A Vespa ride through Rome’s Ludovisi is a feast, sun doused domes, laughter spilling from piazzas, cruising through candlelit trattorias and then, somewhere between the Villa Borghese gardens and the Spanish Steps you come across one of the finest luxury boutique hotels in Rome, Hotel Eden by the Dorchester Collection. From its perch above the city’s rooftops, Eden is a front-row seat to Rome’s most cinematic views of the Vatican, Il Vittoriano and the golden sprawl of the Eternal City. Originally built in 1887 as a residential apartment building, it was transformed into a luxury hotel in 1889 by visionary hotelier Francesco Nistelweck. Since then it has welcomed Hollywood icons, world leaders and discerning travellers seeking la dolce vita.
The hotel was reopened by the Dorchester Collection in 2017 with a lighter, fresher and breezy take on la dolce vita. The 18-month-long restoration was a collaboration between Bruno Moinard and Claire Betaille of 4BI & Associates, and Patrick Jouin and Sanjit Manku of Jouin Manku. With a focus on Rome’s burnished daylight and spaciousness, the number of accommodations was reduced from 121 to 98, making each room and suite more spacious with high ceilings and expansive windows bathing interiors in the toasted warmth of the Roman sun. The Terrace suite spread over 926 sq ft boasts a private alfresco dining space with front-row views of Rome’s domes and bell towers. The Bellavista Penthouse Suite doused in a neutral palette puts the Eternal City’s skyline front and center with bespoke Murano glass lamps and hand-picked Carrara marble. From the Villa Medici Presidential Suite, once home to JFK Jr. to the Bellavista Penthouse Suite where Bulgari and Louis Vuitton famously crossed paths, each suite here comes accompagnato da storia.
