Enjoying The Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome

Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy Lumen Lounge

The Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Pampered Us

The luxury rituals at the St Regis Rome set a very high bar to start our 8 week trip to Sicily and Malta.  We loved our large suite at the St Regis Rome.  The hotel was beautiful and elegant.  And every day the St Regis Rome offered many experiences we did not want to miss.  

We could have easily spent 5 days in Rome just being pampered at the St Regis Rome.  But we also found this a good base for exploring the sights around Rome.

We Started Our Trip At The St Regis Grand Hotel In Rome

Our 8 week trip to Italy and Malta began in Rome.  For this visit to Rome we booked a luxury stay at the St Regis Rome.  

The Grand Hotel in Rome was opened by the legendary hotelier César Ritz – the founder of the Ritz hotel brand.  A decade later John Jacob Astor IV opened the St. Regis New York on Fifth Avenue. More than a century later, these two iconic brands merged and became the St Regis Grand Hotel Rome.  About 20 years ago, this hotel became part of the Marriott luxury brand and was available for us to book through Marriott. 

St Regis Grand Rome - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy
St Regis Grand Rome

We booked our hotel stay using our Marriott Bonvoy points and used upgrade certificates for a great suite at this property.  We had lots of room to spread out.  And a great large bathtub with bath salts for relaxing after a touring day.  The point value for this hotel was great and the suite provided everything we wanted for a 5 day stay in Rome.  Our Marriott status even got us a great welcome treat.

St Regis Grand Rome
St Regis Grand Rome - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy
St Regis Grand Rome
St Regis Grand Rome - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy

We enjoyed a great luxury stay to start our long 8 week trip to Sicily and Malta.

A Hotel With Classic Elegance

The St Regis Rome recently underwent a $45 million renovation.  This added modern touches to the classic elegance of the former Grand Hotel.  We wandered around the hotel and admired the architecture and design.  The Ballroom ceiling frescoes were gilded and restored by a team of master craftspeople.  This room drew us in for a look.

St Regis Grand Rome Ballroom - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy
St Regis Grand Rome Ballroom

The Library (or Coreterno Room) was decorated in an interesting style.  This was often our choice for a quiet spot to enjoy breakfast.

St Regis Grand Rome Coreterno Room - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy
St Regis Grand Rome Coreterno Room

As we wandered in the hotel we were amazed at the beautiful design details we found everywhere.  We made sure to always look up and see the beautiful lights in every room.

St Regis Grand Rome Lumen Lounge
St Regis Grand Rome - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy

The old-style elevator still worked.  It was installed in 1894 and was said to be one of the oldest working elevators in the city.  But the walk on the stairs showed us even more treats.

St Regis Grand Rome Elevator - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy

Everywhere we went in the St Regis Rome we were surrounded by classic luxury.

Enjoying A Great Hotel Restaurant

The Lumen Lounge with its stunning Murano glass chandelier drew us into the hotel as soon as we arrived.  It was a magnificent entry and established the style we found in the rest of the hotel.  Different parts of the Lumen Lounge served as a bar, restaurant area and just general lounge area.  The Lumen Garden was not open when we visited.  

St Regis Grand Rome Lumen Lounge
St Regis Grand Rome Lumen Lounge - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy

We ate well at the hotel.  The daily breakfast we got with our Marriott Bonvoy status was plentiful and we found great variety.  

St Regis Grand Rome

Appertivo time in the Lumen Lounge was a good spot for a drink and a light snack. One night we worked our way through a multi-course tasty dinner.  

Eating well was definitely one of the luxury rituals at the St Regis Rome.

Champagne Sabering (Sabrage) Every Night

We saw champagne sabering (or sabrage) for the first time when we had Afternoon Tea at the St Regis in Washington, DC.  We found it fascinating to watch and enjoyed a glass of champagne after the demonstration.

When we learned that sabrage was one of the luxury rituals done every evening at the St Regis Rome we knew we would enjoy this classic St Regis treat again.  At 7pm we went to the Lumen Lounge and gathered for the show.  Our first night brought all the excitement back.

We returned several different times and watched various staff members successfully sabre the champagne bottles.  We talked with the Food and Beverage Manager Karolina about the technique she had perfected.  But were not sure we were ready to try it at home!

A few times we stuck around for the champagne too.  Champagne was actually served from the sabred bottles!  But there was extra for the crowds this treat often drew.

St Regis Rome Sabrage
St Regis Grand Rome

We definitely enjoyed the champagne sabrage as one of the luxury rituals at the St Regis Rome.

Afternoon Tea Was Our Luxury Ritual When Travelling

We often search out great Afternoon Tea experiences when we travelled.  We loved the variety we found in the tea and food selections.  And often there was a theme or special setting for Afternoon Tea.

At the St Regis Rome we splurged one day on Afternoon Tea.  Our tea experience was set up in the Coreterno Room.  This was the perfect setting for a special tea event.

St Regis Rome Afternoon Tea - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy

A large selection of teas were offered.  Of course we added some bubbly champagne too.  We were served two large trays of food with a variety of sweet and savoury treats.  There was so much food we took a box away and ate treats the next day.

St Regis Rome Afternoon Tea
St Regis Rome Afternoon Tea - Luxury Rituals At The St Regis Rome Italy
St Regis Rome Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea was one of the luxury rituals at the St Regis Rome we did not want to miss.

A Great Base To Explore Rome

With all the luxury and pampering we found at the St Regis Rome, it was definitely hard to head out to discover new gems in Rome.  But on every visit, we found so many new discoveries in Rome.

From the St Regis Rome it was an easy walk to enjoy the sights around Rome.  One day we took a short Uber ride and explored the Trastavere area of Rome.  It was great to explore the city on our 5 days in Rome.

The hotel had a car available for short rides in town. We were delighted when we were taken to the nearby train station when we departed.  From Rome we headed to Naples and then continued by train to Sicily for 5 weeks.

A good location was always important on a stay in Rome.

We Sure Enjoyed The Luxury Rituals At The St Regis

The St Regis Rome offered great suites and a beautiful hotel.  The luxury rituals at the St Regis Rome added another set of treats that we enjoyed on our stay.  Tasty food, exciting champagne sabrage and an Afternoon Tea experience all added to the pampering stay we had in Rome for 5 days.  We were sad we did not manage to enjoy the great spa on-site.  But good to leave for a return visit. 

We knew it was a risk to book such a luxury treat to start our 8 week adventure in Sicily and Malta.  But we sure started our vacation in a great setting in Rome.

Have you enjoy the luxury rituals at the St Regis Rome?  Did you have a favourite experience?

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48 Comments

  1. 8 weeks in Malta and Sicily sounds amazing. The hotel is spectacular; as you rightly say Classic Elegance is the right way to describe it. The gilded ceiling frescoes are stunning and makes me wonder at what point would you stop calling it a hotel and start calling it a museum. Haha. The stairwell is equally spectacular as well. I can imagine the confusion between taking the stairs and the historic elevator!

  2. Wow! You really know how to live your best life! I don’t think I have stepped a foot inside here and I live in Italy and visit Rome often! The ballroom frescos are incredible and the afternoon tea looks amazing. It is weird to me they have afternoon tea as it is not Italian tradition. But I love that tea, Damman, it’s a delicious brand!

    • We loved that we could use our Marriott points and get such an amazing luxury experience at the St Regis Rome. And it was great to be able to experience several of the St Regis rituals on this visit. A great way to start our visit to Italy.

    • We were blown away by the beautiful design of the hotel. It was a great luxury setting to start our vacation in Italy. And we do love when we find Afternoon Tea is a treat at the hotels we stay.

  3. I, too, might be afraid that starting an eight week trip to Sicily and Malta with the luxurious St Regis might make the rest of the trip seem drab in comparison. But what a wonderful experience you had there! It feels great to be pampered by the fine details of this classic experience. Love the drama of the champagne sabrage and the cozy comfort of the afternoon tea! Clearly you made memories not soon to be forgotten.

  4. This is incredibly beautiful and luxurious. You really play those points smart! This hotel seems to have everything I love: The champagne – although I never witnessed a sabrage, the wonderful tea time, and tasteful design all around. By the way, I also love to take a long bath after visiting a city – and preferably enjoying yet another glass of champagne while doing so 😉

    • The Sabrage is always fun to watch. Especially with a champagne treat after. Bathtubs are really hard to find these days in hotels. So when we get a bug, deep one I always indulge.

  5. The St Regis in Rome looks like the perfect place to explore the eternal city for a few days. I understand your fascination with the sabrage. When I saw it for the first time I was so fascinated that I bought a Champagner saber myself. In case you also want to learn it, you can practice with most Prosecco bottles. They also have this bottle “seam” you need for the sabrage. It is actually fun – and you will be a most welcome guest at parties!

  6. I can’t get over the chandeliers. The interior is so stunning. I would like to certainly experience the sabre. I really liked the way the experts took the cork off and the bubbles overflowing in the glasses. Certainly, an unmissable experience. The cork would be a perfect souvenir. Hope to visit it someday and Malta too.

  7. The design of the hotel is incredible, I love the ballroom and all the frescoes. It’s so interesting how they blend it the modern decor of the Library and the Lounge with the vintage lift and the baroque staircase. What a fantastic place! Your room looks incredible as well, that bed seems so comfortable. The sabrage show seems like so much fun! I have seen it only once, in the Czech Republic, and it was fascinating.

    • We always try to see the sabrage experience when we can. We too saw sabrage in the Czech Republic. I forgot about that! the St Regis Rome was definitely a great spot to stay when we started in Rome.

  8. Wow what an incredible grand vacation through Italy. The hotel in Rome is regal. I would have struggled to leave my suite. I hope you went on a great walking tour.

  9. What an excellent way to use your Marriott Bonvoy points! I am a big fan of travel hacking and it looks like you have mastered the craft. Staying at the St Regis seems like a fantastic way to really enjoy time in Rome with extra pampering and fun. Thanks for sharing!

    • In 2023 we actually used up quite a bit of the points we had accumulated. We picked some great spots with great redemption rates that offered us a lovely luxury stay. St Regis Rome was a great choice for a paid or points stay.

  10. Well I gotta tell ya, after three weeks living in a RV this looks pretty tempting! Haha. What a gorgeous place. Saving for a big special stay perhaps in the next couple years.

  11. Oh my! this is the epitome of classic elegance and luxury. I know what you mean when starting off a holiday in such a hotel as the St Regis Rome could potentially overshadow any subsequent stays. However I would not miss this stay if I had Marriot Points as you have. This gives true meaning to the word pampered!

  12. What an invigorating trip! The St. Regis Rome is my idea of luxury personified. I’d love to experience the afternoon tea, sabrage and the multi-course dinner tasting. The renovations are absolutely immaculate. I’d love to stay here the next time I visit Rome.

  13. Such a beautiful hotel. I would love to visit one day. But the most interesting thing for me would be the sabrage. How fun! And of course, I would love afternoon tea. What a great place to have as a home base in Rome.

  14. What a stunning place to stay in Rome! I always love how you use points to book and upgrade to have great stays. And $45 million is quite the renovation! The elevator sounds fun to see, too — I can’t believe how old it is. I’ll have to consider staying at the St. Regis next time I’m in Rome. It looks so relaxing and just perfect!

  15. Wow! This hotel really looks grand and luxurious. Loved the paintings on the ceiling and the stairs. I am sure entering that old elevator was also an experience to remember.

  16. Wow! This is really beautiful and grand. Their attention to detail is superb and indeed, very luxurious.

    I have always wanted to try the old-style elevator. Do they allow guests to use it?

    Anyway, thank you for sharing your wonderful experience. You inspire us how to travel in style. Enjoyed reading about your experience at St. Regis.

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