The Tribune, a JdV by Hyatt Hotel in Rome, Italy [In-Depth Review]

During our family trip to Italy this summer, we had the pleasure of visiting Rome after spending a fantastic 5 days on the Amalfi Coast.

As many traveling families visiting Europe can attest, it can be incredibly frustrating when room occupancy limits prevent families from staying together in 1 hotel room. Often, families find it necessary to reserve 2 or even 3 rooms to accommodate their whole family.

After thoroughly enjoying our stay at an Airbnb on the Amalfi Coast, we started to crave a break from the responsibility of preparing our own breakfast and cleaning up after ourselves. Therefore, we decided to book a hotel in Rome, which would allow us to fully unwind and enjoy our time.

After doing a ton of research, I decided to book The Tribune. It is part of the JdV by Hyatt collection, which consists of vibrant boutique hotels with unique designs. The hotel offered a variety of rooms suitable for families, including spacious suites. Given that my children are still young, I was keen on keeping us all together in 1 room.

How did my family of 5 like their stay at The Tribune in Rome? Keep reading to find out.

Booking The Tribune

The Tribune offered a spacious 312-square-foot family room with a king bed and a convenient sofa bed, making it perfect for accommodating up to 4 adults. Even though there were 5 of us, our toddler was small enough to sleep in a crib or with us, so the hotel had no problem accommodating our family.

As a Category 5 hotel in the World of Hyatt program, The Tribune charges 23,000 points per night during peak season. You can expect to redeem 17,000 points for off-peak dates and 20,000 for standard awards.

Since I was not booking a standard room, I considered either booking 2 connecting rooms or simply paying the cash fee for the king-bed family room.

I splurged so that my family could be comfortable and achieve my aim of staying in a single room, because we were visiting during the height of summer, which is a very busy time for hotels in Rome. The king-bed family room I booked cost an average of $593 per night across our 4-night stay.

You should expect nightly rates for a standard room to start at $199 and go up to $700, depending on the time of year you visit.

Thanks to my World of Hyatt Globalist elite status, I had a suite upgrade award to secure a larger room for us. We were able to move from a 1 King Bed Family Room to a 1 King Junior Suite, which was more spacious.

Hot Tip:

Hyatt’s suite upgrade awards can be used for stays of up to 7 nights. Therefore, I typically save them for longer stays, like my 4-night stay in Rome, to maximize their value.

What Credit Card To Book With

As expected, I anticipated a substantial hotel bill since I typically redeem points for my stays and was paying cash this time around. Therefore, I decided to use The World of Hyatt Credit Card to pay for this stay.

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

U.P. Rating 

The rating for this card has been determined by our own industry experts who know the in's and out's of credit card products. Bonuses, rewards as well as rates and fees are all taken into account. Compensation from the issuer does not affect our rating. We only recommend products we either use ourselves or endorse.

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Learn More(at Chase's secure site)

The World of Hyatt Credit Card

The World of Hyatt card offers a fast track to Hyatt elite status, an annual free night, and up to 9x points per $1 on Hyatt stays.

Welcome Offer

Earn 5 free nights at any Category 1 - 4 Hyatt hotel or resort after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.* These nights could be worth up to 90,000 points.

5 Free Nights

UP's Bonus Valuation*:

$1,350

Annual Fee

$95

APR

20.99% - 27.99% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Good to Excellent (670-850)

Why We Like This Card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card makes your Hyatt stays more rewarding and helps you get coveted World of Hyatt elite status faster. This card is a must-have for any traveler who regularly stays at Hyatt hotels, or even for anyone who’s able to take advantage of the card’s annual free night certificate.

When you factor in all the benefits the World of Hyatt card offers, it’s easy to see why it is one of the best co-branded hotel credit cards on the market.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• 2x points per $1 at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airline, local transit, rideshares, and fitness clubs/gym memberships
• 1x point per $1 on all other purchases

Cons

• $95 annual fee

Read Full Review

Card Highlights

• Earn 5 free nights at any Category 1 - 4 Hyatt hotel or resort after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.* These nights could be worth up to 90,000 points.
• Enjoy complimentary World of Hyatt Discoverist status for as long as your account is open.
• Get 1 free night each year after your Cardmember anniversary at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel or resort
• Receive 5 tier qualifying night credits towards status after account opening, and each year after that for as long as your account is open
• Earn an extra free night at any Category 1-4 Hyatt hotel if you spend $15,000 in a calendar year
• Earn 2 qualifying night credits towards tier status every time you spend $5,000 on your card
• Earn up to 9 points total for Hyatt stays – 4 Bonus Points per $1 spent on qualified purchases at Hyatt hotels & up to 5 Base Points per $1 from Hyatt as a World of Hyatt member
• Earn 2 Bonus Points per $1 spent at restaurants, on airline tickets purchased directly from the airlines, on local transit and commuting and on fitness club and gym memberships
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 20.99% - 27.99% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

Rewards Center

World of Hyatt

By doing so, I was able to earn 5 base points per dollar spent on the stay as a World of Hyatt member, as well as a 30% bonus as a Globalist. This equated to 6.5 points per dollar spent, in addition to 4 bonus points per dollar spent as a World of Hyatt cardholder, for a total of 10.5 points per dollar spent on my hotel bill.

Overall, I received 24,444 World of Hyatt points from the $2,328 total bill. We value World of Hyatt points at 1.5 cents each, so I received $366 worth of points back.

Location

Nestled in a posh residential area, The Tribune was just steps from the lovely Villa Borghese park.

The hotel was in front of the historic Roman Aurelian walls, which brought a touch of antiquity.

A few hotels and stylish sidewalk cafés were minutes away.

Several popular attractions were conveniently near the hotel, including the Spanish Steps and the Trevi Fountain, which could be reached on foot in just 20 minutes.

Although the Colosseum and the Vatican were within walking distance, the journey by foot was pretty lengthy. On the other hand, it only took about 15 minutes to reach these destinations from the hotel by Uber or taxi. We booked an Uber XL because my in-laws joined us and paid $15 for the short ride to the hotel.

Rome Termini, the city’s main train station, was ideally located a mere 10-minute drive from The Tribune. Our train arrived from Naples at 1:05 p.m., and by 1:30 p.m. we had already reached the hotel in an Uber.

If you’re flying into Rome and heading directly to The Tribune, the drive usually takes around 40 minutes, depending on traffic, and costs approximately $60 by Uber or around $110 for a large van if you’re traveling with a large group. A reduced fare may be possible if you’re traveling with fewer people.

We loved the hotel’s location, which was not in the busy city center, where hordes of tourists congregate. Instead, it was within walking distance of many prominent shopping areas and tourist sites, such as the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, yet in a quiet and upscale neighborhood.

Hot Tip:

Check out our ultimate travel guide to Rome, offering tips for the best things to do, see, and enjoy! We also have a guide to the best tours and activities in Rome.

Checking In and Elite Benefits

As soon as we arrived at the hotel from Rome Termini Station, we were greeted by a quaint entrance and a warm welcome from the friendly front desk staff.

The double doors opened automatically with sensors as we approached.

To the right of the front desk were 2 cozy seating areas with a unique and eclectic design.

The walls were painted in a vibrant shade of purple, complemented by a diverse selection of yellow chairs.

The lobby library boasted a unique collection of books and vases, adding a touch of sophistication to the decor.

Because we were a large group, my extended family was able to check in quickly because their room was ready. To my amazement, the front desk associate told me I had been upgraded from a King Junior Suite to a King Junior Suite Deluxe, which is the largest room available at the hotel.

I was pleasantly surprised by this unexpected upgrade and couldn’t contain my excitement knowing that my family would have a large enough suite to spread out.

The front desk associate kindly explained the benefits available to me as a World of Hyatt Globalist. These perks included complimentary breakfast for all registered guests in the room, access to the club lounge, and a voucher for a complimentary drink at the rooftop bar and restaurant.

Since our room wasn’t ready yet, we decided to head up to the rooftop (I’ll tell you more about it later) and enjoy a drink while we waited for the suite to be cleaned.

Just 15 minutes later, the front desk manager arrived at the rooftop and led us down to our sixth floor suite.

A friendly bellman assisted us with our luggage. It’s worth mentioning that the property had just 1 guest elevator, which was on the smaller side, as is typical in Europe.

Because of this, we couldn’t accommodate everyone in a single elevator.

The bellman directed us to go upstairs to our room, ensuring us that he would personally take care of bringing up our luggage.

We were truly grateful for that, as it spared us the hassle of having to go back down again.

Room

There were only a few King Junior Suite Deluxe room types in the 52-room boutique hotel, but these were the largest rooms available, at about 344 square feet. The hotel gave me room 605, which was 1 floor below the rooftop bar.

As soon as I walked in, I saw a bathroom to my right.

This entryway bathroom featured a pleasant view of the 4-star hotel NH Collection Roma Vittorio Veneto from behind the curtains.

The entryway bathroom also had a freestanding bathtub, a sink, a toilet, and a bidet, along with a robe.

As families with toddlers will attest, having a bathtub in your hotel room is a valuable convenience compared to merely having a shower. Unfortunately, we did not have time to soak in the tub after a full day of wandering around Rome, but we used it to bathe our toddler.

Upon moving further into the room, I discovered our king bed in the front and a daybed that could be easily converted into a trundle bed, which is where my twin daughters slept.

In my experience, many hotels in Europe tend to have mattresses on the firmer side. The mattress on our king bed had just the right amount of firmness. According to my wife, who prefers a more medium-firm mattress, it was just right.

We requested a pack-and-play, and it was already set up in the room when we arrived, next to the trundle daybed.

There were lamps for additional lighting and USB-A and USB-C ports on either side of the bed.

On one side of the bed was a phone and a clock with an integrated wireless phone charger.

A desk faced the bed and included a complimentary bottle of wine for World of Hyatt Globalist guests.

We also found 2 free water bottles, but as there were 5 of us, I asked the front desk for extra, and they brought them up right away.

To the right of the desk was a lounge chair with a small table, which was useful for placing belongings on top.

Behind the king bed was an open-concept closet with shelving and a few drawers.

We were grateful for the closet’s arrangement because it allowed us to store our belongings here without taking up space in the room. This was important because we were a family of 5 and space is limited in a European hotel room.

In the closet, there was also a minifridge stocked with complimentary goodies for World of Hyatt Globalists, like sodas, water, and juices (my toddler particularly enjoyed the pineapple juice)..

Above the minifridge were some complimentary snacks, including chips, nuts, and wafers, which was a nice touch, especially when traveling with children.

Adjacent to the snacks was a coffee maker with espresso pods, essential for preparing our own in-room coffee.

There was another bathroom behind the bed on the other side of the closet. Unlike the bathroom at the entryway, this doorless bathroom featured the suite’s shower and a marble-tiled sink.

The 2 bathrooms — 1 with a bathtub and a toilet and bidet, the other with a shower but no toilet — were oddly configured in the suite, but we eventually grew accustomed to it.

Full-bottle shower toiletries, comprising shampoo, conditioner, and shower gel, were provided for each bathroom. The Botanist & The Chemist, a La Bottega beauty brand that uses 95% natural ingredients in its products, supplied the bathroom and shower toiletries.

Additional toiletry kits, such as a dentistry and shaving kit, were in both bathrooms above the sinks.

As per my usual routine, I checked the water pressure and hot water temperature of the shower on the first day, and it performed exceptionally well. One of the most important aspects of a hotel bathroom for me is having hot water with strong pressure.

The King Junior Suite Deluxe’s standout feature was the balcony that extended the length of the room.

The sunset from the balcony over Villa Borghese was breathtaking.

Having outdoor space in a hotel in Europe was a huge plus, and this was by far my favorite aspect of the suite.

The only minor inconvenience I had with the room was that it took longer than expected to cool down after we returned from sightseeing. I set the air conditioning to the lowest temperature, expecting to come back to a freezing room. However, it was surprisingly warm inside. Admittedly, it was midsummer in Italy and rather hot outside, so the room did start to seem cooler when the weather began to cool down in the late evening.

Amenities

The Tribune did not offer a wide range of amenities. Unlike a vast resort, this boutique hotel did not offer a kids club or swimming pool. However, it did have noteworthy on-site amenities that we could use.

Fitness Room

The hotel had a tiny exercise room, open 24 hours a day, with enough equipment to work up a sweat.

The exercise area was not exceptionally spacious, but it did have a few pieces of cardio and weight training equipment.

It also had a rack with different dumbbell weights, a bench, and a medicine ball. While the space was modest, 2 large windows let in natural light, keeping guests from feeling claustrophobic.

There was no water inside to hydrate while working out, so you had to ask the front desk for a bottle or bring water from your room.

Wi-Fi

All guests had complimentary Wi-Fi, which worked for me throughout our stay.

We even streamed a huge soccer game we couldn’t miss from our room and had no trouble seeing it on our phones without buffering.

Food and Beverage

Terrazza Borghese

Terrazza Borghese is the hotel’s rooftop bar and restaurant on the seventh floor, with stunning views over Villa Borghese.

This was the hotel’s lone restaurant, offering a curated seasonal menu made with fresh ingredients. The views from the rooftop were really spectacular.

During the day, guests could visit the rooftop to enjoy the views and order bar food and drinks.

Although we didn’t dine here for dinner, we regretted not doing so, as the ambience in the evening would have been enjoyable.

However, we did go up for drinks and refreshments because the front desk had given us a free drink each as part of my Globalist status benefits.

Terrazza Borghese was open daily from 12:30 p.m. until midnight and offered a happy hour, kids menu, and à la carte menu.

Club Lounge

The club lounge was a few steps off the main entrance.

From 7 to 10:30 a.m., the hotel served breakfast here, with a wide variety of foods and beverages (including an espresso machine).

We had breakfast here every morning, and the waitstaff rotated among the same 3 people each day, with 2 staffers present at all times. The service here was excellent and constantly attentive.

World of Hyatt Globalists and all other guests got breakfast included in the room rate. The buffet had a decent spread of hot foods, including scrambled eggs, bacon, and cooked vegetables.

While Globalists could request a made-to-order coffee drink from the waitstaff, non-Globalists could satisfy their caffeine cravings by preparing their own cappuccinos, as the club lounge contained an espresso machine.

Cold items you could count on for breakfast were cold cuts, glazed doughnuts, and hard-boiled eggs.

In addition, guests could have chocolate croissants, toast with Nutella spread, or other baked good items at breakfast time.

Globalists could also choose from an à la carte menu (in addition to indulging in the buffet) featuring omelets, eggs Benedict, pancakes, and made-to-order espresso drinks.

If you did not have top-tier Globalist status, you would be charged an additional fee for any à la carte menu items.

Following breakfast, the club lounge converted into a space where all hotel guests could enjoy complimentary light snacks and beverages like sodas, water, coffee, and sparkling wine.

The lounge was open from 2:30 to 6 p.m., and the menu was light, so don’t expect to fill up here and replace a dinner.

Plus, why would you want to when the most delicious pasta and pizza are just a few steps outside in the neighborhood?

Room Service

Each room included a room service menu. So, if you’re exhausted from a long day of sightseeing and don’t want to go out to get a bite to eat, you can always order from the room service menu and stay in.

Service

We had a lot of interactions with the staff throughout our 4-night stay. These started with the front desk associate going upstairs to the rooftop to inform us that our suite was ready at check-in. Then the associate graciously helped us arrange a hired van to the airport when we were were in a hurry to catch our flight and realized Uber would take too long.

During breakfast, the waitstaff consistently showed kindness toward my family and were incredibly efficient in taking and delivering our orders. Every morning, I requested a high chair for my little one during breakfast, and, like magic, it appeared at our table in no time.

I was extremely satisfied with the service as a whole at The Tribune.

Final Thoughts

The Tribune is one of Rome’s best-kept secrets. There aren’t many Hyatt properties in Rome, so The Tribune is one of the few places where World of Hyatt members can use their points. I paid more than I would normally pay in cash per night, but I was happy with the value I got in return.

I had the most spacious suite for my family of 5 at the hotel and complimentary breakfast with made-to-order dishes. It was a great base for exploring Rome.

When in Rome (pardon the joke), I will definitely make it a point to stay at The Tribune once again.