In addition to reviewing new hideaways, we make a point of paying incognito visits to current recommendations, in order to ensure that they are maintaining their standards. We prioritize hotels about which we have received complaints, and in the recent past, several Hideaway Report members have complained about The Inn at The Roman Forum. This 12-room hotel has a central location on a dead-end street near Trajan’s Market, and it incorporates an ancient cryptoporticus, a rather eerie tunnel with furnished side chambers that makes for an atmospheric place in which to enjoy some welcome Prosecco.

In many ways, The Inn at The Roman Forum remains appealing, but too many problems accumulated for us to continue to recommend it. Even before we arrived, there were issues. Rather than using a travel agent, the hotel kept insisting we make the reservation through its website. Once that was sorted out, we requested some restaurant reservations. When the front desk sent us an email reconfirming our arrangements, it incorrectly listed the number of people staying in our room, as well as the time of one of our dinners.

When we arrived, the narrow lobby was chaotic, unable to comfortably accommodate the three parties trying to check in at once. The lobby also lacked an adequate number of umbrellas. When it ran out both mornings of our stay, staff members offered to lend us their own personal umbrellas. It was a thoughtful gesture, but it should have been unnecessary.