Having not stayed in Rome before, walking down the graffiti clad streets (taxi driver dropped us at the wrong end of the street) at night to the Hotel was somewhat intimidating. However on arrival the the Hotel it was like an Oasis; bright, clean and friendly staff.
Although it took about an hour or so to walk into the City Centre each morning, we didn't mind this as it gave us an opportunity to see parts of the City we would not have seen had we stayed Centrally. The area of San Lorenzo which we learned was a student area came slightly alive at night and we found a couple of really nice bars / restaurants. So much better than the Touristy places n the Centre. I think we should have done some research before our trip and perhaps the above would not have been a surprise. Having said all that, it was a great few days. I'd recommend it if you don't mind walking although I'm sure with a bit of effort, public transport to the Centre could be found.