This privately owned Empire Palace Hotel attracts a mixture of business and leisure guests looking for a quiet oasis in downtown Rome's shopping and business district. The converted 1870 townhouse, built by Venetian nobles, surrounds a central courtyard and fountain. In the lounge, soft-brown Moroccan leather chairs and African wooden ornaments rest on the original, delicate marble floors beneath vaulted ceilings. During the balmy Summer evenings, guests are sure to be drawn to the peaceful, indoor courtyard which is the ideal venue for a memorable, culinary experience complemented by fine wines and aperitifs. Offering a combination of warm, contemporary styles in the public areas, and classical furnishings in the guestrooms, the Empire Palace creates a truly relaxing, and luxurious, atmosphere from which guests can easily explore the beautiful Eternal City of Rome. * Restaurant Aureliano: Decorated with green and terracotta pastels, light-wood paneling, and Murano blown-glass light fixtures in blue and red. Serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, opening to non-guests after breakfast, with its own separate street entrance. The Mediterranean menu changes seasonally, with fish a specialty, and a coordinated wine and champagne list. * The Blue Bar: Set in what once were stables, the bar faces one side of the courtyard, where guests can also enjoy their drinks. Original exposed-brick ceilings, distressed cobalt-blue paintwork, and Philippe Starck-designed, high-backed linen sofas and low, oversized, deep-red velvet stools. A wide range of cocktails, wines, and light snacks such as club sandwiches are available. Live music every evening April-October. * The fitness center has seven machines, weights, and a stretch bar. Wireless Internet access is available throughout the hotel, including the courtyard. * The hotel has 113 guestrooms, all with high speed wireless Internet. The rooms are decorated in a light yellow, with rich maroon or deep-blue patterned carpet and milky-blue or soft-yellow walls. Curtains and bed covers feature delicate patterns in matching color tones, with cord trim. * All have desks and chairs in cherry wood. Rooms feature hand-colored prints of Wedgwood porcelain and Etruscan vases. Because the hotel is housed in a converted palazzo, room sizes and layout vary slightly. Bathrooms have off-white marble, hairdryers, and built-in radios. Empire Palace Hotel is situated on a small side street in a shopping and business district, 400 meters from Via Veneto, this converted palazzo is a half-mile from the Villa Borghese. The excellent Empire Palace offers not only a superior location, but also a unique ambience and charm... * FCO Airport - 35 km * Via XX Settenbre Bus Station - 0.1 km * Termini Station Train Station - 0.8 km * Republica Tub Station - 0.3 km * Acqua Felice Fountain * Terme di Diocleziano * Via Veneto * Piazza della Repubblica * Galleria Borghese and gardens - 1 km * Via Condotti shopping area - 1 km * Trevi Fountain - 1.5 km * Santa Maria Maggiore Church and Square - 1.5 km * Vatican City - 5 km