Probably the most basic Hilton that I’ve ever stayed – Hilton Rome Airport

Despite the fact that I travelled on business class, it was no joke arriving at 650am in Rome after a 12-hour red eye flight. Feeling drained and exhausted, the first thing on my mind was to quickly check into my hotel room and rest. The ridiculously long customs queue took about 45 minutes to clear. Thank goodness, Hilton Rome Airport hotel is within walking distance from any of the terminals in Leonardo Da Vinci Airport in Rome, Italy. In less than 10 minutes, I was at Hilton. And after another 15 minutes, I was ready to jump on to my bed.

The executive rooms are all located on the top floor of the 5-story building. When I arrived at my room, there was a do-not-disturb sign on the door. My first thought was that the front desk has given me the wrong room. And when no one answered the room, I decided to open the door. Although the room is clean, there was an additional made-shift bed in the room. Apparently, housekeeping didn’t remove the third bed after the previous guests checked out. It took them another 15 minutes before they came and removed the bed.

 

Lobby in Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

My first impression of the room is basic and clean. But for €193, I was definitely looking for something more than that. Frankly, this is probably the most basic Hilton executive room that I’ve ever stayed. Since I’m just staying for one night, I decided to make do with it.

Executive room in Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

The good thing about Hilton Rome Airport hotel is that it runs a shuttle service to Rome City Centre every two hours. The bad thing is it can get very crowded and there is no guarantee that you will get your seat. Although my companion and I arrived at the pick-up point at Rome City Centre 15 minutes before departure time, it was already full. And we had to take the alternative route, which is to go to the Terminal Station and take the Leonardo Express train to the airport. The taxi ride from the pick-up point to the airport is about €8 and the one-way ticket to airport is €14 per person. The journey is about 30 minutes. It’s only when I’m back at the hotel that I found that the hotel is heavily utilised by major airlines to house their cabin crew. This could be one of the reasons for the high demand for shuttle bus.

Bathroom in Executive Room

When I got back to my room at about 10pm, the room was in the same state when I left the room at 130pm. I was surprised that this Hilton property does not provide turn-down service for its executive room.

Executive lounge at Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

The executive lounge is a joke. The decoration is so sparse that even my apartment looks much better than this canteen-like lounge. And the breakfast is so ridiculously simple that I thought I might as well downgrade myself to a regular room. The breakfast spread consists of six hot dishes, some bread and pastries, cheeses and fruits. It’s good enough to fill your stomach but cannot meet the basic expectations that one has for an executive lounge.

 

Gym at Hilton Rome Airport Hotel

While I did not use the gym and swimming pool, I went down to have a look at the facilities. The gym is pretty huge and the lap pool is decent for any avid swimmer to do his laps.

I have stayed at better Hiltons but this Hilton definitely takes the crown for being the most basic and no-frills Hilton among its sisters.

Hilton Rome Airport Hotel
Via Arturo Ferrarin 2 Fiumicino, Rome, 00054, Italy
Tel: +39 06 65258
www.hilton.com/rome

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