Room Service! Gizzi Erskine Dines In At W Rome

This article is part of an editorial series following W Hotels’ 2026 Italian Tour. Check out our interview with Andrés Reisinger in W Florence here, and stay tuned for our final, Sardinian instalment.

Few love Rome like Gizzi Erskine. Over the years, the British chef has spent plenty of time in Italy's capital, sampling its trattorias, its markets, its late-night carbonara haunts—building the kind of familiarity that comes from returning again and again, not just passing through.

This made her the perfect travel companion. As W Hotels' Italian Tour unfolded, so did many a winding conversation about food—over, naturally, a long meal. Gizzi's years of experience cooking, from her early days on TV to her acclaimed pop-up events, cookbooks, and later restaurants, meant her approval of any primi or secondi was of paramount importance to the group. Thankfully, our itinerary provided the goods.

Rome was our second stop on W Hotels' Italian Tour, and W Rome provided something a little more akin to classic luxury, offsetting the quirky and artistic spirit of W Florence, our previous stop. Here, rooms are filled with mahogany tones, and in the elevators you're flanked by oxidised vintage mirrors. Nestled in Ludovisi, a short stroll from numerous of Rome's most famous attractions, it's a hotel that wears its elegance quietly. On the roof, you'll find guests bathing in the sun and the city's skyline stretching out beyond the pool's edge.

I spent an afternoon with Gizzi luxuriating by the side of said pool. Aperols in hand and totally horizontal, we made the most of a sweltering European heatwave as we discussed food, hospitality, and what makes the perfect room service.

So Gizzi! Tell me about Rome. Let's start with the food…

I know Rome really well, and I know Roman food. What I love about going there is that the city actually showcases more dishes than any single region does elsewhere in Italy. We know Bolognese comes from Bologna, and the seafood pastas are probably Sardinian, definitely Sicilian — but what people don't realize is that cacio e pepe, carbonara and amatriciana are all Roman dishes, along with loads of other things. Artichokes feel very Roman, and definitely the charcuterie too. That instantly makes me feel safe traveling there, because with Mediterranean food — Italian food especially — you know what you're going to get. For people who aren't super confident travelers, that's reassuring: we all know those three dishes really well.

Because it's so touristy, you can end up expecting great Italian food and getting a pretty bad version of it. But if you know where you're going… the way I find a good restaurant in Rome is to look for the word trattoria above the door — that tends to mean it's more classic. There are tourist versions of everything, but sometimes you just have to accept a bad plate of food along the way.

Stunning. By far the nicest hotel we've stayed in. I loved the color tones—I think it was all the different terracottas, stones, sunsets, that kind of thing, because the whole color scheme felt very Roman. It's a modern hotel, but still cozy and comfortable, and everything felt considered. That's what I'll say about the W: most hotels have all the bits and bobs you want, but not necessarily the best-quality versions of them.

When you're traveling, is food a big part of it?

Completely. There are places renowned for having awful food that I have zero interest in visiting — it genuinely determines the style of holiday I go for. Eating street food has been part of it since I was young, because I spent a lot of time in Bangkok growing up, so it's always been in my bones. Eventually I invested in a street food company [name unclear in the recording], where we tried to take the best elements of street food from around the world and turn them into a proper dining experience. We used to call them "food raves" — it was so much fun. We ended up creating our own culture out of it.

Now when I go to Thailand, it isn't just about the street food anymore — some of the best Michelin-starred restaurants in the world are in Thailand and Japan, in Asia generally. It shows you how far that food culture has traveled, into fine dining and into liberal, alternative culture too. Last time I was in Bangkok, maybe six years ago, I went to this tiny pop-up at a really cool bar with some of my chef friends. More recently I was in Tulum and met René Redzepi, who took me out for dinner and introduced me to loads of people. What "fine dining" and what Michelin means now is completely different from what it used to be.

Do your tastes change when you're traveling?

Here's the deal: it always starts at the hotel, working out whether the breakfast is good. Then it's small, sandwich-y lunches. By the end of the trip I'm having long lunches at all the cool local restaurants, and either supper the same way, or room service. Honestly, that's all I want sometimes. I love a hotel and use one so often — even as a food person — because on holiday you eat and eat and eat, and then you're knackered and you just want to walk and walk and walk. I don't think we should be ashamed of loving a really good room service.

How would you rate the W Hotel's room service?

Breakfast — breakfast is always the best thing. I'm also always curious what a hotel does with local food as room service, even though I know it's never quite going to nail it. And ultimately, I love a burger. Burger over club sandwich any day.

You mentioned the spaghetti you had at W Rome—what made it stand out?

This was real spaghetti. Loads of garlic, loads of wine, beautiful tomato, with grilled shellfish. What more do you want?

Back on the topic of pasta, W Rome's menu celebrates many classic Roman dishes. Are there any that you always come back to?

Cacio e pepe and pici, which for me is the best pasta maybe of all time. And also amatriciana, which is the tomato and pancetta.

To find out more about W Hotels' Italian Tour, head to the brand's website here.