The Ritz Ballroom
Rome's first public ballroom (1894) with frescoes by Mario Spinetti — a piece of the city's social history.
Rome's oldest grand hotel and its most historic: opened in January 1894 as the Grand Hotel by César Ritz himself — the founder of modern luxury hotelkeeping — with a sixteen-course dinner cooked by Auguste Escoffier for a hundred guests. It was a revolution in its day: the first hotel in Rome with electric light, hot water and private bathrooms in every room, and home to the thirteenth lift installed in the city, still running. Its Ritz Ballroom was Rome's first public ballroom, designed by the architect Giulio Podesti and frescoed by Mario Spinetti. It closed for three years for a restoration costing around forty million euros and reopened in November 2018 with new interiors by the Pierre-Yves Rochon practice. The oval lobby was designed to work as a miniature city square, and holds the Lumen bar and restaurant. The location sits between Piazza della Repubblica and Termini: Palazzo Massimo and Santa Maria degli Angeli are minutes away and metro Line A is at the door — but the quarter is practical rather than beautiful compared with a hotel in the historic core.
Rome's first public ballroom (1894) with frescoes by Mario Spinetti — a piece of the city's social history.
Three years and forty million euros gave it new interiors while keeping its historic bones.
A bar and restaurant off the oval lobby — open to non-guests if you want to see the place without booking a room.
Via Vittorio Emanuele Orlando 3, 00185 Rome
Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei MartiriA church built inside the central hall of the Baths of Diocletian — the largest 3 minutes walk4.8
Baths of DiocletianThe largest bath complex the Romans ever built: three thousand bathers at once, 4 minutes walk4.6
The Four FountainsFour fountains in the corners of a street crossing in Rome, set up between 1588 5 minutes walk4.4
Palazzo Massimo alle TermeThe best museum in Rome that nobody knows. A branch of the National Roman Museum5 minutes walk4.5
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte AnticaA Baroque palace built for the family of Pope Urban VIII by three of the sevente6 minutes walk4.7Looking for halal food near The St. Regis Rome? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
Very practical for movement: metro and airport train minutes away, with Palazzo Massimo and Santa Maria degli Angeli as neighbours. But the quarter itself is administrative rather than beautiful like Trastevere or the Pantheon area — if atmosphere is your priority, pick a hotel in the historic core.
