Last month, a friend and I visited Rome, Italy to spend 5 nights in the city before going on a cruise in nearby Civitavecchia. We wanted to be close to downtown and to the Colosseum. Prices for hotels in this area are quite high but we managed to find a mid level hotel that is actually wheelchair accessible with a roll in shower. We booked Hotel Charter.
The Hotel
a removable portable ramp is put there every time we entered or left the hotel
Hotel Charter is a small 14 room boutique hotel that opened in 2003 and was recently renovated in 2016. All the rooms are located on the second floor which has only 1 small old style elevator that only moves up or down if you hold and push the button at the same time. The elevator door had to be held open making it a bit difficult for my friend to wheel me in or out the elevator while holding the door.
the lobby and elevator was a bit small but still manageable
As soon as we arrived at the hotel, I automatically noticed there was one step to get in the hotel. A staff member saw me and brought out a portable ramp for me to get in. This ramp will always have to be brought out whenever I needed to enter or leave the hotel. The lobby was a bit small but I could still get around ok. Every time, we left the hotel, we also had to give the room key back to the staff.
the elevator
Room
our room with 2 beds
As expected, the room is a bit small but I still had enough room to wheel around to the one side side of the room. The 2 double beds were close to each other but were comfortable and soft. There was also a small desk with a coffee maker and a small screen TV on the wall too.
small ledge bump to get on the balcony
There is also a small balcony that only gives a back view of other hotels and buildings. There is actually a small ledge bump from the room floor to the balcony that could be difficult for some wheelchair users to manually go over. I did not go out in the balcony at all but my friend did several times.
pic of toilet and roll in shower
The bathroom is also very small but it has everything that I needed. The toilet was at the right height to fit my commode over and did have one set of grab bars on the left side. The roll in shower is right next to the toilet and does have a handheld removable showerhead but there are no grab bars nearby. A small sink does have space for a wheelchair to wheel under is right next to a bidet which we did not use.
another pic of the bathroom
Amenities
There wasn’t too many amenities at this budget hotel, but the free wifi worked well in our room and throughout the hotel. There is laundry and an air conditioner available for an extra fee. The owner and his son manages this hotel and were always friendly with us and always helped by getting the wheelchair ramp ready for us or by giving us local tips or calling a taxi for us.
Roberto always made sure we were taken care of
Location
Hotel Charter’s address is Via Filippo Turati 10. It is very close to the Termini train station. It is also right downtown and has many shops, and restaurants nearby. Major tourist attractions like the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps are all within a 30 minute walk/stroll from the hotel. We never had to use a taxi or an Uber to visit any of these attractions.
a view of the street where the hotel is located
Final Thoughts
Hotel Charter was a great wheelchair accessible hotel right in the heart of downtown Rome. The location was great. Sure, a portable ramp is needed to be brought out every time we needed to enter or leave the hotel, but it is only a minor inconvenience. The father and son owners were excellent and the accessibility did meet my needs. With a great price for this budget hotel, I would definitely stay again next time I am in Rome.
The Colosseum is less than 20 minutes walk/stroll from this hotel
