The five-star Hassler Roma Hotel has hosted George Clooney, Leo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Daniel Craig, among others.
For over a century, the Hassler Roma, located at the top of the Spanish Steps in the famous Italian city, has been one of Europe’s legendary five-star independent luxury hotels, synonymous with the highest quality of service, attention to detail and discretion. Celebrating its 130th anniversary, the 87-room five-star palazzo is poised to become even more of an icon of fine hospitality.
The Hassler Roma, the titular anchor point of Rome’s city center, is owned by the sixth generation of the Swiss hotelier dynasty that opened it in 1893. Its location alone would be reason enough to enter the doors of the large lobby of the Salone Eva, where it is tea or cocktail bar time or just to watch the comings and goings of people.
Not to mention the Palm Court garden, the bookshelf-lined bistro and the Michelin-starred Imago restaurant on the sixth floor, which offers panoramic views of the 16th-century Trinità dei Monti church, Via Condotti, Via Veneto and the Villa Borghese gardens. The hotel is also just minutes from attractions such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Trevi Fountain.
You wonder if the staff, almost all of them, have taken a cartography course. Ask for a boutique, restaurant or church and you’ll be hand-drawn a map – a souvenir if that – that will take you there. When you return to the Hassler Roma, you’ll often be visited by staff to make sure you’ve found your destination and to offer further expert recommendations if needed.
Over the years, celebrities and diplomats have certainly found their way to the Hassler. From Prince Rainier of Monaco and Grace Kelly on their honeymoon to Frank Sinatra, JFK, President Eisenhower, Princess Diana, Bill Gates, Roger Moore, Martin Scorcese, Cate Blanchett, Kiera Knightley, George Clooney, Leo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Daniel Craig, they have all stayed there. Over the decades, films have showcased its visual splendor, most memorably Roman holidays with Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn. In recent years, a Tom Cruise-driven Mission: Impossible placed a chase scene on these immortalized steps. Since it is forbidden to sit or film there, the filmmakers recreated the Spanish Steps in a Hollywood backyard.
The design of the luxurious rooms and spacious suites follows that of the entire Palazzo and is decorated in rich ochre and red tones. Comfort meets opulence, in old-school style. Much of the upholstery is made of silk. All suites are decorated with European antiques and the walls are hung with masterpieces of art, both unknown and well-known. The hotel renovates ten rooms every year, keeping them up to date with social media and modern demands so that the heritage lives on and thrives. The suites all have separate living rooms with stunning views.
Swimming pools are rare in Rome and are considered downright tasteless. But the Amorvero Spa on the third floor offers a state-of-the-art gym as well as massages and facials. The Imago restaurant is not only a piece of Roman history and privilege, but also one of the best in the city. After a renovation in 2017, it has retained its understated elegance and now showcases its 1,500-label wine cellar, which houses one of the best in Europe. Chef Andrea Antonini is a true master and one of Italy’s best chefs.
After working in top European kitchens, he was asked to head the kitchen at Imago in 2017 and a year later the culinary gem received its Michelin star. In 2023 he won the Guida de L’Espresso’s Best Young Chef award. His menus are split between spring/summer and autumn/winter. Italian-influenced, seasonal ingredients, aesthetic presentations and, above all, taste are everything to him. He has said that he inscribes his new ingredients into a dish as if it were a script, culminating in dramatically prototypical dishes that are “beautiful, intriguing, playful”.
Start or finish with the cheese board, inspired by the Italian peninsula. Refreshing summer menu openers include wild strawberries with sorrel, peas and caviar, sea bass with citrus and pollen, lamb with cucumber and green sauce, porchetta-style beef fillet, and apricots and mustard flowers with watermelon, almonds and olive. Examples of main courses include honey butter gnocchi with meat ragu sauce, Milanese-style octopus, black-spotted bream and cacciatora-style lamb.
Room service offers its own menu of fine dining classics. The spinach and ricotta focaccia and the Parma ham pizzas are just the thing when you’re in bed just looking out the window. And the Hassler Bar, attached to the Salone Eva, is a cozy, hidden cocktail corner ideal for an aperitif or after-dinner drink. Surrounded by dark wood, red leather upholstery and gilded mirrors, it’s like stepping back in time to a glamorous 1940s set where you could imagine Humphrey Bogart or Audrey Hepburn walking in at any time.
Princess Diana once confessed to GM and owner Roberto Wirth that she enjoyed the world’s best Bellini here, although she couldn’t resist also trying Hassler’s specialty “Veruschka,” an invigorating blend of pomegranate juice and Italian sparkling wine. And last but not least, be sure to book a table on the epic rooftop terrace and watch the sunset over the Eternal City. This was actually Hepburn’s favorite spot while filming in Rome, and it’s easy to see why. Saluti!
