Review Hilton Rome Fiumicino, perfect (just) for a stopover

This hotel is directly connected to Rome Fiumicino Airport via the walkway from outside the airport to the parking lots, train station, and precisely to the hotel.

Like all facilities located near stopovers, it is ideal for all passengers who need to board an early morning flight or for those who, conversely, arrive late on an evening flight.

Reservation

If there is one thing that has not changed from the pre-pandemic period it is that this Hilton is very expensive. To have a term of comparison the night after this stay I slept at the Hilton present at the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and the cost of the room was less than half.

In any case, as reiterated several times on TFC, I booked directly through the app, as the only guarantee of being granted privileges, which, in my case, are those of users Diamond in the Hilton Honors program.

The location

As mentioned it can be reached after a long walk since it is located at the "end of the line" of the pedestrian path, exactly on the opposite side of the Roma Fiumicino train station. There are signs with the Hilton symbol pointing the way, just walk to the end of the path and you will be in front of the facility.

These hotels, in the former world, were busier than the airports themselves. Today, however, everything is calm.

The paperwork is done very quickly and I head to my room.

The fifth and last floor houses the executive floor. This should be the floor of the most loyal customers and who have access to the Executive Lounge.

Too bad, however, that because of Covid the vast majority of Hilton hotels in the EU have decided to keep these rooms closed. In fact, this benefit allows Executive room guests or Diamond guests to enjoy, free of charge, all the services offered. That is, breakfast in the morning in a less chaotic environment and most importantly free drinking and eating opportunities throughout the day.

The room, a king bed, was spacious with a window overlooking a slice of the runway.

The beauty of sleeping in these runaway-view facilities has always been that you can admire the bustle of airplanes. In this case, the view was more of Alitalia's still life.

The room is dated, would need a refresh like much of the hotel. There is everything in the room that is expected of this type of establishment. Fridge bar empty, but by now surprisingly the opposite, while the two complimentary bottles for Honors guests are hand-delivered to the front desk during check-in.

The bathroom also shows all its years and could use a good makeover.

The facility is very large, it also houses a convention center, and seeing it so empty puts a little bit of sadness.

Breakfast

My flight to Copenhagen on Singapore Airlines was leaving a few minutes after 8 a.m., so at check-in I had booked a breakfast table for 6:30 a.m., the opening time.

When I arrived, there were already some guests waiting for the X hour. The attendants were completing the line while slowly more guests were popping up in line.

The breakfast buffet island is empty and the service is done by only one attendant and only on one side of the room, this immediately created a long queue of people and of course no record of the reservation from the day before.

The offerings are within the norm, the service a tad less so: only one staff member dedicated to preparing the dishes and no one to help, a nasty surprise especially when you find out that to order from well you have to wait in line again.

A special mention goes to the fruitcake, which, along with a salmon bagel, were the two dishes outside the classic breakfast.

Unbelievable but true impossible to have a slice of toast!!! This is not my first time in Italy, and I find this ridiculous, as it does not seem to me to be a dish with a high rate of infectious danger. In general I think it's time to go back to the "world of before," as is the case almost everywhere, only in Italy are there still these middle ways. Rather we abandon the buffet and opt for a menu from which the guest can choose.

Final judgment

These facilities are never iconic, they are designed to solve a need on a very short term basis so one cannot expect much more. You also have to understand the historical moment and the very low occupancy rate.

However, this cannot be an excuse for everything. Not being able to ask for an omelet or simple toast because of Covid seems quite fanciful to me. Conversely, I understand that the downtown shuttle is suspended because of lack of passengers.

Overall, the hotel would need a refresh to become a true Hilton again.

 

 

• Hilton Honors
• hotels near airport