Vibrant, fun-loving urban hotel with rich use of color in Rome’s Prati neighborhood

Mama Shelter / Roma / Italy

I have had my eye on this chain for some time. Mama Shelter was founded by Serge Trigano and his sons Jérémie and Benjamin. They opened their first hotel in an unexpected part of Paris back in 2008, in the 20th arrondissement. This is where you’ll find now trendy Belleville but Mama Shelter was really the first kid on the block.

Already from the get go the idea was to create an affordable hotel filled with playfulness and exciting design and this ambition is still very much intact. Mama Shelter has joined the ever expanding Ennismore Group where you’ll find one of my other favorite chains, the Hoxton. Compared to the Hoxton Mama Shelter feels like the more affordable, more daring, fun-loving younger sibling. With the help of Ennismore Mama Shelter has continued to grow and when writing this (in June 2025) they are running 19 hotels with more hotels soon to open.

The 217-key Mama Shelter Roma opened in July 2021 (hence the license plate of the Vespa in the photo above) and is located in the residential Prati area, hidden behind the Vatican. This is an area not so frequented by tourists which allows you to take part in some authentic Roman lifestyle, which is.a real treat when visiting this busy, popular city. So great to be able to have a coffee next to some local old men discussing yesterday’s football match or go grocery shopping in the local supermercato.

When you approach the hotel it is rather stern-looking with its pink-grey tiled facade and straight lines. But as soon as you enter it is like being embraced in a warm hug. They have been generous with the use of colors and the vibe is fun and quirky.

Our room was, just like the rest of the hotel, colorful, playful and bright. We booked a room with a balcony where we sat in the morning with a coffee feeling the soft morning breeze in our tired faces.

Even though this is an urban hotel it is a destination hotel, meaning that you’ll find everything you’ll need under one roof. In the basement there is a great gym, an indoor pool and spa area. There are two restaurants and two bars where one is located on the roof top, offering great views of Rome, the Vatican and beyond. It was such a treat to return to the roof top after long days exploring the city, relaxing in the shade with a cold Negroni listening to the distant sounds from the streets below.

Welcome to the Mama Shelter. The exterior is such a contrast to the vibrant interior.

The lobby area is a good first taste of what to expect at the Mama Shelter Roma.

I always enjoy checking out the public restrooms. It is usually a sign of the level of the design ambition of the hotel. If they make an effort here, they will for sure make an effort everywhere.

We were so hungry when arriving that we went straight to one of the in-house restaurants, serving great pizzas.

The elevators have this great wallpaper of famous Romans, mainly football players and old emperors.

There were to masks available if you wanted to do some sci-fi role-play.

My favorite design feature of our room was the bathroom. Love, love, love this color scheme.

The view from our balcony of the courtyard bar.

And one floor above us, was this place, the sunny roof top terrace and bar.

This is hand’s down the cutest ice cream trolly I have ever seen.

Downstairs in the basement there is a well-equipped gym.

This snap shot is a good example of the quirky, playful, generous design of Mama Shelter. A vibrant mix of patterns, textures and colors.

Breakfast at the hotel I served either a la carte or buffet style. We went for the a la cart option. Didn’t want to venture out into Rome too full.

M heading out matching the colorscheme of the stairwell.

I love these old fashioned newspaper kiosks that you’ll find dotted around town.

Walked through the Vatican on our way to Trastevere.

We took a long walk to Eataly for lunch to get away from the throngs of tourists in town for the election of the new pope. Eataly was a great refuge where it was basically just us and some locals.

When in Rome you kind of have to have (at least) one Cacio Pepe pasta…

RG inside info

This place is perfect if you…

…are looking for a fun, vibrant hotel in a less touristy part of Rome. If you appreciate colorful design, relaxed service and a young vibe, you will really like Mama Shelter.

My favorite thing about this place…

…is the roof top terrace. It is a great place to hang out after walking the streets of Rome where you can get a drink, something to eat and just enjoy the view of the city.

What not to miss when staying here…

…is to explore the area of Prati where the hotel is located. It is a residential part of town where you can hang out with the locals and experience a different part than where most of the other visitors tend to hang out.

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