Six Senses Rome, a new luxury hotel in the heart of the Eternal City, has a hidden rooftop bar Notos with dreamy views over the rooftops. Photo / Supplied
Location: Piazza San Marcello, on Via del Corso, in the heart of Rome.
Style: A seamless blend of ancient and modern, with a focus on sustainability and regeneration.
Price: From €1300 ($2300) per night.
Perfect for: The ultimate high-end stay in Italy’s Eternal City.
First impressions: From the moment my taxi pulls up outside Six Senses, I am instantly transported to a world of effortless luxury but without ever feeling like I am out of place. The dress code – and the attitude – is “come as you are”, so you don’t need to stand on ceremony or put your best clothes on to check-in. Two porters whisk away my luggage from the taxi, then front-of-house hosts show me to a seat in the light- and plant-filled lobby lounge area for check-in.
The hotel’s grand entrance is one to marvel over – parts of the original building date back to the 15th century, with its heyday being in the 18th century as a palazzo for three noble families. It has also been a bank, and housed a cinema – now it’s the first urban hotel in the Six Senses portfolio. The facade and the central staircase have been restored to their former glory, and the whole building has been carefully and expertly restored.
The lobby seating, curved bar or all-day eatery Bivium are wonderful places to park up and watch the world go by – you’ll see discerning tourists arriving from all over the world, but also utterly stylish Italians dropping in for a working lunch, a drink, or simply to check out this new luxury address in Rome – the hotel opened only in March, so it’s getting a lot of curious locals popping in for a look.
Rooms: Spanish designer Patricia Uriquola is behind the look and feel of this hotel and she has excelled in creating an oasis of modern luxury, while never detracting from the building’s history and heritage. My Junior Suite was like a secret sanctuary – open the windows and peer down onto the ancient cobbled streets where restaurant hosts cajole tourists to their outdoor tables, while people wend their way to the Trevi Fountain just five minutes walk away. But close those windows, and it’s like retreating into a cocoon. Sound is blocked out thanks to the double-glazed windows, and blackout blinds can be activated at the touch of a button.
There’s a natural, tactile feel to all materials used in the room – marble tile floors, textured wooden panels and doors, and in keeping with the building’s history, traditional Cocciopesto plaster and Travertine Limestone are used in the walls. The former is a sustainable building material made of tiles broken up into very small pieces and mixed with mortar, then beaten down with a rammer, the latter was in high demand in ancient Rome because of the travertine mine’s proximity to the city. Both materials have been used in construction in the city since the Roman Empire.
The suite was divided into three spaces – the bedroom and bathroom at either end, with a living space in the middle. The bed was exceptionally comfortable with Italian cotton sheets, and an extensive pillow menu to choose from. Lighting was flattering and sexy, and in a sustainable move, turns off automatically when you leave the suite. Bathroom lighting is motion-detected. Curtains appear to be fine mesh linen but are actually made from recycled plastic.
There’s a Bluetooth audio speaker that looks like a vintage transistor radio and has the pleasing sound of vinyl record player. The minibar offers complimentary snacks, juices, water, coffee and tea, with alcoholic drinks available at a charge.
For even more luxury, book one of the sumptuous terrace suites for your own spacious balcony area to feel like you’re a Rome resident.
Bathroom: More tactile natural materials to obsess over here – ceramic soap and shampoo dispensers, wooden stool, marble tiles with underfloor heating, textured frosted glass. The rainforest shower is mounted very high in the ceiling so it feels like you’re caught in a refreshing downpour. Amenities like cotton buds and pads, razors and dental kits are all in cardboard packaging.
Food and drink: Executive chef Nadia Frisini is from Sicily and her influence can be felt at Bivium, the hotel’s piazza-style restaurant that is open all day. Different stations are like the corners of a piazza – there’s Aroma, for beverages, Sapori for crudite and sashimi, a Josper oven (very high temperatures to cook things quickly leaving food soft on the inside, crunchy on the outside), a wood-fired pizza oven, and a patisserie and gelato counter. Six Senses hotels have a focus on wellness as well as sustainability, so the menu has many healthy options without compromising on flavour. Local, sustainably-sourced ingredients are non-negotiables.
On the hotel’s fifth floor, you’ll find Notos, a magical rooftop bar providing a glimpse of the city you won’t get from ground level – domes and spires and terracotta tiles, as well as the kitchen permaculture garden, so you can see where the herbs and vegetables on your plate at Bivium come from.
Facilities: With its focus on wellness, it’s no surprise Six Senses made a high-end spa a priority when conceptualising its new Rome property. As well as treatment rooms for massages, facials and the like, there’s also a Hammam (Turkish bath) and a Roman Bath, a must-do for every visitor. At only €45, you get an hour to relax and move between the different facilities – three bathing pools, two steam rooms and one sauna – all at different temperatures and humidity levels. There’s also a tropical rainforest shower that not only mists you with a refreshing downpour, it also releases a delicious citrus fragrance – it instantly transported me to memories of being caught in the rain in humid South Pacific downpours.
Elsewhere in the hotel, there’s also a 24-hour gym, bookable fitness classes, workshops, and regular activities throughout the day – wine and olive oil tasting, the art of aperitivo, yoga sessions, and – as I am about to depart for the airport – oysters and bubbles in the lobby. It is hard to get in the car to leave.
In the neighbourhood: Rome’s biggest highlights are just steps away from the hotel – the Trevi Fountain is a five-minute walk, meaning you can nip out early in the morning or late at night to try and avoid the hordes (good luck though – I go at 7am and there is still a decent crowd trying to get the perfect shot). The Pantheon and Piazza Navona are close by, too, as are the luxury shopping streets of Via Condotti, Frattina and Borgognona. Rome is a fabulously walkable city – head out the door, duck down a laneway, and enjoy an afternoon of getting lost.
Family friendly: Children aren’t often made to feel at home at luxury hotels, but that’s not the case here. There are many families staying on my visit, and all seem comfortable and relaxed. There’s a kids menu at Bivium, gelato available at all hours, boardgames can be sent to your room. Dogs are welcome too.
Accessibility: The hotel has a range of accessible rooms available, which include bathrooms with roll-in showers, as well as wheelchair-accessible public bathrooms, concierge desk, spa and restaurant, and step-free paths to the entrance.
Sustainability: The Six Senses brand is underpinned by a commitment to sustainability, and it’s the top reason why you should consider paying the high-end price tag. Environmental and social responsibility is a key focus for all Six Senses locations, with initiatives like banning all single-use plastics, energy efficiency, protection of habitats and communities, and 0.5 per cent of revenue going towards a dedicated sustainability fund. In the Rome hotel, it’s the restoration of the 16th-century church next door, which is open to Six Senses guests and the public alike. It’s a stunningly peaceful spot, whether you’re devout or atheist.
The hotel is supplied with 100 per cent green power. You can find out more about Six Senses sustainability projects at The Earth Lab on the ground floor, which hosts regular interactive workshops. Just outside the lab space, you’ll find a glass portion of the floor looking down to a baptismal font that dates back to the 4th century, just one of the historic architectural features that have been preserved - the hotel’s facade and grand staircase have also been beautifully restored to their original glory.
Elsewhere in the hotel, 55 per cent of the menu is plant-based, and up to 50kg of food waste is composted every day. It’s then used to fertilise the plants in the kitchen garden in a true circular ecosystem.
Contact: sixsenses.com/en/hotels/rome
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