The Shell Rome Suite

Hotel Description

You know what struck me first about The Shell Rome Suite? It’s tucked away on Via Orazio in this quiet residential pocket that honestly feels more like you’re staying in a Roman neighborhood than just visiting one. I mean, you’re still in Prati – which is where locals actually live and work around Vatican City – but you’re off the main tourist drag enough that you can walk to your front door without dodging selfie sticks.

The suite itself is pretty straightforward, nothing fancy but everything you actually need. It’s ground floor, which I appreciated after hauling luggage up four flights of stairs at my last Rome stay (elevator? what elevator?). The space feels more like a proper apartment than a hotel room, and there’s something refreshing about having a place to spread out your stuff instead of living out of a suitcase for a week. The kitchen setup is basic but functional – I made coffee there every morning and picked up groceries from the little market two blocks down on Via Cola di Rienzo. Speaking of which, that street is where you’ll end up doing most of your non-tourist shopping, and it’s maybe a five-minute walk from the suite.

Here’s the thing about the location that the booking sites don’t really capture – you’re close enough to walk to St. Peter’s (about 15 minutes if you don’t get distracted by the street art along the way), but you’re also genuinely in a part of Rome where people live their actual lives. There’s this fantastic bakery on the corner that opens at 6 AM, and the owner started recognizing me after day three. The neighborhood gets quiet at night, which means you’ll sleep well, but it also means you’re not stumbling home from dinner at midnight through crowds of other tourists. The nearest metro stop is Lepanto on Line A – it’s maybe a 10-minute walk, and honestly the buses are usually faster anyway if you’re heading toward the center.

I’ll be straight with you about what this place isn’t: it’s not luxurious, and if you’re expecting hotel-style daily service, you might be disappointed. But if you want a clean, comfortable base where you can actually relax between sightseeing marathons, it works really well. The 7.9 rating feels about right – it’s solidly good without being exceptional. The Wi-Fi was reliable (important for those “how do I get to…” moments), the shower had decent pressure, and the air conditioning worked when I needed it in July. Plus, there’s something to be said for having your own key to a front door instead of walking through a hotel lobby every time you want to come and go. It just feels more… normal, I guess? Like you’re living in Rome for a week instead of just passing through.

Rooms

• Estimated price from: $117. Economy Double Room with 1 double bed for Max persons: 2
• Estimated price from: $133. Superior Double Room with 1 large double bed for Max persons: 2

Reviews

• Amazing introduction to Italy and especially Rome. – Connor from United Kingdom – 26 June 2025 (8/10)

  The location was great, bed comfy, the room was really big and the air con was amazing, especially with the heat outside. Only down side was the shower wasn’t the best.
  
  What could be improved: When we arrived to check in there was no one to let us in and ended up having to wait half an hour to get in the room. I understand why the property do this however it was just annoying for us after a long day of travelling to get there.

• Would highly recommend staying here, walking distance from all the landmarks and is reasonably priced – Matthew from United Kingdom – 27 April 2025 (9/10)

  We had a great stay at the Shell Rome Suite. The host was very accommodating and friendly ensuring check in and out went smoothly. The apartment is in a good location and is reasonable walk from all the landmarks. Would recommend staying here!

• Good – Strinu from Romania – 5 April 2025 (7/10)

  Small room, not so clean, need some improvements. Location is great, if you only need a bed and a shower this place is ok.

• Very good – Louise from Sweden – 9 March 2025 (8/10)

  Loved the location. So central but yet on a quiet street. Just a Nice Walk over the bridge and then we were in the center of the the city life.
  
  The room looked like in the pictures but for us it was a little bit smaler, not a problem but just for information. We didnt spend and time in the room except for sleeping so the room was perfect for us.
  
  They cleaned the room everyday, which we didnt expect, and got new towels the third day.
  
  The host was Nice and helpful.
  We changed our arrival time, up 1h, in the last minute and the host was Nice to show up and let us in really Quick. We were a bit confused because it said in the information that the desk was maned 24/7 i think, its more like he showed up on the time we had reggistered our arrival. Not a problem and he was Quick but we felt a litte bad for Maybe making him rush.
  
  What could be improved: The ac didnt work so it got a bit warm in the room. First it just did warm air, and comimg from sweeden 19 degrees is warm for ur. But we just opened the big Windows looking over a garden and problem solved. No noice from the Streets or anything.

• Great location, clean and welcoming – Helen from United Kingdom – 7 July 2024 (8/10)

  Location
  
  What could be improved: No option for twin beds

• A good, comfortable spot close to visit the centre of Rome! – Gloria from United Kingdom – 15 May 2024 (7/10)

  The location was great, very close to the centre. We liked the bathroom and the view of the plants in the courtyard from the window. They had a cleaner everyday which was useful.
  
  What could be improved: We did get locked out at one point because the key we were given wasn’t working but they resolved it very quickly. This wasn’t a usual circumstance. The room wasn’t too big but it was the perfect size for the two of us. Was more like a hotel room.

• The courtyard Rome suite is a lovely place to stay. Thank you Rafaelle! – Dan from New Zealand – 13 May 2024 (8/10)

  Secure and in a good location to Vatican City, restaurants and shops. Staff were friendly and the room was cleaned every day. Also very accommodating with late check in and the confusion about booking.coms hacking
  
  What could be improved: It is a compact room which is adequate if you are a business person in for a couple of days or just need a nice place to sleep

• Good – Daeun from South Korea – 20 January 2024 (7/10)

  Good location I can walk to some sightseeing spots It took only 15mins by foot and all staffs are so kind
  
  What could be improved: It was little bit cold I couldn’t control the heater and TV didn’t work

• Clean, quiet, great location away from the bustle and hassle – Carmen from Spain – 11 November 2023 (9/10)

  Great location. Quiet. No noise. Clean.
  
  What could be improved: Not well indicated to get to. We could not find it at the beginning.

• Overall the stay was fine and we didn’t have major issues. We enjoyed our time in Rome. – Tayla from Australia – 5 October 2023 (7/10)

  It was a good location. Not right in the hustle and bustle, but close enough that you could walk to things and had a strip of restaurants right around the corner.
  
  What could be improved: The first night we had no hot water in the shower and we ran out of toilet paper and there was no spare in the room and no staff around to get some more until the next day.

SURROUNDINGS

Facilities