The usual conundrum with Rome is this: it’s cheaper to stay near the train station, but the hotels tend to be tired and the area’s seedy. But then UNA Hotels came along – and made us do a total 180. This meticulously run art deco-themed hotel is one of the loveliest four-star pads in Rome, and its location, seconds’ walk from the station, makes it eminently affordable. So cast aside your doubts, and get ready to walk out of the station and into the Gatbsy-themed past. With comfy, peaceful rooms and delightful staff, it’s a fantastic, affordable base for the Eternal City.
Why stay at UNA Hotels Decò Roma?
Just steps from the station – you can be off the tracks and at check-in in one minute flat – this is one of four properties in Rome for Italian chain UNA Hotels, which focuses on affordable boutique properties done genuinely well. They’ve really done their job here, combining two older hotels to make a huge 196-room property – but making each room a microcosm of retro charm, and adding friendly, personalised service so that the hotel feels much smaller. If you don’t have long in Rome, or are travelling with lots of luggage, it’s genuinely freeing to step out of the station and drop your bags at your hotel within minutes.
Five meeting rooms mean this is always a busy property, but not in a bad way; in fact, there’s always an authentic Italian buzz to the place, so you don’t feel you’re in a bubble of foreign tourists.
What are the rooms like at UNA Hotels Decò Roma?
Hotels near Termini tend to be tired – people stay here for ease, not style. This is an exception to the rule: 196 rooms, all beautifully kept. The art deco theme is everywhere, from the inlaid wooden doors and their leather handles to the faux snakeskin on the headboards, cupboards and drawers, the jaunty retro spots on the chairs, and the sultry, sandalwood-heavy signature fragrance that’s subtly diffused.
Whichever category you pick, that style remains the same – the size just increases. The views aren’t amazing – rooms either overlook the streets around Termini or the large internal courtyard (you can request a room overlooking this if silence is important to you – flight crews book these, and they’re still bright, even if they don’t have pretty views – but I’m a light sleeper and loved my streetside room). Irrespective of the category, some rooms have showers over bathtubs, others have standalone showers (except the suites, which have both). They all have smart TVs with solar-powered remotes.
Bathrooms have travertine-like tiles and the toiletries are UNA Hotels’ signature blend – that same sandalwood-heavy scent. For sustainability, instead of the usual array of extras you have to call down for things like slippers, tissues, showercaps and toothpaste – but they arrive fast.
Don’t upgrade to the top category – although executive rooms are bigger (a few even have Technogym bikes in them) and suites have huge bathrooms, I don’t think you can beat the ‘superior room terrace’ category – cosy rooms on the sixth floor with magical terraces. My sunlounger came with views of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s four papal basilicas.
Which are the best dishes at UNA Hotels Decò Roma?
Normally I’d avoid a hotel restaurant in Italy (unless it’s in a chichi five star) because what’s on offer outside is so much better. But here’s another exception. Il Grande Gatsby (The Great Gatsby – don’t forget the art deco theme) is a hotel restaurant catering for Italians – which means standard international fare like Caesar salad, plus real restaurant-level dishes like beef tartare, seafood carpaccios, fancy soups and intricate primi (like scallop and kefir risotto). I loved the special ‘tradizione romana’ menu of local classics: amatriciana pasta, lamb chops with chilli-laced chicory, and tiramisu. In keeping with the hotel’s focus on sustainability, you can order half-portions of most items on the menu, which helps your wallet as well as minimising food waste.
The restaurant is often closed for conference events, but even then you can eat on tables outside or in the lowlit bar, as I did, and still have restaurant-level service. Alternatively, the bar has a brilliant nightly happy hour from 6-9pm – for the price of a drink (€12) you get access to a buffet of dinky individual dishes prepared by the restaurant – from beef carpaccio to seafood salad, pinsa (Roman pizza) and focaccia sandwiches. There are also buy one, get one half-price offers on cocktails.
Meanwhile, if you’ve got a terrace room, for €10 they’ll bring you a spritz and snacks straight to your terrace. It’s the little touches like that that make this a brilliant hotel.
What is the service like at UNA Hotels Decò Roma?
There may be 196 rooms but staff manage to make it feel like it’s a small hotel with their friendliness and helpfulness (a special shout out to Laura on the front desk who was a ray of sunshine throughout my stay). The restaurant staff are also exceptional, helping you pick the right table even at breakfast, and noticing the moment you finish your coffee to offer you another. They’re also thoroughly on the ball about food allergies – which is definitely not a given in Italy.
What else is on offer at UNA Hotels Decò Roma?
If you’re driving to Rome (which I really don’t recommend) there’s a private garage, which is not to be sniffed at. There’s an UNA partnership with Rome’s Rinascente department store – you can get free makeup consultations and a semi-personalised shopping experience (a private changing room and free gift), plus a 15 percent discount, and delivery of any purchases straight to your room.
In the near future (2026, maybe) they’re hoping to add a gym and turn the seventh-floor roof terrace into a bar. Watch this space.
What’s the area like around UNA Hotels Decò Roma?
First things first: like all train stations, the area around Termini can be seedy. The hotel is less than a minute’s walk away from the station – cross the street, dip down a short block, turn right and it’s there. There’s also a security guard outside 24-7. This area isn’t the romantic, dolce vita ideal of Rome, but it also doesn’t feel unsafe anymore (which is a positive change from when I was younger visiting Rome). I might get a taxi if I was coming back from a late dinner in town alone. I’d happily walk if I wasn’t alone. There’s also a visible police presence around the station.
So it’s not an atmospheric area, but my gosh is it handy: you arrive, walk 60 seconds, drop your bags and you’re free – to walk, bus or taxi into the centre. Over the last couple of years, Rome’s taxi network has been grinding to a halt – it’s normal to wait half an hour at the station to pick one up, and I missed a train earlier this year getting stuck in traffic – so staying here was revelatory. I went from bed to train in 10 minutes.
Just as this isn’t an atmospheric area, it’s not perfectly placed for sightseeing – though it is perfect for Santa Maria Maggiore, one of Rome’s four papal basilicas, where Pope Francis is buried (it also has a golden coffered ceiling and frescoes by Piero della Francesca). It’s an easy five-minute walk from the hotel, and you can hear the bells chime every night at 9pm from your room. Meanwhile, across the road from Termini are the Baths of Diocletian (now a great museum) and Santa Maria degli Angeli, a church converted from the Roman baths by Michelangelo.
It’s about 25 minutes walk to the city centre, whether that’s the Colosseum or the Trevi Fountain. Or of course you’re 60 seconds from Termini, where you can get a bus, tram, metro or taxi into the centre (though beware pickpockets on public transport).
Why you should you book a stay at UNA Hotels Decò Roma
If you’re going to Rome for a romantic short break and can afford city-centre prices, it’ll be more atmospheric to stay right in the centre. But if you’re not? This is an absolute jewel of a hotel. It’s super-handy for transport, the rooms are stylish and the staff are brilliant. For value, it doesn’t get better than this – especially in summer, when those Italian corporate guests are down and prices are around half what you’d pay in September. Splash out on a terrace room and you’ll be in heaven.
DETAILS
Address: Via Giovanni Amendola, 57, 00185 Roma RM, Italy
Price per night: Starting from €159 per night
Closest transport: Termini train station is one minute’s walk away – from here you can get trains all over Italy (and to the airport), or buses, trams or the metro into the centre.