Le Meridien Visconti Rome: Our Honest Review After 3 Stays

I’m back today with a review of the Le Meridien Visconti Rome!  This isn’t the room with a view (or any view), but it’s a great option for your trip to Rome!

Update:  Added photos and information from our stay over Christmas and our stay in June 2021.

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We’ve now made three trips to Rome and stayed at the Le Meridien Visconti Rome.  On previous trips, we have stayed at Pantheon Iconic and Palazzo Naiadi.  The Le Meridien is newly renovated and the rates are really reasonable.  (It also worked out that we could return our rental car within walking distance.)  As far as location goes, the Pantheon Iconic wins because it’s located right in the middle of the major sites, while the Visconti and Palazzo Naiadi are equidistant from the major sites. The Naiadi has the benefit of being right next to a metro stop, whereas Le Meridien is a couple blocks from one.  Truthfully, the Metro is not the most convenient way to get around Rome, so I don’t feel that it matters that much.  The Meridien is a very cost-effective option within walking distance of the major attractions in Rome.

If you’re driving into Rome, the Meridien offers on-site parking and is easy to reach without navigating too much of Rome traffic.  The Pantheon Iconic offers off-site valet, but you have to navigate a bit of the city center and the ZTL to get there.  (You can read more about our stay at the Pantheon Iconic.)    

Le Meridien Rome Urban Suite

For our first trip to Rome, I booked an urban suite.  We did not receive any further upgrade.  (I am Marriott Titanium/Lifetime Platinum.)  I expected the room to be similar to the Aloft Munich where we’ve stayed twice for our Christmas market adventures.  Similar to the Aloft, the urban suite is a very good use of space. This room is very functional.  (I am noticing this trend in European hotels and I am here for it!)

The urban suite offers a sitting area (with pull out couch), a small bathroom, a walk-in closet, and a bedroom.  What I appreciate most about the room, however, is how light it is.  Every room, including the closet, had large windows. The room always felt very airy and bright, especially compared to the Palazzo Naiadi.  The windows opened up completely, which was nice when we wanted to cool off the room.  The noise wasn’t too bad, though we did tend to stay out pretty late.

My mom stayed in an Urban Suite in 2021 and her room was quite a bit more private than our urban suite was.  If you need a private sitting area, it’s worth checking out the options if the hotel isn’t too busy.  

Urban Suite Bathroom

The bathroom is pretty small, especially compared to the Naiadi bathrooms.  The shower has new rain showerhead, which is nice, except that you have to get all the way into the shower to turn it on.  Hello, cold water!  (I was disappointed that there was not a bathtub. With my hip pain, I needed more bathtubs on this trip.)  It offers full-size Malin-Goetz amenities, which grew on me as our stay went on.  (Peppermint shampoo, cilantro conditioner, and sage body wash – what the what?!)  I found the peppermint shampoo really refreshing in summer 2021!

Room 502 – Executive Room at Le Meridien Visconti Rome

When we traveled to Rome over Christmas (2019), we stayed in Room 502.  The Christmas rate was incredibly reasonable ($120).  I had a few suite night awards to burn, so I put in a request for an upgrade to any of the suites.  When those were not available, I added the executive room as an option.  This room is not worth using a Suite Night Award.  I’m not sure what qualifies this room as an “executive room.” There is no lounge and it is quite small.  It was not comfortable to work in, but I did appreciate how light and airy it could be.  

Given the lines of the building, the room is oddly shaped.  While it’s a great use of the space, it is small with very little useable space.  (Our wardrobe was on an angled wall, which took up the walkway into the room.  We ended up storing our luggage behind the door.  The bathroom is very small, too.  

PRO TIP:  If space is important to you, book a larger room.  There don’t seem to be many, if any, free upgrades for Marriott Bonvoy members at this hotel based on what I’ve read on FlyerTalk and experienced on our stays.

Room 706 – Terrace Suite at Le Meridien Rome

In June 2021, we took my mom to Rome for a couple of days.  With so many suite nights from 2020 and 2021, I decided to submit a request for a Suite Night Award, though I wasn’t expecting much.  I did learn my lesson from previous stays and only requested the terrace or premier suites, knowing that I could add other rooms later.  Fortunately, my SNA cleared at 5 nights prior to arrival, so I had a nice room to look forward to.  

This room is huge!  The layout reminded me a lot of the JW Marriott in Istanbul, though the decor was completely different.  Our sitting area had a full wet bar and a mini-fridge, a sleeper couch, a desk / workspace, and a couple of chairs.  The mirrors reflected the light beautifully, so it always felt very open and airy in our suite.  The design was minimalist and the accents were very similar to other rooms in the hotel.  

A pocket door could be used to separate the bedroom from the living room.  The terrace is very narrow but offers a table and chairs with a rooftop view.  

The suite bedroom featured a king-size bed, a large his and hers closet and drawers, and plenty of room for luggage storage.  There was also a desk in the bedroom.  If you’re coming to Rome to work, this suite makes it easy.     

Terrace Suite Bathroom

After so many small bathrooms, it was a delight to have such an amazing bathroom at the Le Meridien.  Our marble bathroom offered a walk-in shower, a separate soaking tub, and a large sink area.  The water pressure was wonderful and the bath amenities are the same.  

What I appreciated most was how it was designed with enough room for getting ready.  (There are some tiny bathrooms in this hotel.)  There was a stool that could be used at the vanity, as well as bathrobes and slippers. 

Service at Le Meridien Visconti Rome

On our first stay, we decided to drop off our luggage before returning our rental car.  The hotel felt incredibly frantic around 2:00pm, but we were able to pull into a space in front of the hotel to unload.  We had trouble finding a bellman to help us.  Our room wasn’t ready, but we were able to store our luggage while we returned the rental car.  Our platinum arrival gift (fruit and water) was delivered while we were out.

That said, we could not get our room serviced.  No matter what we did, housekeeping never seemed to get to our room.  Turndown service was non-existent though they did replace our waters one night, so it’s possible that it exists.  I know we didn’t opt into the green choice, so I don’t know why our room was never cleaned.

On our second stay, they didn’t seem to know that we had stayed previously.  They got my status wrong (Platinum vs. Titanium / Lifetime Platinum).  We took breakfast over points because of the Christmas holiday, but there was no arrival gift and no recognition of our status.  Overall, I was disappointed by the decline in service between April 2018 and December 2019.

Beyond the ambivalence of the front desk, the concierge was superbly helpful in getting us an early morning cab to the the airport.  It was certainly the quickest, smoothest cab ride we’ve ever had in Rome, and we had plenty of time to enjoy breakfast at the Priority Pass lounge at FCO.

When we returned in 2021, service had improved a bit.  I need to give credit where credit is due.  Specifically, Francesa went above and beyond to problem solve with my mom, help us find an antigen test before her departure to the US, and overall, ensured that we had everything we needed.   

Breakfast at Le Meridien Visconti Rome

I wouldn’t pay for breakfast at this hotel.  (It was 15 euro in 2021.)  If you don’t typical eat breakfast, opt for the points.  The breakfast is a standard continental buffet.  There are eggs, meats, cheeses, and some fruit.  The service is hit or miss.  There are some great waiters and some very surly waitresses.  I thought the breakfast buffet at Le Meridien Barcelona was a lot better than the one at Le Meridien Rome.

Final Thoughts on Le Meridien Visconti Rome

TL, DR:  This hotel is a superb value for Rome.  I find most Rome hotels to be very expensive, but Le Meridien Visconti Rome seems to stay very reasonable.  It’s modern and conveniently located, without being in the middle of the crowds of Rome.  The room design is solid and it’s comfortable.  

If you can figure out how to get your room serviced, it’s a solid 7 in my book.  You can’t go wrong with it, especially if the price is right.  (Don’t use your Marriott points here – save them for the St. Regis Florence or somewhere equally as beautiful.)  We did enjoy being on the other side of the Tiber, but I do want to try more hotels in Rome.  It’s a good base for exploring – check out this Rome itinerary to maximize your time and sightseeing.