Hotel Hassler Roma

The last flight of the Spanish Steps ends at the door of the Hassler Roma, on Piazza Trinità dei Monti, beside the church whose twin towers close the view from Piazza di Spagna below. Albert Hassler, a Swiss hotelier, opened the first hotel of that name in 1893. The building that stands there now dates from 1947, when Oscar Wirth, another Swiss, rebuilt it after the war, and his family has owned and run the Hassler Roma, Rome, ever since.

History

The original Hassler was requisitioned during the Second World War and used by the Allied forces after the liberation of Rome. Oscar Wirth, whose family had hotel interests in Switzerland and Italy, reopened it in a new building in 1947. His son Roberto E. Wirth, born deaf in 1950, took over in the 1980s and ran the hotel for four decades until his death in 2022, becoming one of the best-known hoteliers in Italy and a public advocate for deaf people. His children, Veruschka Wirth and Roberto Wirth Jr, now lead it. The guest book carries Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier, Audrey Hepburn and much of post-war Hollywood, along with the royalty and heads of state that the position attracts.

Architecture and design

The 1947 building is restrained outside and opulent within: marble floors, Murano chandeliers, silk walls and frescoed ceilings in the public rooms. The Palm Court, an internal garden courtyard, serves as the hotel's living room in warm months, and the Hassler Bar keeps a 1940s manner. On the sixth floor, Imàgo, the restaurant, has glass walls on two sides and the whole city below, with St Peter's dome on the skyline.

Rooms and suites

The Hassler has 87 rooms and suites, decorated room by room in a classical Roman style with antiques, marble bathrooms and fabrics chosen by the family. The best face the piazza and the steps or look out towards St Peter's; the top-floor suites open onto terraces over the roofs of the city. The penthouse suite has its own terrace with views in every direction.

Dining

Imàgo, on the rooftop, holds a Michelin star and serves a contemporary Italian menu to a dining room that fills on the view alone. Salone Eva, on the ground floor, serves breakfast, lunch and afternoon tea in a panelled room; the Hassler Bar is the place for an evening drink. Across the steps, Il Palazzetto, a townhouse that belongs to the Hassler, has a wine bar and a terrace directly over the staircase.

Wellness

The Amorvero Spa, a small spa on the lower floor, has treatment rooms, a sauna and a fitness room. There is no pool, as the building's position allows none.

Weddings and events

The Hassler hosts weddings and receptions in its salons and on the Imàgo terrace, with the church of Trinità dei Monti next door for ceremonies. Meeting rooms on the ground and mezzanine floors serve conferences, boardroom meetings and private dinners. Capacities depend on the room and are confirmed by the hotel.

Location

Piazza Trinità dei Monti sits above Piazza di Spagna at the top of the Spanish Steps, with Via Condotti and the shopping streets directly below and Villa Borghese and the Pincio a few minutes' walk away. The Spagna metro station is at the foot of the steps; Fiumicino airport is about forty minutes by car and Termini station ten to fifteen. For a luxury hotel in Rome, the position is without rival, and the family ownership is what has kept it that way.