Thompson Rome opens as Thompson Hotels’ first hotel in Italy

Hyatt has announced the opening of Thompson Rome, the first hotel in Italy for its Thompson Hotels brand. The hotel has 69 rooms and occupies a reimagined 1940s landmark on Via delle Botteghe Oscure, steps from Piazza Venezia. It brings a design- and art-led address to a part of the city where the Roman Forum, the Pantheon and the Colosseum are all within walking distance.

For a traveller planning Rome on foot, the location is the first point in the hotel’s favour. Piazza Venezia is one of the city’s great junctions, and from Via delle Botteghe Oscure the principal monuments of ancient Rome can all be reached on foot. That suits a visit built around early mornings at the Forum and unhurried afternoons between the Pantheon and the surrounding streets, with the hotel close enough to return to between outings.

The building is the story here. The renovation restored the original features of the 1940s structure, among them a sweeping marble staircase. During the works, the team rediscovered a sculptural wall and an inlaid floor by the Italian artist Gio Pomodoro, and both have been preserved as part of the finished hotel. Work by a significant twentieth-century Italian sculptor, kept in place and returned to view, gives Thompson Rome a sense of place that is particular to this address.

Art carries through the rest of the hotel. The collection includes works by artists associated with the Scuola Romana and the Scuola di Piazza del Popolo, two movements closely tied to the city’s twentieth-century art. Alongside them hang pieces by contemporary artists including Francesco Del Drago, Giangaetano Patanè and Guido Strazza. A rotating artist-in-residence programme is planned, so the hotel’s walls should change over time, which gives repeat guests a reason to look again.

The 69 guestrooms and suites include 19 suites, nearly one-third of the hotel, an unusually high proportion for a property of this size. The suite categories run from Junior Suites to suites with their own patios or terraces. At the top is the 104 sq m Thompson Suite, which opens onto an 80 sq m private terrace. In a city where outdoor space at a central address is scarce, a terrace of that size is the obvious choice for anyone planning a longer stay or travelling as a family.

The kitchen is led by Executive Chef Fabio Fioravanti, who previously worked with the Alain Ducasse group and at Le Louis XV in Monte-Carlo. At LYVE Restaurant he cooks contemporary Mediterranean food with a focus on seafood. With that background, the restaurant deserves a booking on the first evening of a stay, and it gives non-residents a reason to visit too.

Above it, LYVE Rooftop serves cocktails, Italian aperitivi and sharing plates with views across Rome, the natural place to end a day of sightseeing as the light goes. On the ground floor, the Lobby Lounge runs through the day with coffee, light fare, aperitivo and cocktails, which makes it a practical base for a morning espresso before setting out or a quiet meeting in the afternoon.

The hotel also plans a year-round programme of culinary workshops and guided tastings. A further experience, Empire of Light, is photography-led and takes place from the seventh floor, using the hotel’s height over the surrounding rooftops. Together they point to a hotel that intends to give guests things to do on site, in addition to a well-placed bed.

Thompson Rome is owned and operated by AG Group s.r.l. and Rossifin Group, and it sits within Hyatt’s portfolio, so World of Hyatt benefits apply on eligible stays. For members, that adds a new central Rome option to the programme. For everyone else, it is a 69-room hotel in a restored landmark with a serious restaurant and a rooftop bar, close to the city’s most visited sites. When booking, the suites, and the terraced categories in particular, are worth asking about first.

Source: Hyatt