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I love Rome for the way it makes me feel like I’ve stepped back in time – but that doesn’t mean you want your stay to match. Sometimes, you want to come home to somewhere sleek, sultry and with a very nice cocktail bar. And that’s what you’ll get at art’otel Rome Via Veneto, the first Rome outpost of the art’otel brand, opened in March 2025.
What ties it to Rome so wholly, of course, is the art. If you know of the art’otel brand, you’ll know every hotel is designed with a local artist, to feel like a walk-through art gallery. At its Rome outpost, the artist is Pietro Ruffo, who has created a kind of intricate fantasy world, from the doors to the lifts to the cocktail bar; all multi-colours, astrological charts and floating globes. Be you an art buff or not, it’s well worth asking for a tour of the premises to hear some of the stories behind the artwork; like the layers of Rome hidden in the wall hangings in the downstairs bar, and the suite terraces designed to be different zodiac signs. Service is extremely friendly and knowledgeable – we were greeted with a glass of prosecco on arrival and a map of nearby sights.
What are the rooms like at art’otel Rome Via Veneto?
Perfectly slick, clean and swish, with black panelling, pops of colour and art embellishments, including Ruffo’s designs on cushions and shower doors. Even the most basic room option is a good size, and all look out onto pretty Roman streets and buildings, and all are very well-kept, decked out with Roberts Radios, Illy espresso machines, and a few bottles of bottled water for free.
The rainfall shower feels like showering in silk (especially after marching through Rome in the afternoon heat), and the Kevin Murphy toiletries are a delight. The bathroom experience was probably my highlight – showering and getting into the very nice robes on offer felt spa-worthy, and made it rather hard to get out of the (very comfortable, very enormous) king-sized bed and Egyptian cotton duvet once I’d settled in. Speaking of which, there weren’t any English channels on offer, but you have the option to Chromecast from your phone or purchase a film from a wide selection. There are pillow menus too, for the pillow menu people amongst us.
What is the food and drink like at art’otel Rome Via Veneto?
We all know the deal with hotel bars. They can tend to lack a bit of soul, or anything that makes them ‘cool’, overly reliant on elevator-style music and unnecessarily low sofa seating. But not this one. Found on the ground floor, the bar is beautifully decorated with just the right amount of light (dark, soft, warm), and outside, it opens into a lovely sunny terrace, where the tiled walls are painted with Ruffo’s constellation murals and draped in hanging plants.
I didn’t get to try dinner here, but art’otel’s restaurant Yezi is Japanese, serving up sashimi, dim sum, skewers and a few bigger main dishes like miso seabass and Wagyu. I did try a few starters and a fabulous cocktail, and can confidently bet the food here is widely very, very good. If you’re a purest, you might not stray this far away from cacio e pepe for your entire trip, but if you’re here for a while or you’ve got that post-pasta craving for something fresh, spicy and drenched in soy sauce, get stuck in.
The well-done restaurant might mean, however, that breakfast at art’otel is a bit of an afterthought. There’s a small buffet spread (your typical breads, mini pastries, cereals and cheese and ham slices), to allow for the à la carte menu of brunch classics – eggs benedict, omelettes and the likes – which were perfectly nice but nothing to write home about. If it’s included in your package, go for it, but for €33 per person as an add-on rate, you can probably skip it and get a slice of pizza rosso at a local bakery instead.
What are the facilities like at art’otel Rome Via Veneto?
There’s no extensive spa here, but there’s plenty of choice for spa days in Rome instead. What they do have here is a very nice dry sauna, open from 6.30am-11pm. In lieu of a cold shower or plunge pool to go along with it, I’d suggest strolling back to your room in a robe and treating yourself to a hot bath or shower and an espresso in front of the telly. For working out, however, the gym is well-equipped with bikes, running machines, strength trainers, dumbbells and benches for training or cooling down. It’s nicely air-conned and very fit for purpose – if guests are staying here a while, it will be a god send.
The really special part is the gallery downstairs (located only via a very chic bright-red staircase), which showcases local artists, rotating twice a year. Anyone can wonder in at any time of day to check out what’s on. They might even let you take your prosecco. I didn’t ask.
What’s the area like near art’otel Rome Via Veneto?
One of the biggest draws of this hotel is that it’s very, very well placed for a city break. You’re in one of Rome’s more upscale neighbourhoods, Sallustiano, which is quiet, clean and quite beautiful, with Villa Borghese on your doorstep. If you fancy it, make sure to book Galleria Borghese ahead of time – and either way, have a go on the very fun bike carts in the park (you’ll see them as soon as you walk in).
When you want to smash through the biggest Roman sights, you’re a 20-minute walk from the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, 30 minutes from the Colosseum. As we had luggage, we hopped on an easy bus from Roma Termini Station when we arrived and were there in 10 minutes, but we could’ve walked it in 15 too.
DETAILS
Address: Piazza Sallustio, 18, 00187 Rome RM, Italy
Price: Starting from around €210 per night, ranging up to €450+ for peak season and suites
Closest transport: Roma Termini Station is a 15-minute walk away