Hotel insider: G-Rough, Rome, Italy

Checking in to the 10-suite designer hotel G-Rough.

The living room of the ‘Gino’ Pasquino suite. Courtesy Serena Eller
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The welcome

Besotted with the Philippe-Starck-designed PalazzinaG in Venice, I stopped in Rome just to stay at its newly opened sister, a narrow 17th-century palazzo of 10 suites that have been artfully reimagined as unique homages to mid-century modern Italian designers. The grey-shirted men at the G-Bar, a shiny, stylish boîte through an arched doorway that serves as the lobby, greet me happily, saying they’ve been waiting for me.

The neighbourhood

The hotel is on Piazza di Pasquino. The tiny square just off Piazza Navona, a short walk from the Pantheon, is surrounded by neighbourhood boutiques, pizzerias and gelaterias more authentic than the ones near the Spanish Steps, which are a long walk away.

The room

A work of art in itself, my vast Pasquino suite is named “Gino” after the designer Gino Sarfatti, whose Sputnik Chandelier is its centrepiece. There’s also a graphic-novel portrait of him at my door and on my felt key fob. The long entrance hall has a glass peekaboo panel revealing a gorgeous bathroom: floor-to-ceiling gold Seletti mirrored tiles framing a vintage claw-foot bathtub, with a crystal chandelier and an open shower that seemingly magically drains onto the green tiles beneath it. But first, you enter a large living room with an original fresco ceiling and mosaic-tiled floor; three loft-sized, shuttered windows opening onto the square with a view of the Sant’Agnese dome; a couch big enough for a majlis; an Ico Parisi round table and chairs; a kitchen hutch with a Lavazza espresso machine; a white guitar amp that serves as an iPod dock; and a circular “infinity” mirror with a tunnel light from the 1970s on the wall that provides endless entertainment. Behind a red velvet curtain is the bedroom, with a walk-in wardrobe, and the magnificent bathroom. The firm king bed with linen sheets is a little “rough luxe” for my taste, but I have a restful sleep thanks to a lack of technology – no digital alarm clock or multi-button panels, and the flat-screen TV is covered with a cloth embroidered with “fine” (“end” in Italian).

The scene

Aside from a few European hipsters huddled in the G-Bar, it feels like I have the place to myself.

The service

Casual and friendly; when I ask for directions, the man at the bar walks me outside into the square to show me the way.

The food

A continental breakfast is delivered in a delightful picnic basket, with pastries tucked into linen bags, artisanal yogurt and jams, a cappuccino with a heart carved into the foam and fresh orange juice.

Loved

The feel of living in my own designer apartment in Rome; it gave me grand visions.

Hated

Despite the most luxurious bath of my existence, I can’t get over the unease of the open window that looked onto the stairwell atrium. I mean, I know, when in Rome, but if a peeping Tom was determined enough…

The verdict

Forgo mundane five-star pampering for a truly unique experience in one of these “unconventional luxury suites”.

The bottom line

A Pasquino suite at the G-Rough (www.g-rough.com/hotel-rome; 0039 06 6880 1085) costs from €630 (Dh2,600) per night, including taxes, Wi-Fi and breakfast.

mgannon@thenational.ae

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