If the Colosseum in Rome is considered to be in the center of the city, this hotel is still very central as it is just a 6 min walk away through a nearby park. I believe it is just a 1 star hotel (lowest class) but for the price and service, it is HIGH CLASS! My daughter and I went to Rome over the weekend for the 2011 marathon (March) and we were just interested in seeing some sights, eating some pasta, shopping and getting a good night sleep for the run. We just wanted a simple but clean room and our own WC and we got that. Since was spring (15-19C), air-conditioning wasn’t a question. The hotel is on a floor in a residential apt building and you have to press door bell to get in but it was staffed 24 hours a day and that felt safe! There is basically no lobby area, so your either outside or in your room. A continental breakfast was served but we just bought food at a local supermarket to make sandwiches and hade juice in the little fridge. I heard that others have had problems finding the hotel but that is not the hotels fault. It is an easy walk from central station (5-7 min walk). From the subway station “Colosseum”, you just walk threw the park that is on the right side as you look on a map, and walk to the street “Via Merulana”. We, however, went around the park and got lost in the small streets because even with a map it is difficult to find yourself in Rome. They not only name the streets but even squares within the streets. Just to many names, had to keep a finger on a map showing my position all the time. I highly recommend that you get a map of subway system and buses and take the 1st dag to get acquainted with basics of buying tickets and finding your way around BUT the staff at this hotel was extremely helpful for this too. Thanks to them, we found Marathon village, shopping streets, local restaurants, grocery stores, buses, metro, etc. They have internet so they can look things up for you too. I have heard that street noise could be seen as a problem, but found that the this didn’t hinder our sleep. I myself have apt in a big city (Stockholm) and can hear traffic/people outside and my neighbors when they are in the hall. After a day in Rome it was nice just to relax on the bed and watch some TV even if it was in Italian. Beds were fine. Our room was cleaned every day, bed was made and we got new towels. So in conclusion, we stayed simple but clean for a decent price as our focus was taking in Rome. We’ll come back to Merulana Star.