The Grand Hotel Via Veneto is located on the northern fringes of Rome's city center, a location where hotels are able to take up a bit more space. Grand Hotel Via Veneto isn't the largest in the area -- the nearby Westin Excelsior has around three times as many rooms -- but it packs in far more features than many more central luxury hotels, and its rooms are hardly the teensy closet-size European standard some may expect (they start at a spacious 280 square feet). 

Sleek black stone columns and towering floral arrangements dominate the red-carpeted entryway at Grand Hotel Via Veneto. Opened in 2009, the hotel has a classic style with modern touches like a glass ceiling covered with cascading water over the ground-floor cafe. The seated check-in area is surrounded by some of the hotel's most impressive pieces in its large art collection, which includes a Picasso sketch, as well as Miró and De Chirico prints. The luxe touches continue in Magnolia, the hotel's gourmet restaurant, which was awarded its first Michelin star in 2016. 

The refined setting will likely appeal to guests who crave contemporary comforts but appreciate classic design. Though more guests are couples, families are also drawn to the hotel for its spacious suites (with interconnecting options available), and proximity to the lovely Villa Borghese gardens (and its zoo).

Situated at the top of curving Via Veneto, the highbrow street made famous by Federico Fellini’s 1960 film "La Dolce Vita,"Grand Hotel Via Veneto is relative newcomer in the posh neighborhood. Whereas nearby luxury properties have more history, the Grand Hotel Via Veneto opened in 2009, when two adjoining apartment buildings were remodeled into luxury rooms. About 15 minutes on foot to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain, the hotel is also well located for boutique hopping and high-end shopping. The hotel is convenient to public transportation for trips to other sights, with a metro stop (Barberini on Line A) less than a 10-minute walk away. 

• Three-minute walk to Villa Borghese park
• 11-minute walk to Palazzo Barberini
• 14-minute walk to the Spanish Steps
• 16-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain
• 21-minute walk to the Pantheon 
• Eight-minute drive to Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
• 11-minute drive to Termini station
• 12-minute drive to the Colosseum
• 15-minute drive to St. Peter’s Basilica
• 35-minute drive to Rome Ciampino International Airport
• 40-minute drive to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport

The 116 rooms and suites have a chic Art Deco look, with warm cherry wood furniture and subdued but elegant wallpaper. The standard rooms are large (starting at 26 square meters, or 280 square feet), with enough space to include a desk as well as seating area with two chairs. All rooms have comfortable pillow-top beds, flat-screen TVs, kettles for tea and coffee, fresh bottled water (provided daily), minibars, and safes, as well as robes and slippers.  The white marble bathrooms are expansive, and all have large shower/tub combos with rainfall showerheads, or a stone-rimmed tub with a separate walk-in shower. In the shower/tub combos, a glass partition covering half of the tub might allow water to leak out, and some complain the tub is a bit high, making stepping in and out uncomfortable (or difficult for those with limited mobility). The toiletries from Bulgari are a nice Italian designer touch. 

The suites contain separate living areas, and can fit three to 10 guests depending on the category (most can fit three or four). For families, interconnecting Junior Suites and Open Suites Via Veneto can be requested. In the case of the Royal suite, there are two living rooms filled with leather chairs by Hermes, as well as three bathrooms, a dining area, a personal steam room, and a wraparound terrace with 360 degree views of Rome. 

Some guests have noted that certain standard rooms in the back of the hotel have views of a weathered interior courtyard filled with hanging laundry, but this was not the case in the rooms we saw. 

For casual dining, the stylish Time bar offers a breakfast buffet, panini and burgers later in the day, and creative cocktails. In the summer months, the bar moves from street level to an interior terrace on the eighth floor. 

Magnolia offers more upscale cuisine, but only for private events arranged well in advance.

The Aqva Vita spa is one of the hotel's standout features: The marble-lined spa is one of the largest in the city center and features a sizable saltwater hydrotherapy pool (but no other swimming or lounging pools are available on-site). Guests must pay to access facilities, including the pool. A wood-floored fitness center is also available in the spa area, with high-tech treadmills, bikes, elliptical and weight machines.