8 Best Hotels in Ancient Rome, Rome

Monti's first true luxury boutique hotel is a tribute to the artists and craftsmen that populate the neighborhood, with a whimsical design full of nods to ancient Rome. Rooms and suites feature colorful prints on the headboards, curtains, and walls, as well as bespoke furniture, Nespresso machines, and hand-painted espresso cups. A breakfast buffet with high-quality products is set up in the ground-floor restaurant, which serves excellent Roman and Italian cuisine for lunch and dinner, while the rooftop bar is a charming spot for creative cocktails. The sunny yellow spa has a Jacuzzi and treatments using Susanne Kaufmann's holistic skincare line.

Just one block from bustling Via Nazionale and some of Rome's great shopping, this friendly hotel has clean, modern rooms. Guest rooms have big windows, desks, parquet floors, and baths with faux-marble tiles, and a generous buffet breakfast.

At this hotel near the Colosseum, each of the small guest rooms is named after a famous Italian painter (Tiziano, Cellini, Michelangelo) and features decor that evokes the work of its namesake. All are sumptuously frescoed and have French windows and marble-tiled bathrooms (some with Jacuzzis). The hotel is on the romantic Celian Hill, just a stroll from the Santi Quattro Coronati Church and the Villa Celimontana Park. Other perks include the rooftop terrace, where breakfast is served in warmer months, and a fitness center.

This hotel in a converted 18th-century convent has a truly unique setting on one side of the Fori Imperiali, with cinematic views of ancient Rome across the avenue so impressive that it has drawn celebrities and socialites. The lobby is considerably less exciting: decor is traditional in the extreme, with the requisite gold wall sconces, walnut paneling, red-velvet armchairs, and Asian carpets. Upstairs, guest rooms are low-key though pleasant; suites, which have velvety fabrics and some antiques, can be a little dated. Bathrooms have been restyled using marble and antique tiles.  The panorama from the rooftop restaurant will make you feel like you're standing on the set of a movie about ancient Rome.

This friendly home away from home in a quiet residential area close to the Colosseum has been run by the Khan family since 1971. Its carefully and courteously attentive staffers go the extra mile for their guests. Clean and comfortable guest rooms have basic antique furnishings and big windows—some even with a view of the Colosseum—and all have air-conditioning, TVs, and Wi-Fi. Higher priced rooms have terraces or balconies as well. In the high season, the on-site restaurant serves dinner as well as breakfast, and the bar is always open for a drink.

Step out of this charming, clean, well-run hotel, and you'll feel like you've landed in the middle of an ancient imperial stomping ground; a stone's throw from the Forum, it's surrounded by the breathtaking splendor of ancient ruins. Guest rooms are on the small side but are modern and offer good value for the location; they feature large comfy orthopedic beds with hounds-tooth-plaid headboards, parquet flooring, marble baths, air-conditioning, and soundproof windows. The Aurora Bistrot & Bar, located in the lounge of the hotel, serves brunch every day and aperitivo in the evenings.

It would be hard to find a modern hotel closer to the Roman Forum—the ancient ruins are practically right outside the door. Rooms feature sleek contemporary furniture and wallpaper stamped with villas from Rome's past. Don't miss drinks on the rooftop terrace, which provides bird's-eye views of Piazza Venezia, Trajan's Column, and the domes of the Santissima Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano Church.

If you dream of waking up to head-on views of the Colosseum, book into this boutique hotel, which is set in a 17th-century palazzo built over the ruins of the Ludus Magnus, the gymnasium used by Roman gladiators, and offers refined luxury. An adjacent building has modern suites and the must-visit cocktail bar, The Court. The upscale rooftop restaurant Aroma rounds out the offerings.