Upon arriving in Rome, I was delighted to return to the magical Hotel Hassler Roma for the first time in 20 years, in part because the hotel enjoys an iconic location adjacent to Roman landmarks: the 16^th-century Trinita dei Monte Church, Villa Borghese and the Spanish Steps, where the Piazza Spagna welcomes the world and near chic fashion boutiques on Via dei Condotti. Owner, president and general manager Roberto E. Wirth, the fifth generation of a famous Swiss hotelier dynasty, made Hotel Hassler Roma an icon in the international 5-star hotel scene.

Sadly, the dashing hotelier passed suddenly on June 5, 2022. Shortly afterward, his twin children whose heritage is linked with the hotel were named to succeed him: Veruschka Wirth as CEO, and Roberto Wirth Jr. as executive chairman.

History dates to 1893 at The Hassler, where elite clientele included the Kennedys and Picasso. The hotel served as the U.S. Air Force’s Roman headquarters and as Audrey Hepburn’s home away from home while filming Roman Holiday in the 1950s. The 50s was an era when Roberto Wirth’s father launched the first rooftop hotel restaurant in the world with a panoramic view. Today, guests dining on 2021’s Best Young Chef Andrea Antonini’s cuisine at Imàgo still value that classic vista through the grand window walled, recently updated, sixth-floor venue, which retained its Michelin star since 2008. The view from the seventh-floor terrace bar is reserved exclusively for hotel guests who ogle the monument to Victor Emmanuel II while sipping cocktails.

The Palm Court, outside on ground level, has a huge, shell-shaped glass awning over the bar and a wall of greenery; Resident Chef Marcello Romano reigns at Hassler Bistrot and, for special events, The Hassler-owned Il Palazzetto is a private hotel, wine bar and event space. The Hassler’s Amorvero Spa provides beauty and body treatments near a unique workout space, Club 303, that opens to a large corner terrace, overlooking the Spanish Steps. The Rossano Ferretti HairSpa is on the mezzanine.

Roberto E. Wirth personally welcomed many celebrities, from Princess Diana to Justin Timberlake, and led the hotel during its 125^th anniversary celebration in 2018, during which renovations debuted. Each of the 87 rooms, including 21 suites, is individually decorated, combining aspects of classic and contemporary design with Murano chandeliers, Venetian lamps, French crystal, Limoges porcelains, tapestries, appliqués, mosaics, trompe l’oeil paintings and antique furnishings. The 1,600-square-foot Penthouse Villa Medici Suite was completed in 2020 and features seventh-floor views from grand windows and the terrace; the Presidential Suite is more formal, with a wood-paneled ceiling, velvets and a gracious outdoor terrace.

My bedroom had a tall, wooden headboard with traditional mantle-like lines, while the rose-hued, glass-ball pedestal lamps on the desk and side table were decidedly whimsical; the sleek dressing room — with an open wardrobe, safe and storage — led to a contemporary marble bathroom. The little balcony had a close-up view of a courtyard and one of the church’s bell towers.

Hotel Hassler

Piazza della Trinita dei Monti 6
00187, Roma RM, Italy
tel 9 06 699340