Bernini Bristol, Rome, Italy

When it was first opened in 1874 the Bristol was a handsome building, but rebuilt under Mussolini it turned into something altogether more brutal. Inside, they have tried to retain and recreate the glamour of the original, when it was one of the most fashionable hotels in town, and the juxtaposition is not always entirely comfortable. The ornate reception area is gloomy, with its 'tobacco stain' marble salon, as are the corridors and halls upstairs. The 125 rooms are done up in a variety of colourways, but all the renovated rooms are ornate with the Roman obsession for using plenty of contrasting fabrics - silk flock on the walls, busy patterns in the carpeting, tassles on the bedcovers, swagged curtains and fabric bedheads. The simple limed oak furnishings in the standards (superior rooms) works best - in the deluxe rooms the inlaid repro antiques introduce yet more decorative elements. The 30s windows are shuttered and are generally on the small side, so the rooms are not always very light. On the roof, the restaurant L'Olimpo offers sweeping views of the city.