Review of Carlo IV, by Angela Moore

A very Boscolo hotel, built with an eye for big conferences and tour groups. Public areas are dramatic - it's in what was a bank, so areas like the lobby have soaring vaulted ceilings, acres of marble and stucco and banks of palms and flowers.

Décor veers between blinding neo-Renaissance and contemporary Italian. Service runs to uniformed bellhops and serried ranks of reception staff.

The facilities

There are two restaurants, the Box Block for formal fine dining and Giga light, which is notable for its oversized lamps towering over the tables. The star of the public areas is the cigar bar in the former bank vaults, a clubby and masculine space now storing fine wines and brandies.

The subterranean spa, free of charge for guests, has a wonderful mosaic-tiled pool which takes up virtually the whole room and has sections for Jacuzzis and whirlpools. There's a separate entrance for conferees and the conference rooms come with all the necessary technological bells and whistles.

The rooms

Higher category rooms the hotel's 270 guestrooms are in the older part of the building, in the former staff offices of the bank. These are very grand, with fabric-covered walls, high painted ceilings and lovely parquet floors. Frescoes have been carefully restored, antique furnishings and contemporary artworks carefully sourced. Bathrooms are built of Italian marble. In this section of the building, the black-and-white tiled, airy corridors are a joy.

Other rooms are in the more modern section of the building, reflected in their contemporary décor, which has a slightly art deco repro feel. These bedrooms are comfortable but uniform. The amenities are the same throughout: high-quality linens and lashings of Etro in the bathrooms.