Italian Charm: A Review of the New InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace
11 min readFrom the location to the modern amenities without sacrificing classic Italian charm, you might not find a better spot to stay in the Eternal City than the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace.
Located on Via Veneto – the iconic street from the famous film “La Dolce Vita” and around the corner from the American Embassy – it was originally built to host ambassadors staying in Rome … hence the name, which translates to “ambassador’s palace.” For decades afterward, it served as the American Embassy Library.
After an extensive renovation, IHG officially opened the doors in May 2023 to the brand-new InterContinental Rome: a luxury hotel – and a beautiful one, at that. From the lobby to the onsite restaurants and bars to the rooms themselves, the whole property is modern and tastefully decorated, still retaining an undeniable air of history and old-school glamour.
Read on for our full review of the InterContinental Rome and why you should consider it for your next trip to Rome.
Booking the InterContinental Rome
Cash rates regularly clock in at $750 or more at this hotel. You can do much better by redeeming IHG points instead.
IHG uses dynamic award prices, so you might see different award rates from month to month or even day to day. In Rome, the InterContinental typically tops out at 120,000 points per night – especially during the busy summer months. And in some cases, you won’t see Reward Nights bookable with points at all.
But in many cases, you’ll see award rates even lower: More like 80,000 to 90,000 points per night, and sometimes even fewer, as you get into the fall or winter.
It gets even better if you’ve got the *ihg rewards club premier* or the *ihg one rewards traveler* in your wallet. Either card will get you a fourth night free on award bookings just for holding it, meaning you can book a four-night stay for the price of three!
To book, head to IHG.com and search for the property – be sure to select “Reward Nights” under “Rate Preference” at the start. Enter your dates, then click the “view available dates” button to pull up the award calendar and see nights bookable with points.
Sure, 90,000 to 120,000 points is a lot to spend for a single night. But that’s as good as it gets for booking award stays at top-dollar IHG properties these days. And considering how expensive hotels are in Rome (or anywhere in Europe, for that matter – especially in the summer), it’s a fantastic use of those points if you’ve got them.
Unfortunately, this property is far too pricey to book using an IHG free night certificate. But you could still put one to use: IHG lets you kick in some of your own points to cover the difference – and an unlimited amount of points, to boot. So if the night costs 90,000 points, you could use your 40,000-point certificate and 50,000 extra IHG points to book it. This option is only available to cardholders with the *ihg rewards club premier*.
Either way, this is a great way to use up some IHG points at a brand-new property in Rome that would otherwise cost a small fortune.
Earning IHG points is easiest with the hotel chain’s co-branded Chase cards like the *ihg rewards club premier* – especially with the current 140,000-point bonus after spending $3,000 in the first three months. If you need some extra hotel points in a pinch, IHG is a Chase transfer partner and a Bilt Rewards transfer partner, too.
Read more: When Does it Make Sense to Transfer Points to a Hotel Chain?
IHG also allows you to book stays using a combination of points and cash. We took that route, booking a standard room for 69,000 IHG points and $165 per night.
At Thrifty Traveler, we don’t accept freebies. We use our own points, miles, or cash to pay for every single flight or hotel you see reviewed here – including this one!
InterContinental Rome Location
You can’t beat the location of the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace. The hotel is located right in the center of the action in Rome, blocks from the Villa Borghese gardens and Spanish Steps and just a short walk from the iconic Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon.
It’s not far from the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, either. On the day I visited, it took me about 30 minutes to walk to the Colosseum – a metro ride back took about the same amount of time. Should you want to take the metro, the Barberini metro stop is about five minutes from the hotel.
It was a buzzy area, with no shortage of restaurants, trattorias, osterias, and gelato cafes to whet your appetite.
InterContinental Rome Lobby & Checking In
From the outside, the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace has an impressive facade. But the moment you step through its double entry doors, you’ll see how it got its name.
The lobby feels palatial with white marble floors, columns, and gold accents. The check-in area is located down a short hallway immediately to the right.
There were two black marble desks where you could check in. As I checked in around 8 a.m. after taking the overnight flight in ITA Airways business class, my room wasn’t ready yet. But the hotel offered to store my luggage while I went sightseeing for the morning. Check-in was smooth and the hotel staff was more than helpful, providing me with a map of the area and pointing out how to get to nearby sights.
To the left across from the check-in area is the main hotel restaurant, Scarpetta NYC, which serves breakfast in the morning – including a breakfast buffet.
Continuing into the lobby you’ll see a marble, red-carpeted staircase flanked by columns leading up to the first floor of rooms.
To the right is a small waiting area with red velvet chairs and a red marble concierge desk.
Two gold elevators were tucked away to the side ready to whisk you up to your room.
Straight ahead is a lounge and bar called Anita’s: a moody, elegant space where you can kick back on one of the plush sofas or chairs or snag a seat at the bar and order a drink or snacks.
After returning from a morning of sightseeing, this was a nice spot to post up for an hour to get some work done while I waited for my room to be ready.
A staff member sought me out in the bar to let me know my room was ready and hand me my key cards. He let me know that my bags – which had been dutifully stored while I went out into the city – had already been brought up to my room, too.
Rooms at the InterContinental Rome
Stepping off the elevator, the hallway was dark and moody, with navy blue paneled walls, sconces, and faux marble carpeting.
By contrast, the standard room at the InterContinental Rome felt extra bright and airy. My standard room – which the hotel calls a “Classic Room” – was a balcony room on the fifth floor of the hotel, just one floor beneath the hotel bar.
Square footage-wise, the room is certainly on the small side. I was traveling alone, but with two people and luggage, it may have been a tight squeeze. Nearly floor-to-ceiling windows and all the white features made it feel larger than it was.
The standard room featured a massive king-sized bed, which was plenty comfortable but took up much of the room’s square footage.
Each side of the bed had a nightstand, each with its own set of outlets to charge your devices. All the outlets were European, though, so you’ll need an adapter.
At the foot of the bed, there was some additional seating in the form of a blue velvet chaise.
Each room had a large TV, desk, and comfortable desk chair, which provided a great space to work during my time at the InterContinental Rome.
There were plenty of European outlets throughout the room. But I was pleasantly surprised to find one of the desk drawers also contained an adapter for international travelers.
Overall, the room felt quite elegant with its blue and white color palette with gold accents, soft lighting, wood tones, and marble surfaces. The windows let in plenty of light during the day, and plenty of lighting options at night whether you want ambient lighting or need a brighter space for working, like I did, or getting ready.
The room had a spacious closet for storing luggage or hanging up clothes as well as a safe with enough space to store a laptop and other valuables.
There was a mini bar area with a small espresso machine to make your own coffee, plus two complimentary bottles of water.
Illy coffee pods, cups, and other items were neatly stored in a drawer beneath the espresso machine.
Below the counter was a well-stocked mini fridge with drinks and other items for purchase.
While I wasn’t upgraded, I was assigned to a balcony room. None of the balcony rooms faced the main street, Via Veneto, so mine faced the building next door.
But I was on the fifth floor, nearly as high as you can go, so I had an excellent view of the rooftops of Rome.
The balcony was long and narrow, with a small bistro set where you could sit and enjoy the sounds of the city. I enjoyed sipping an espresso out here both days.
As for the bathroom, it was small but felt luxurious with all-white marble, bright lights, and gold fixtures.
The bathroom had two plush white bathrobes and a small porcelain box with essential toiletries like Q-tips and cotton pads.
It was stocked with the good stuff: products from the European luxury brand Byredo.
While the bathroom was a tight squeeze, the walk-in shower was surprisingly spacious.
It had a rainfall showerhead as well as a handheld showerhead.
A nook in the shower wall held more toiletries from Byredo, with plenty of space to store your own items, too.
The toilets were in a separate nook from the rest of the bathroom, although there was no door for additional privacy.
For me, the biggest drawback of this room was the lack of a full-length mirror anywhere in the room. And as there was no real mirror outside the bathroom, it could make getting ready in this small room with two people even more of a challenge.
InterContinental Rome Gym & Spa
The gym and spa at the InterContinental Rome are located on the second (mezzanine floor), which you can reach by elevator or simply taking the marble staircase off the lobby.
You’ll find it by following the glowing lights at the end of yet another dark, moody hallway.
The spa is to the right of the front desk. You can book treatments that run the gamut from massages to facials to wax appointments.
The gym is to the left. There’s no locker room, but there is a small area with towels, a water cooler, lockers, and a vanity mirror.
The gym was surprisingly large, with brand-new treadmills, an elliptical, and a spin bike all with large media displays and plenty of weightlifting equipment.
InterContinental Rome Restaurants & Bars
For dining, the InterContinental Rome has one full-service in-house restaurant and two bars.
Scarpetta NYC
The main restaurant is Scarpetta NYC, the Rome outpost of New York City’s famed Italian restaurant. Yes, really: They put a New York-based Italian restaurant in a hotel in the middle of Italy’s capital.
The main dining room is just off the lobby, with a gorgeous bar as a focal point at the end of the room. Scarpetta NYC is open daily for lunch from 12:30 to 3 p.m. and for dinner from 6 to 10:45 p.m.
There’s a second dining room, too, and a slim, outdoor patio alongside the hotel with a few tables for guests.
The restaurant is described as a place where “Italian and New York City food and wine traditions mingle” and the menu features both classic Italian dishes and dishes you’d find at an American steakhouse. Check out the full menu.
In the mornings, though, the restaurant space is used to serve breakfast. Hotel guests can choose between the breakfast buffet for 30 euros or made-to-order items from an a la carte menu.
The breakfast buffet had a wide selection of pastries and fruit, a salad bar, and a classic European breakfast spread of meats, cheeses, bread, oatmeal, and yogurt.
There was also a hot food bar with eggs, bacon, sausage, and other small bites like fried rice and eggplant meatballs.
Drinks ranged from coffee, tea, and fresh-squeezed juice to tiny smoothies.
There’s no shortage of places to eat in Rome, especially in the neighborhood around the InterContinental Rome … so I didn’t eat at Scarpetta NYC during my stay at the hotel. However, I did enjoy the breakfast buffet on one of my mornings here and felt it was a solid value.
Charlie’s Rooftop Bar
The InterContinental Rome is also home to Charlie’s, a rooftop bar located on the sixth floor of the hotel that offers panoramic views of the city.
Charlie’s serves cocktails and other drinks as well as light bites. It would be a great place to stop for an apertif, an after-dinner nightcap, or just a drink after a long day of sightseeing in Rome. Here’s Charlie’s full menu.
Charlie’s was closed for a private event during my stay, so I unfortunately couldn’t check it out for myself. But considering it was located just one floor above my room and its already lovely view of Rome, it’s safe to say the view from the rooftop bar is stunning.
Charlie’s is open daily from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. with a live DJ set every night beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Anita’s Lounge & Bar
The first space you see when you walk into the InterContinental Rome Ambasciatori Palace is Anita’s Lounge & Bar.
It’s located directly across from the entrance to the hotel and is the perfect place to relax and get a drink or a bite to eat.
In contrast to the bright and all-white lobby, the lounge is a moody, elegant space with plenty of intimate seating areas for unwinding and a large horseshoe-shaped bar where you can order a drink or snacks.
The bar boasts an extensive list of cocktails, wine, and Italian beers. The food menu is fairly limited, but you can order light bites like burrata, salad, or sandwiches to tide you over until your next meal. Here’s the full menu for Anita’s.
Anita’s is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Bottom Line
With a location in the heart of Rome, rooms that lack for nothing (except for maybe a bit more space and a full-length mirror), and a modern yet classic feel, this brand-new property checks all the boxes of a luxury hotel in Rome.
If you’ve got plans to visit Rome and some IHG points to burn, the InterContinental Rome is a no-brainer.
