Our Anniversary to Italy: Part 25 – Rome Cavalieri Imperial Floor

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Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers. Emily Jablon:  Daraius and I went to Europe in September to celebrate our 2nd anniversary for ~2 weeks.  It was my first time in Italy so I was very excited!  In Italy, we visited Varenna on Lake Como, Milan, Venice, and Rome.

Since we were in Europe, we visited a friend in Strasbourg, France and also spent a night in Zurich.  We started our trip with a one day layover in Chicago to see friends!

Emily Outside the Imperial Club

Our Anniversary To Italy – Trip Report Index:

Rome Cavalieri Imperial Floor

Daraius:  On our last day at the hotel, we decided to upgrade to the Imperial Floor.  Rooms on the Imperial Floor get access to the Imperial Club lounge, which serves breakfast & light snacks throughout the day, and has fantastic views of Rome.  The folks on FlyerTalk rave about the Imperial Lounge!

I wouldn’t ordinarily have paid the ~200 euro (~$275) to upgrade to the Imperial Floor because I didn’t think it was worth it.  But I paid the ~200 euro to do some blog research, just in case other readers were thinking of upgrading to the Imperial Floor.  The short answer is that you’re better off saving your money  In fact, we preferred our regular room to the room on the Imperial Floor!

Emily Jablon:  At the front desk, we were told that we would have access to the lounge, and that the room had a nicer view and more amenities.  Because of this, I was expecting other amenities in the room, such as perhaps a coffee maker or an iPhone charger.  It had neither and the room was exactly the same as the last one.

It also had fewer outlets to charge our electronics and did not have the automatic plug converters installed, which our previous room did (which was very convenient).  Also, the air conditioner did not function very well even at its coolest setting.

We had to call the front desk to send someone to look at it.  30 minutes later a team of 2 men arrived, and after some poking around they managed to fix the a/c.

Our room smelled of smoke despite being a non-smoking room.

Emily Liked the View, but Didn’t Like the Smoky Smell

The room had a much better view of Rome that was unobstructed by trees (compared to the previous view).

There Were Gorgeous Views of Rome From Our Room!

The higher floor meant we could see more of Rome.  We could see the Parliament building.

It Was Exciting to be Able to See the Entire City of Rome

We could also see St. Peter’s Basilica, and could even see the Colosseum (though it was farther away).

We Loved the Eagle’s Eye View of St. Peter’s Basilica From Our Room

The room layout was exactly the same as our earlier cheaper room.

Our Imperial Room Didn’t Look Much Different From the Standard Room

The only difference was the size of the TV.  The Imperial Room had a bigger TV that was attached to the wall.  But we didn’t go to Rome to watch TV!

The Flat Screen TV Was Larger in the Imperial Room

The king bed looked exactly the same.

Deja Vu! It Was the Same King Bed as a Regular Room

There was the same satin yellow chair seating arrangement…

The Imperial Room Had the Same Sitting Area

the same writing desk (but without built-in electric converters).

The Hotel Threw a Curve Ball With the Writing Desk: There Were No Electric Converters!

The balcony was also the same…

We’ve Seen These Balcony Chairs Before

and the outdoor mirrors needed replacing.

What’s That on the Mirrors?

The bathroom seemed smaller because it did not have a walk-in shower (just the partially enclosed bathtub shower).

There Was a Bathtub and Shower Combination

Instead of the second shower, there was a vanity with a stool.

The Vanity Was a Nice Touch, but I’d Rather Have a Second Shower

There was a one basin sink, just like our previous bathroom.

The Bathroom Did Not Have Double Sinks

The amenities were also the same.

Unlike Other Hotels That Provide Upgraded Amenities for Executive Rooms, the Rome Cavalieri Did Not – We Got the Same Salvatore Ferragamo Amenities

The view aside, we were disappointed with the rest of the room because of its smaller bathroom, smoky smell, and faulty air conditioning.  But at least now you know what to expect on the Imperial Floor if you’re offered an upgrade.

We also received access to the Imperial Lounge with the upgrade.  It was nice to have access to the lounge, but still wasn’t worth the upgrade cost.

Breakfast in the Imperial Lounge

Emily Looking Forward to Trying Breakfast at the Imperial Club Lounge

The lounge provides breakfast, a light lunch, a light dinner, and after dinner snacks.  There was a plaque listing the lounge hours.

The Imperial Club Is Open 16 Hours a Day – You Could Spend the Entire Day Eating in the Lounge

The lounge was very impressive and much bigger than I thought it was going to be.  There were many places to sit and relax in the lounge.  There were couches…

There Was Plenty of Comfortable Seating in the Lounge

and they overlooked the buffet.

According to Daraius, the Couches Had the Best View…of the Buffet

There was also a formal dining area.

There Were a Few Small Dining Tables in the Lounge

There was a selection of yogurt, jam, cold meats, and cheese.

Cold Meats Were Included in the Breakfast Buffet

Fruit and yogurt was also available.

The Buffet Even Included Several Types of Fresh Fruit

There was hot food which included pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and sausage.  

You Won’t Go Hungry During Breakfast in the Imperial Club Lounge!

In addition, there were vegetables for breakfast.

Fresh Steamed Vegetables Were Also Included…Daraius Skipped Those

We could choose from many cereals.

Almost Every Breakfast Food Imaginable Was Available, Including Cereal

There was fresh juice…

I Loved Having a Glass of Juice With My Breakfast

as well as canned beverages, soda, beer, and wine.

You Could Help Yourself to Whatever You Wanted to Drink

There were also lots of adult beverages.

A Fully Stocked Bar = $0 Bar Bill!

Daraius tried the scrambled eggs, ham, sausage, cheese, and braided roll.

Daraius Had a Little Bit of Everything for Breakfast, Except the Vegetables

I wasn’t too hungry so I just had strawberries and a roll with butter.

I Was Content With Strawberries and a Roll

The Lounge also served different spreads for lunch and dinner.  We checked out the lunch spread.

Emily Waiting for the Imperial Floor Elevator to go to Lunch

There weren’t many people in the lounge at lunch.

We Beat the Lunch Crowds – the Lounge Was Practically Empty

No one was sitting in the formal dining area.

We Had Our Choice of Seats. There Were Plenty of Open Tables in the Lounge’s Formal Dining Area

There wasn’t anyone sitting at the small tables and leather chairs.

No Wait for a Table Here Either!

There was some nice outdoor seating that had gorgeous views.

The View From the Lounge Balcony on a Warm Sunny Day

It was so beautiful and relaxing.

Emily Taking in the View on the Balcony

You could see almost all of Rome!

No Need to Take the Tour, You Can See Everything From Here!

Lunch was more of a snack or light lunch.  There were salad, vegetables, and shrimp..

You Could Make a Healthy Shrimp Salad

and sandwiches and soups.

Or Have Cute Finger Sandwiches and Soup

Salami, canapes, and a gazpacho soup were part of the buffet.

There Weren’t as Many Options to Choose From at Lunch

Dessert consisted of small cakes and puddings…

But There Were Lots of Different Desserts!

and cookies and candy.

I Couldn’t Resist the Cookies and Candy

The view at night was just as gorgeous.  Seeing Rome at night was very impressive!

While I Liked the View of Rome During the Day, the View At Night Was More Stunning

Seeing St. Peter’s Basilica lit up was so pretty.

We Enjoyed a Romantic View of St. Peter’s Basilica at Night

How You Can Do It Too!

It costs 80,000 Hilton points for 1 night at the Rome Cavalieri hotel.  The regular price for a room varies from ~$350 to ~$700, so this is a great way to use your Hilton points!  If you want an upgrade to the Imperial Floor, you have to pay an extra ~$275 per night which is NOT worth it in our opinion.  Stick to the regular rooms instead and save your money.

1.  Citi Hilton Reserve card

You get 2 free weekend nights (weekend is defined as Friday, Saturday, or Sunday nights) and free Hilton Gold status with the Hilton Reserve card.

Hilton Gold status will get you free internet and free breakfast.  It costs 25 euros or ~$34 for 1 day of internet in your room (internet is free in the lobby) and ~45 euros (~$61) per person for breakfast at the Rome Cavalieri hotel.

So we didn’t have to pay ~$156 a day for the convenience of free internet and breakfast with the free Hilton Gold status from the Citi Hilton Reserve!

You can achieve Hilton Diamond status by spending $40,000 on this card within 1 year.  With Diamond status you will get a 50% point bonus on paid rooms and a better chance of free upgrades.

2.  Virgin Atlantic card

A less obvious way to get Hilton points is to get the 50,000 mile Virgin Atlantic card and to then transfer 50,000 Virgin Atlantic miles to 75,000 Hilton points for free.  That way, you get 75,000 Hilton points which you can use towards for any night at the Hilton Rome Cavalieri.

See this post on all of the other ways you can earn Hilton points.

Bottom Line

We loved the views from the Imperial floor and the food in the lounge was fairly substantial.  But this was definitely NOT worth the ~$275 upgrade cost.  You’re better off saving the money and skipping the “upgrade” to the Imperial Lounge.

 
Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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