’s umbrella lights. 

Diners have a choice between a small a la carte menu, or an eight-course Drusilla menu that might include mammola artichoke, gambero rosso, grilled sea bass, Mediterranean blue lobster and aged beef fillet, finishing with a grapefruit sorbet and a chocolate and coffee dessert from Alain Ducasse Manufacture in Paris.  

The wine list is the result of a meticulous and refined selection of more than 1600 wines – each selected to enhance the overall gastronomic experience: pairings with dishes are carefully crafted to create a perfect balance of flavours and aromas.

Guests can start the day with an a la carte breakfast crafted by the maestro chef himself. Offered daily, the menu suggests everything from fresh seasonal juice, homemade granola, pancakes and salmon gravlax to hearty Italian omelettes, eggs Benedict, scrambled eggs and a cookpot of eggs carbonara-style. 

But as night sets over the Eternal City, there is only one place to be – on the stunning sixth-floor La Terrazza open-air garden and bar facility overlooking Rome’s skyline. In collaboration with Krug, it offers an exclusive selection of champagnes making for the perfect aperitivo in such memorable, timeless surrounds. 

There would be few places in the world where art, architecture, design, wellness and Alain Ducasse’s haute cuisine come together so brilliantly.

The hotel is the third in the ROMEO Collection of luxury hotels. The Hotel ROMEO Napoli, the collection’s first hotel, opened in Naples last year, and a third, the Hotel ROMEO Massa Lubrense is scheduled to open later this year on the Sorrento Peninsula. It is a member of the prestigious Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.