Think of Americanized pretensions of English aristocratic luxury (the type of place where Tom Cruise or Madonna might want to stay), and you get an idea of the Hassler. But to be honest, it is really rather fabulous.
Telephone: + 39 (0)6 699 340
Price: from EUR 440
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This fifth-generation Swiss hotel, which was requisitioned by the US air force to serve as their HQ during World War II, crowns the top of the Spanish Steps. The style is bombastically luxuriant, with plush carpets, sweeping staircases and chandeliers, but it resists descending into über-baroque.
The rooms are all unique (with their individual touches coming courtesy of owner Robert Wirth’s wife), but nevertheless remain in keeping with the same sumptuous European elegance that is evident throughout. They are a bit chintzy and gilded, but think parquet as opposed to fusty carpet, and marble bathrooms are standard. The Palm Court Garden is a civilized take on the English country garden, while a few beau-monde characters inhabit the Salone Eva, puffing on cigars or necking a few post-theatre sherries.
The emphasis here is on service, and the Hassler makes grand claims that it tries to satisfy every capricious whim of its guests – so if you want cherry cola at 4am, you may just be in luck. The hotel also offers a Dan Brown-inspired Angels and Demons luxury package. As Miss Jean Brody would say, ‘for those who like that sort of thing, that is the sort of thing they like’.
