Art by the Spanish Steps Hotel

A Hotel born with art in the ascendant, not only because of its location or the fact of being housed in an ancient building that was once the college of one of Rome's most exclusive educational institutions, but because it was designed as a home of art. From the very outset and down to the smallest of details, it is this unifying characteristic that makes a stay in this Hotel a unique and precious experience and prepares you to plunge into the world's greatest storehouse of artistic treasures.

The key to an understanding of this elegant structure is light, the sweetly mellow Roman light that penetrates softly into the narrowest lanes and floods the large piazzas. Don't expect to see any signs. You have to know and want this Hotel if you are to find it.

It is the words of poets that guide the steps of guests to this Hotel, recently opened on Via Margutta in the true artistic heart of Rome and designed by the architects Raniero Botti and Gianfranco Mangiarotti. The worn cobblestones of this street once echoed the quick steps of Giulietta Masina as she accompanied Federico Fellini on his brief outings to bookshops in the centre of the city and it is a pathway of white pebbles that leads to the Hall of the Hotel Art.

Each of the four floors in the Hotel Art has its own distinguishing colour, orange, yellow and green, but nothing can prepare you for the surprise of finding yourself immersed in a tunnel where the colour becomes more intense before suddenly opening up on a series of white doors that make you feel a little like Alice following the White Rabbit. The wall facings of glass and resin in bright but transparent colours seem to expand the space and you might feel lost if you did not have the words of poets like Garcia Lorca and Octavio Paz to follow, stretching out like minimalist milky ways along the sides of the corridor to lead you to your Room: a world of your own, a refuge from the countless stimuli of the incredible city of Rome.

The hi-tech furnishings and bright colours stop on the threshold of each Room to make way for wedge parquet floors and walnut woodwork. The headboards are a hand-stitched patchwork of Florentine leather and there are two useful leather glass holders on either side as well as large wooden bedside tables. Each Room will soon have its own painting alluding to great masters of the past like Botticelli, Caravaggio, Monet and Picasso. The Mattresses are soft, but firm, the Sheets and Pillowslips are linen and there is a choice of Pillows filled with feathers or non-allergic materials. There is a well-stocked Min Bar (Veuve Cliquot, chocolate dragees, nuts and Sorgiva mineral water) and a Safe, particular care has been lavished on the personalized stationery. The facilities also include a cordless keyboard for web surfing and Satellite Television. Featuring glass, metal and mosaic tiles that pick up the colour of the corridor, the Bathrooms display different characteristics depending on the type of Room, with facilities ranging from a simple, but powerful Shower to a relaxing Jacuzzi, but always provide a warm and comfortable Bathrobe and a set of subtly scented Toiletries including Body Creams and Lotions, Bath foam, Shampoo and Balsam.

• Satellite & Pay TV
• Mini Bar 
• In-room Safe
• Radio Channels 
• Internet Access via TV
• Air conditioning self remote control
• Direct Dial Telephone
• Hairdryer
• Bathrobe
• Slippers
• Toilet courtesy line
• Towel Warmer
• Direct Dial Telephone in Bathroom

• Lifts
• Non-smoking Rooms
• Wheelchair Access
• Concierge
• Room Service
• Crystal Bar
• Inner open-air Courtyard
• Laundry Service
• Gym
• Sauna
• Steam bath
• Swedish Shower
• Pets: not permitted
• Valet Parking and Garage Facilities nearby

The Hotel Art consists of a small, but extremely efficient combined Bar and Restaurant providing a broad selection of teas and herbal infusions, buffet breakfast, a brunch that is not confined to Sundays and also features organic produce, cocktails, cold dishes and appetizers. Pride of place among the latter goes to a careful selection of Italian cheeses served with honey and candied fruit mustard, Umbrian preserves and delicacies in olive oil and ham from Langhirano. The only meat cooked here is a simple grilled fillet of Chianina beef or chicken breasts for those who love more delicate tastes.

The Crystal Bar has already inspired an after-dinner drink with vodka and Cointreau and a long drink featuring Bombay Gin. Both are laced with a few drops of Blue Curacao to recall the colour of the glass protecting the altar.