Hassler Roma

Position is destiny in Rome, and the Hassler holds the finest of all: the top of the Spanish Steps, beside the church of Trinità dei Monti, with the city's domes spread out beneath its windows. The hotel has been in the hands of the Wirth family of Swiss hoteliers for generations, a continuity that shows in the personal, slightly formal warmth of the house—this is a hotel run as a family estate rather than a corporate flagship.

Interiors favour a rich, classical Roman style: marble, antiques, bold fabrics and no minimalism anywhere. Rooms facing the front look down the Steps toward the Baroque rooftops, while others face quiet gardens toward the Villa Medici. The suites, particularly on the upper floors, offer some of the most privileged private views in the capital, and guests trade a contemporary aesthetic for a sense of place few hotels can match.

Imàgo, the rooftop restaurant, pairs Michelin-starred contemporary Italian cooking with a panorama that takes in St Peter's dome at sunset—one of Rome's great dining-room views. The Salone Eva and Palm Court handle aperitivi and lighter meals. With the Condotti shopping streets at the foot of the Steps and the Borghese gardens behind, the Hassler makes central Rome feel briefly like a private address.