Hilton, Sheraton or Westin in Venice and Florence?
I am doing a mileage run to Italy next month and am looking for some advice on where to stay. I would prefer to stay at a Hilton, Westin or Sheraton so I can use points. I will only be staying one night in Venice and one night in Florence. Any suggestions? Trip advisor doesn't have much good to say about the options...
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Originally Posted by BUR Regular
(Post 15264154)
I am doing a mileage run to Italy next month and am looking for some advice on where to stay. I would prefer to stay at a Hilton, Westin or Sheraton so I can use points. I will only be staying one night in Venice and one night in Florence. Any suggestions? Trip advisor doesn't have much good to say about the options...
I would most certainly avoid the Hilton options in Florence as both are quite a distance from the centro storico and w/just one night you don't want to spend all of your time waiting on their shuttle. If you have the points and there is availability I'd opt for the Westin in Florence. |
Starwood has great properties in both cities. If you want the best stay experience, I'd choose Starwood properties. Then, again, if the heart of Venice is flooded, as it might be this time of year, the Hilton could look very appealing.
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Thanks for the thoughts on the hotels! Any reccommnedations on local hotels?
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Originally Posted by BUR Regular
(Post 15273697)
Thanks for the thoughts on the hotels! Any reccommnedations on local hotels?
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i have enjoyed the locals i have stayed in. not worth the trouble to list 2-3 dozen hotels. for a mileage run, just as well stay at vce. i think there is an inexpensive chain hotel out there. for, florence, just find something near the railray station, or are you flying from vce to flr, in which find something near the flr airplane station.
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If you're going after the new year, check Hilton's January sale. I got Hilton Venice for some €150/nt in 2008 (inc tax and breakfast for 2) and Florence Metropole for €60/nt (same as above but breakfast for one) this year.
That said, Hilton Florence is quite a way out of town and not exactly near where bus lines serve. There is a shuttle bus but there are reports of people getting stranded by a full bus. The HGI is said to be better situated (near the university campus) for busses. Venice Hilton is away from the main part of the city so you'll need to take the Hilton's water taxi (hourly) or take the local ferry boats. |
Sorry for the confusion...I was asking if you had knowledge about the local hotels as opposed to the chains I referred to in my initial posting.
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Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
(Post 15282214)
If you're going after the new year, check Hilton's January sale. I got Hilton Venice for some €150/nt in 2008 (inc tax and breakfast for 2) and Florence Metropole for €60/nt (same as above but breakfast for one) this year.
That said, Hilton Florence is quite a way out of town and not exactly near where bus lines serve. There is a shuttle bus but there are reports of people getting stranded by a full bus. The HGI is said to be better situated (near the university campus) for busses. Venice Hilton is away from the main part of the city so you'll need to take the Hilton's water taxi (hourly) or take the local ferry boats. |
Originally Posted by slawecki
(Post 15281090)
i have enjoyed the locals i have stayed in. not worth the trouble to list 2-3 dozen hotels. for a mileage run, just as well stay at vce. i think there is an inexpensive chain hotel out there. for, florence, just find something near the railray station, or are you flying from vce to flr, in which find something near the flr airplane station.
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Originally Posted by SanDiego1K
(Post 15270349)
Starwood has great properties in both cities. If you want the best stay experience, I'd choose Starwood properties. Then, again, if the heart of Venice is flooded, as it might be this time of year, the Hilton could look very appealing.
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Just stayed at the Molino Stucky Hilton (Venice)
It is true that the Stucky is on Giudecca, across the channel from the main islands, but there is a free (scheduled) shuttle boat to two stops: Zattere directly across the channel, and another stop adjacent to Piazzeta San Marco. Thus, it is not nearly as big a disadvantage as you might think. You can also take the vaporetto to 2 nearby stops.
This Hilton is very nice. Quite a large and striking building, and lovely to look at the city across the water. I would stay here again, no doubt. Arriving at the trains station it is easy to get to on the vaporetto- five stops I believe. Easier than many other hotels in Venice. If you go in the flooding season, though, you should take care to wear rubber boots or get back before the those stops become flooded. Boots are readily available for purchase there for less than $20 and are commonly worn on days when overtopping of the lower elevations is likely- depths are typically from 1-3 inches that I saw, except for Piazza San Marco, which might have been a bit deeper. They set up elevated walkways that cover most, but not all major routes. |
Thanks, Fanger!
Originally Posted by fanger
(Post 15355041)
It is true that the Stucky is on Giudecca, across the channel from the main islands, but there is a free (scheduled) shuttle boat to two stops: Zattere directly across the channel, and another stop adjacent to Piazzeta San Marco. Thus, it is not nearly as big a disadvantage as you might think. You can also take the vaporetto to 2 nearby stops.
This Hilton is very nice. Quite a large and striking building, and lovely to look at the city across the water. I would stay here again, no doubt. Arriving at the trains station it is easy to get to on the vaporetto- five stops I believe. Easier than many other hotels in Venice. If you go in the flooding season, though, you should take care to wear rubber boots or get back before the those stops become flooded. Boots are readily available for purchase there for less than $20 and are commonly worn on days when overtopping of the lower elevations is likely- depths are typically from 1-3 inches that I saw, except for Piazza San Marco, which might have been a bit deeper. They set up elevated walkways that cover most, but not all major routes. |
Originally Posted by BUR Regular
(Post 15357697)
Thanks, Fanger. I appreciate all of the detailed information provided in this post. With all of the negative posts in TripAdvisor.com, I decided to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Florence. I am hopeful I have made the right decision! I will post on this link after my stay to let all know how the HGI measures up!
If you goal is to take in as much of florence as you in 1 day, Id rethink staying at the HGI. Sort of like hitting LA for 1 day and staying by LAX, which is OK if all you want is the beach communities If you are flying into FLR and then flying up to VCE tahst anotehr thing, but if you Training it the HGI isnt ideal |
Originally Posted by BUR Regular
(Post 15357697)
Thanks, Fanger. I appreciate all of the detailed information provided in this post. With all of the negative posts in TripAdvisor.com, I decided to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Florence. I am hopeful I have made the right decision! I will post on this link after my stay to let all know how the HGI measures up!
I don't know what tripadvisor says, but there is simply no comparison between Venice and Florence properties. The Venice property is a luxury hotel located 5 minutes minutes from the city center w/regular boat service (3 minutes if you choose to exit at Zattere), the Florence property is a mediocre [at best] hotel located 20 to 40 minutes from anything of interest [depends on traffic]. To get to anything of interest, you have to take a shuttle [w/notoriously spotty service] that only drops you off at the train station - which is still a distance from the centro storico. |
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