Rome hotel or apartment?

I think it's almost always more economical to rent apartments. If you haven't done it before, you will also realize how much more comfortable it is to have a couple of rooms to spread out. It's also great having a kitchen even if you don't cook. You can make coffee and keep fruit and drinks in the apartment even if you eat out for all your meals. There is a huge selection in Rome in all price ranges.
The only downside to an apartment IMO is that you really need to do your research since there will be no concierge. But research and planning before a trip enriches it so much anyway.

If you have never been to a city before, you will have a lot of research to do; most apartment owners/managers are very knowledgeable about the city, but some are not.

Upside for a hotel: breakfast is often included, you can check in/out within a larger time frame, hotel will hold your luggage in most cases, lots of information available.

We rented an apartment (via AirBnB) on Via Giulia and it was amazing. I'd love to recommend it but it only sleeps two. Overall though I think it's great way to feel like you live in the city instead of just visiting. It was much more affordable too. We paid just over $100 a night and were directly across the street from a hotel that was ~$300/night. The area around Via Giulia is amazing and I'd highly recommend it.

I whole-heartedly recommend an apartment. Not only can you get the number of bedrooms you need, but you also have the space to spread out and relax after or during long days of sightseeing. Plus, you will more than likely have a clothes washer which really comes in handy.

We had a really nice two bedroom/2 Bath apartment a block north of Piazza Navona for well under what 2 moderately priced hotels rooms would have cost.

I booked all three apartments for a two week trip to Italy though Trip Advisor. Most of the apartments were listed on multiple web sites so it's really personal preference which one you use. I liked the ability to pay with paypal.

Good luck.

I also definitely recommend an apartment. We stayed in an apartment last year and it was so much more convenient than a hotel. The only downside is not being able to do very early or very late check in/ check out if you have flights at ridiculous hours (which I always seem to)..... but a relaxing long breakfast at a café on Campo di Fiori was a nice way to pass the time until we got access to our apartment and a really nice welcome to Rome. Cant recommend one though as we had 4 people and are tight arses so always squeezed into one bedrooms with sofa beds.

See if this one is available.

http://www.cross-pollinate.com/rome/apartment/1102/Chez-Nanà

Very close to the Vatican.

Thank you so much everyone! I appreciate this information a lot! I'll get busy looking up apartments now.

We just travelled as a family of 7 and had a 3 be apartment close to the Spanish steps ..we could walk to Trevi fountain, Spanish steps, pantheon and the Colleseum ...shops and restaurants were everywhere . We took a taxi to the Vatican .It worked great and cheaper than a hotel