Choosing which hotel to stay at in Rome last summer was no easy feat. There are about as many hotels in Rome as there are pizza restaurants, and I wanted to try out something new. I’ve always been a fan of how Six Senses incorporates sustainability and luxury together into their hotel product, but I had never stayed in one. Well, that changed this summer and the experience surprised me in more ways than one. Keep reading to find out about my stay at Six Senses Rome!

About Six Senses Rome

I had actually been following the opening of Six Senses Rome for years. The hotel in Rome opened in 2023, long after the brand found wide success with their properties in Asia. Six Senses is known for their sustainability efforts while offering an elevated luxury experience. They also focus on wellbeing, spirituality, and meaningful travel.

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There are few luxury hotel brands that fully embrace this type of identity since luxury has traditionally been associated with material goods. If you’re looking for luxury travel but also mindful of your impact on the environment, then I would consider a Six Senses property.

This Six Senses in particular was originally a building from the 15th century. In the 1980’s it became a Banco di Roma before it was abandoned. After almost two decades, Six Senses bought the building and completely renovated it. The layout of the hotel is reminiscent of its old roots: the check-in area used to be part of the street; the BIVIUM restaurant area used to be an old cinema, bar, and tabacchi, and the lobby walkway used to be a road. Six Senses has clearly put a lot of thought into making sure people know they’re in Rome when they stay here.

Location

One of the main reasons I chose to stay at the Six Senses Rome was because of the ideal location. The hotel is located off of the Via del Corso, an iconic shopping street eventually connecting to the Spanish Steps. The Trevi Fountain was also a 5 minute walk away, the Pantheon a 6 minute walk away, 10 minutes to Piazza Navona, 15 minutes to the Spanish Steps, and 20 minutes to the Colosseum if you’re feeling adventurous.

Since we planned to do a lot of sightseeing during this visit, we wanted to stay in a central location and this was definitely it. Other iconic luxury hotels like the Hotel Eden and Hotel de Russie are closer to the Spanish Steps and Villa Borghese area whereas Six Senses Rome was more centrally located to more sites.

First Impressions

We had just gotten off the train from Florence and hired a private car to take us directly to the hotel to avoid the craziness at the train station. When we arrived at the Six Senses, I had no idea what I was looking at. The facade of the hotel blended in with the surrounding church and other historical buildings that I had to really look to see where the hotel entrance was.

Once I saw it, I was impressed. I was expecting a kind of new age facade with glass and greenery, but no, the hotel building looked like a historic Roman building. We were immediately greeted by bellhops who quickly took our bags out of the car and escorted us into the lobby. They run a seamless operation over where. Upon entering the lobby, a member of the front desk was already waiting for us, greeting us and offering us a cold towel, welcome drink, and snack. Luxury hotels these days have done away with the traditional waiting at the front desk to check in, and instead have larger lobbies for guests to sit in while the front desk staff comes to them to check in. I like it.

To my surprise, the lobby of the hotel was undeniably Roman. The walls were marble and the floors beautifully patterned with mosaics. There was so much natural light due to the large skylights covering a large part of the lobby. The numerous potted plants brought welcome pops of color to the area and reminded me that we are at a hotel that prioritizes health and wellness. Let me say this, the hotel is so beautiful that there was a TV show being filmed on the property while we were here.

Sustainability

I want to call out a separate section for sustainability because the Six Senses Rome takes eco-friendliness very seriously. Aside from the remote controls and the wired phones in the rooms, there is no plastic at this hotel. Six Senses Rome does not use single use plastics and they specifically work with local vendors to stock the minibar with local treats so they can reduce carbon emissions. In fact, once you make your reservation at Six Senses Rome, someone from the hotel will reach out and remind you to make restaurant and spa reservations as well as link a document highlighting the sustainable elements of the hotel.

The hotel was renovated with recycled travertine, wood, and cocciopesto. Honestly, I wouldn’t have been able to tell as everything looks pristine and intentional. Even the little things that other hotels don’t bother to implement, such as: all of the lights (even in the lobby!) turning off after a few minutes, reusing gray water for the plants, a rainwater capture system for plants, and solar power during the day, can be found here. Six Senses has always emphasized the harmony between the body and the planet, and this is evident in their sustainability practices and wellness offerings.

I absolutely love that the luxury travel industry is incorporating more sustainable practices. You can see this within the cruise industry too! Sustainability is considered a privilege some people are willing to pay a premium for, but hopefully this will become standard across the industry in the future. Six Senses is a luxury hotel brand that you can assume has implemented those eco-friendly practices in their properties.

Check-In Process

I mentioned a welcome drink and a snack. As we sat down and spoke with the front desk associate and went through the check-in procedure, we were brought a platter containing chilled lavender-scented towels, a special juice blend, homemade biscotti, and a satchel of calming herbs.

We were told the good news that our room was being upgraded from a Superior Room (entry level) to a Superior Deluxe Room (2 categories higher). Unfortunately, our upgraded room wasn’t ready, but to be fair, we had arrived early at 2:00 PM for our 3:00 PM check in. The good thing is, we were starving for lunch so we went ahead and had a bite to eat at BIVIUM while we waited.

When our room was eventually ready, we were escorted and led to the elevators where we took part in a Six Senses Rome ritual – ringing the bell. We were presented with 6 bells representing six senses: sight, sound, taste, smell, taste, touch, and intuition. My husband and I were given a mallet and told to ring the bell of the sense that we want to manifest the most during our stay. I chose intuition, and my husband chose taste. The reasoning? I wanted to leave a bit more of the itinerary spontaneous this trip, while my husband wanted to eat as much good food as possible. I loved this little ritual!

Style + Vibe

Six Senses Rome is contemporary, yet pays tribute to its rich history. From the ambient wall lighting, warm wood tones, bright skylights, and refreshing green plants to columns and textiles reminiscent of Roman classicism. The main staircase past the lobby is completely covered in white marble. Meanwhile the lobby has marble flooring and metal rafters with skylights along with contemporary style furniture. I was quite impressed with how stylish they made this property look since it doesn’t look all that special from the outside.

The vibe of any Six Senses is meant to be focused around wellness and nurturing your wellbeing. This can take the form of complimentary yoga classes or soap making workshops. I was expecting to see people in workout clothes and just fit people in general, but the main guests I saw were normal tourists and families. I also saw a bunch of remote workers using their laptops around the lobby, restaurants, and alchemy bar. This would be a lovely place to remote work and then get a drink at the rooftop bar after!

Rooms

Six Senses Rome is not a large hotel. There are only 96 rooms and suites on property so the atmosphere is very much a boutique experience. Room categories range from entry-level deluxe rooms with internal courtyard views (and starting at a spacious 366 sq ft.) to mid-level Deluxe Junior Suites (549 sq ft.) and gorgeous expansive multi-bedroom suites complete with kitchens and rooftop terraces. There’s a room category that suits families, honeymooners, and VIPs alike.

We were upgraded to a Superior Deluxe room, which has the same layout as the entry level Deluxe room but slightly larger. As soon as we entered the room, the lights turned on automatically and we made a comment about how high the ceilings were. The room was simple, but spacious and well-designed. There was ample closet space upon entry, a minibar and coffee machine, a small sitting area in the corner, and then a large king bed. I enjoyed the wood paneling on the walls and warm orb-like lights giving the room a modern feel.

Our windows faced the back of the church next door and we could see the top of BIVIUM’s outdoor seating area. We honestly didn’t look outside or open our windows much. This hotel isn’t known for having the best views from their rooms, and that’s okay with me. The bathroom was spacious with a separate toilet room and shower room. Of course, there were twin vanities as well. What I loved most was the addition of real plants in our room. It really brightened up the space and felt like it made the air more fresh.

Restaurants

There are two restaurants at Six Senses Rome: BIVIUM and NOTOS. BIVIUM is their ground level restaurant with indoor and outdoor dining spaces. NOTOS is their rooftop bar and restaurant with views of Via del Corso and the Victor Emmanuel II Monument in the distance. We were able to eat at both restaurants on this trip!

Starting with BIVIUM, this is their casual restaurant concept. We had breakfast, lunch, and dinner here, and it seemed to be a gathering place for families, couples, and even remote workers. The restaurant sits in a beautiful open space with a visible kitchen, and it flows effortlessly into the lobby. The breakfast service is a combination of buffet with hot menu options, and it was included in our stay. Being a wellness-focused hotel brand, many of the options available for breakfast were healthy yet still tasty. Unsurprisingly, a great amount of fruit, light salads, and even gluten free pastries here. We really enjoyed breakfast every morning at BIVIUM.

Lunch and dinner was a different experience. Now, this happened in June of last year and since then the restaurant has updated their menus. For us, when we stayed here, BIVIUM had the same exact menu for lunch and dinner. We found that to be very odd, but we ended up choosing different courses for lunch and dinner. Looking online, this seems to be no longer the case and BIVIUM has a different menu for dinner now. And I will say, pizza is not on it. Dinner at BIVIUM was a quiet affair with more guests and visitors opting for the more exciting NOTOS Rooftop instead, but we still had a lovely time.

NOTOS Rooftop Restaurant

I love a good rooftop restaurant, and NOTOS was no exception. The restaurant is open for guests and non-hotel guests, and reservations online are highly recommended. The restaurant was open for lunch only on the weekends, otherwise it was aperitif and dinner only until 11:00 PM.

The rooftop space is much larger than it seems. Planters and potted herbs are placed all around the lounging areas to give the space a more natural feel and a lovely scent. The menu here is on the small side with options for tasting menus. When we were there, NOTOS had a pop-up with Six Senses Kyoto so they offered a special Japanese-Italian menu. The head chef from Six Senses Kyoto was actually on property greeting guests and chatting about Japan.

We had an aperitif here one evening, and dinner on another. The first night there was a private party taking up half of the rooftop space, so we were seated in an area with no view with slow service. When we went up for dinner, we were actually sat in the same seats because we made a reservation too late and all the good seats were taken. Take it from me – book this place in advance even if you’re a hotel guest. It irks me when luxury hotels don’t give preference to hotel guests. They should have priority reservations and seating, but that is not the case here.

In terms of the dinner, the flavors of the food were exceptional. We ordered a cacio e pepe onigiri, a ramen bowl, and nigiri sushi. Everything tasted incredible, but portion sizes were tiny. Much so that we ended up getting more food later that evening as we walked around the city. I actually have a video I took of by husband’s sushi and he says in the background, “we’re going to have to get more food after this.” While tasty, we felt that the value wasn’t there.

Amenities

It wouldn’t be a luxury hotel without amenities, and the Six Senses Rome was not lacking in that area. The hotel offers standard luxury amenities, such as a 24-hour gym, spa, a pillow menu, yoga mats in the rooms, two restaurants, and a cafe. They don’t have a town car for getting around, even though they would greatly benefit from an electric one (or even golf carts!). There is a pool at the spa, but it’s not really for swimming. It’s more for soaking after visiting the treatment rooms.

Something that the Six Senses does beyond the standard hotel amenities is offer wellness-focused activities to their guests. This could be active classes like yoga, core training, pilates, stretching classes, or Earth Lab experiences such as sustainability tours, herb sachet making, art therapy, and paper making. Many of these are available to guests on a complimentary basis. The amount of activities offered at this city hotel is above and beyond. Also, there is free gelato here! Towards the back of BIVIUM you can get complimentary scoops of gelato during the day.

In terms of in-room amenities, there are no single-use plastics here. Bathroom amenities don’t have any sticker labels showing off the luxury brand. Instead, the soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and lotions are in beautiful stone or ceramic containers with a wood label. The complimentary water that’s left in the room are cans from Italian-based WAMI which are 100% recyclable. Did I mention there’s a cookie jar in the room? Someone comes by with fresh cookies every day to replenish the jar. Our welcome amenities consisted of jars of dates, hazelnuts, popcorn, tiralli, and a bottle of prosecco. Nothing went to waste.

Speaking of amenities, I always make sure my clients receive additional VIP amenities when they book a luxury hotel with me. At Six Senses Rome, this would include daily breakfast, room upgrade on arrival, $100 hotel credit, early check in, late check out, and a lovely welcome amenity waiting in your room. If you love to feel taken care of with extra perks, reach out to me to book your stay. It doesn’t cost anything extra and I’ll make sure your stay runs smoothly.

Activities

The concierge at Six Senses Rome is pretty responsive, and they were helpful in arranging a few transfers and activities for us. In addition to the wellness and Earth Lab activities available, there are also on-site activities like wine tastings, olive oil tastings, Italian bar culture experience, “The Art of Aperitivo”, and so much more. Trust me when I say I’m impressed at how much there is to do at this hotel considering there is an entire ancient city just outside.

I’ve already written blog posts about two of the activities we did, the Rome Golf Cart Tour and the Semi-Private Vatican Tour. There are actually two more activities we did during our time in Rome, a Semi-Private Guided Tour of the Borghese Gallery and a day trip to Tivoli. I’ll be writing about those two remaining activities soon. The Six Senses team always made sure we were stocked up with water before we left the hotel and asked us how our activity was when we came back.

I mentioned the Earth Lab a few times, and this is a space on the lobby level that hosts hands-on workshops and classes like the ones I previously listed. There’s also an Alchemy Bar, which is on the spa level. The Alchemy Bar hosts classes for creating beauty and wellness products at home using local natural ingredients. Think face masks and body scrubs. Between the two labs, there are plenty of things to do at the hotel.

Spa

Six Senses Rome hosts one of the largest comprehensive spas in the city. In fact, even if you’re not staying at this hotel, it’s worth a visit to the spa here. The spa utilizes a Roman bathing circuit allowing for a modern take of the ancient bathing ritual. The spa includes a steam room, sauna room, scented showers, an ice fountain, a solarium lounge, and three plunge pools.

The plunge pools are the main event as they make up a large part of the ritual. There’s a tepidarium, or plunge pool with warm water. Then a calidarium, or plunge pool with hot water to melt away tension. Then finally the frigidarium, or plunge pool with cold water to revitalize your body. The combination of all three of these plunge pools plus the steam rooms and sauna make for a complete and relaxing experience. There’s even a plaque in the spa giving instructions of how to use each treatment the way the Romans did.

The spa goes beyond offering massage treatments and Roman baths, although that’s more than enough for me. You can sign up for other wellness experiences from biohacking and wellness screenings, to skin analysis and sleep consultations. There is a room dedicated to biohacking with intimidating looking technology. There’s also a room with a pilates reformer and aerial yoga hoops. The boutique store is located right by the spa reception selling clothes, knick knacks, crystals, and more.

Roman Baths and Massage Treatment

On our last day in Rome, we booked a couples massage which included access to the Roman Baths. We arrived at the spa early to make use of the bathing circuit and relax before what was going to be a very deep tissue massage. The spa receptionist greeted us warmly and offered us fruit-infused water while we filled out standard massage forms and disclaimers. We were then escorted downstairs to the Roman baths and given slippers, robes, and towels. Passing by the Alchemy Bar, we received a lovely yet brief tour of the space so we knew which bath to start with.

Using the Roman Baths was a fantastic experience. The hotel caps the number of people who can access the baths at one time so it was never too crowded. We did the circuit exactly the way the instructions were written and felt completely rejuvenated and relaxed before our massage. The only unsavory aspect I noticed was that there were used towels, robes, and slippers littered about and not picked up in a timely manner. It didn’t take away from our experience, however.

My husband is not a massage kind of guy, and when he agrees to a massage it’s because he wants me to stop asking him. This was the very first time I heard him say “I enjoyed that massage” ever. I had a deep tissue massage and my husband had a back and neck massage. He’s a little ticklish and the masseuse was receptive to his requests which allowed him to relax and enjoy the treatment. My masseuse was incredible – hands of steel. She worked out all the knots that had been accumulating over the long flights and constant activity every day of this trip. After the massage, we were escorted to the spa lounge which was furnished with healthy snacks and tea. It was a great experience overall.

Service

The service at Six Senses Rome was mostly good. I say mostly because there was one night we wanted to order room service and were craving pizza, but the hotel couldn’t make any. There was no pizza on any of their menus. I asked if they can order pizza from a nearby place for us, and that seemed to throw them off as they took 20 minutes to “look into it” before calling back and saying they can’t do that. I thought it was wild to be a hotel in Rome without the ability to order pizza. They were apologetic, but ultimately unhelpful.

Aside from that, and some slow/cold service at NOTOS, everyone was pretty friendly. Housekeeping was on point every day, and we were always warmly greeted when we walked back into the hotel. When we had trouble getting taxis through the local taxi app, the front desk would always offer to order one for us through their system.

Who Would I Send Here?

I would definitely send any travelers here who care about sustainability and reducing their carbon footprint. There are a ton of exceptional luxury hotel options in Rome, like Hotel Eden or Hotel de Russie, and the Six Senses Rome is priced similarly to those properties. When you choose to stay at Six Senses Rome, you are putting your money towards sustainability without compromising quality and that is something that should be considered.

I saw a lot of families here, so this is definitely a great place for families considering all of the activity options. There are a lot of areas to sit down quietly and work, which is why I assume there were remote workers on their laptops around the hotel. Speaking as a couple traveling together, my husband and I both thought this hotel was perfectly suitable for couples. People who absolutely need a great spa at their hotel will love this place. The one thing I’ll say is that it helps to be aware that the Six Senses Rome is a points hotel. What I mean by that is you can book this hotel using IHG points, and that tends to bring different types of clientele.

Who wouldn’t I send here? Travelers who don’t value traveling sustainably as much. Anyone who won’t take advantage of the wellness offerings and healthy food choices at the restaurants. Clients who require above and beyond service and a location closer to the Spanish Steps. The Six Senses Rome isn’t going to be for everyone – they have a specific identity and some people may not want to spend the premium to stay in an eco-friendly hotel.

Kat’s Final Thoughts

My husband and I look back fondly at our time spent at Six Senses Rome. We’re not the type of travelers who look for wellness experiences or healthy dining in a hotel when we’re abroad. Even though we didn’t take advantage of those options, we still had a great time. The bed was incredibly comfortable, the design of the room and hotel spaces had us mesmerized, and having an aperitif during sunset at the rooftop restaurant all contributed to a memorable stay. Also, the Roman Baths spa and massages were hard to forget.

This was my first Six Senses property I’ve stayed at, and I can see why the brand attracts loyal clientele. There are a lot of hotel options to choose from in Rome, and I believe the Six Senses Rome should be high on that list.