Stayed here in May 2005. Location is great with Spanish Steps literally at the end of the street, Trevi Fountain 15 mins away, and bang in the centre of the shopping district. Spanish steps is not as impressive as we thought, mainly populated with young locals hanging out, but its certainly a good climb to the top and a good view. HOWEVER, the hotel was very disappointing. We booked through Expedia, after looking at Residenza's website. This is TOTALLY misleading. Don't beleive the pictures of the rooms. The lounge/breakfast room is exactly as shown, but the similarity stops here!! We thought we had booked a Superior room with double bed & bath, complete with fancy bedstead as shown on site. The room we got was a total letdown. Twin beds in a small room with loose parquet flooring which creaked with every step. A tiny shower instead of a over bath as booked. When we complained we were told all rooms were the same and they did not have doubles, or baths. But on our last day we caught a glimpse into another room which was bigger, and fancier than ours. The BIG room on the site is apparently a seperate apartment. So if you are thinking of booking, DON'T BELEIEVE THE WEBSITE. Oh yes, the hotel is on the second floor, and doesn't have a lift, so pack lightly because a heavy case up 2 flights of stairs can really take it out of you.

I have stayed in Frattina during 3 different business trips and to be honest with you, each time I had different experience depending on the room I stayed. In our first stay, I had to move from one room to another based on the unavailable dates and that was OK. One of the rooms was fine with a high ceiling but the shower was tiny and had to take steps to get in. Another room had a quinn size bed with a small shower but it was OK. On my last stay they gave me the tiny room with two single beds with a very small shower. The only benefit is the great location. It is close to the Metro (was our primary reason for choosing this place for business) and nice neighboorhood to walk after work. We were able to get a corporate rate so combined with the convenience of the location I could put up with the small rooms or showers. Some rooms have quinn size bed and they are nicer compared to 2 bed in a single room - so you know. The breakfast is OK - coffee sucks - they serve cold boiled eggs, in-plastic pastries and in-plastic toested bread and home-made cake (you might see the same cake on the serving table back to back 2 days). The nice thing with the place is the nicely decorated common area. It is where the breakfast is served. During the day or night, you don't have to sit in your room but sit in this common area with your friends and watch tv - they don't have no CNN or satellite tv - or internet access (except the computer next to the front desk). The manager (he is a nice guy) and other front desk fellows did let me use the computer to check my e-mails - so I can not complain. The folks working there are very nice people, the lady preparing the breakfast can not speak English but you will find a way to communicate. You will probably see a different person each night at the front desk and most guys are smoking heavily. If you are staying in those 2 rooms close to the front desk and not smoking - you might be annoyed of the smell. Also some of the front desk guys like to watch Juventus games and the tv might be too loud for those staying in the first 4 rooms (from the entrance). The floor is wood (and old) so it makes noise - and you know for sure who comes in late :)
Again it all depends for Frattina - if the price is right, and if you are lucky and get a nice room - you will enjoy your stay. If you get the small room I stayed during my last trip, you might not have a good experience. This time I found another hotel (this one has 4 star) for the same price Frattina offered (for corporate price) and I decided to try this new place. Who knows, I might stay there again for business purpose - but don't think will stay there with my family for pleasure.
Hope this proves useful.

Residenza Frattina was the third hotel we picked from Rick Steves' book on Italy, and it was a big disappointment after the first two. The other mid-priced hotels were roomy and charming. These rooms were tiny, the bathrooms tinier, and the walls made out of paper. Other reviews warned about street noise, and they were right. It was very bad! The breakfasts were also the least appetizing of the three places we stayed. On the plus side, it was convenient, and the staff was pleasant. They were very nice about letting us sit in the common rooms and eat a light dinner we brought in - which made for a delightful evening in their rather eclectically decorated living rooms. All in all, a very mediocre hotel.

I had a mixed experience at this hotel. When we first arrived, the bathroom had evidently not been cleaned from the previous tenant (or it had been used by the cleaning staff after cleaning...). The towels were clean but the toilet was not.

Also, for this price, I would not expect to have dirty smudges all over the wall next to my bed.

The bathroom was fully cleaned each day after that so I don't know whether the first night's experience was a fluke, or they cleaned it better because we complained.

In any case, the other issues were smoke and noise: smoke from the hallways and street below, and noise from the street below (though that, I think, is just the way it is in much of Rome).

Pluses were the location - a safe, bright, pretty street in one of the ritziest shopping districts in Rome, near lots of sights and some excellent restaurants tucked in among the more-touristy ones (just wander onto little side streets and look in the windows to find a good one). Also, the restaurant the hotel recommended was terrific.

If location is important to you and you don't mind cigarette smoke, it would be a fine choice. Myself, I wouldn't stay here again.