treznor

The two hotels are on the same plaza (Piazza Ognissanto), both fairly centrally located, easy walk to the train station, Uffizi, etc.

sjuhawk_jd

Well, based on the comments posted here, I booked two nights at the Grand hotel for Aug 9 and 10th. Few weeks ago, I got an email saying that due to "security related" upgrades taking place at the Grand, the hotel is not available during my stay and that my reservation has been moved to Westin. The email promised "all efforts" to give me an upgraded room. Does this put me in a situation of some type of advantage as a plat member.

Quasiconvexity

Any updates on the renovation at the Grand? We are booked for 3 nights starting Aug 30 - the renovation is scheduled to end by the 29th of Aug IIRC but some first-hand accounts would be great!

chanp

If all goes well, im scheduled to be there next weekend, ill find out and post up after.

Quasiconvexity

That would be great - thanks!

dingo

You'll not go wrong with either of these hotels. The location is identical, the staff is great and the hotels are wonderful. The bar over in the Grand is my preference; the entertainment there is better than at the Westin. If you're driving, contact the hotel in advance about the restrictions to avoid a ticket or at least familiarize yourself with the restricted zones. The fines are very steep.

Quasiconvexity

chanp, any updates on renovation at the Grand post your stay? Thanks!

sjuhawk_jd

Stayed at Westin Florence for Two nights (Aug 9 and 10th). My reservation was for the Grand Hotel, but it was moved to Westin due to construction at the Grand Hotel. We were given an upgraded room (suite?) on arrival. It was on 4th floor, had a wonderful terrace overlooking the Arno River. It was a 1 bedroom suite, room was quite large with a sitting area, bathroom was just fine, and a large walk-in closet. A small bottle of desert wine and some biscotti were given to us compliments of the hotel GM, plus the standard Plat amenity (Fruit basket that we opted for). Overall a great stay at a lovely hotel. We did not spend much time in the hotel to explore the bars, lounges, restaurants, etc.

TheEyeTie

Hi all

I'm currently booked at the Grand Hotel for two nights as of tomorrow (using the FWN award). I noticed that the Grand is completely fully booked and no rooms (either best rate or points) have been available for the past few weeks. However, the Excelsior has availability for the coming weekend. Given my gold status, would I be better off staying at the Grand, or switch the reservation to the Excelsior, and perhaps hope for a better room? Incidentally, I don't expect an upgrade, nor will I ask for one, but thought I'd evaluate the odds of receving one...

Many thanks.

IBAG

craz

1st find out if in fact the Grand will actually be Open.

Otherwise theyd move you anyway over to The Westin. also try to find out if by chance they pre UPed you if they will be Open. At times I found I had been pre UPed although they can Downgrade you if they need to

If they will be open and you havent been preUPed then its a very good chance you will end up with the exact type of room spelled out on your res, if you dont want to end up with that, yep a move to the Westin might be a better choice

TheEyeTie

Thanks for your reply. Only academic now though, as all availability seems to have disappeared from the Westin too...never mind, I'm sure it'll be fine!

IBAG

3Cforme

I was at The Grand 4-7 September and saw no obvious evidence of construction - but I didn't go looking for it, either. All operation seemed normal.

brytpa

Really enjoyed my stay here at the end of Oct. Only stayed a couple nights but the room was great. Deluxe with view of Arno, small step out balcony. Quite lavishly appointed. Booked award room on points, fyi.

Very spacious room, nicely furnished, comfy, and just felt very Old-World-Luxury!

Well situated on a cute square (right across from Westin). Short walk to main sites in Florence. Great city for strolls and walks too.

Though it's a Luxury Collection, I found the prices very reasonable - particularly compared to what we saw in Rome and Venice. Anything from lunch to coffee to minibar/incidentals were all cheaper here than what we paid in Rome and Venice.

Service was always great, staff friendly and helpful. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

jpdx

I'm planning a 3-night FFN stay in Florence. I already have two nights booked at the Grand, but the third night is no longer available. The Westin has availability for all three nights. I'm trying to figure out whether the difference between the Westin and the Grand is significant enough to warrant moving between hotels.

I've read through the various threads on these properties, and figured out that the difference between the two hotels is minimal, but Platinums have a much better shot at a suite upgrade at the Grand. (I have stayed at the Grand twice when I was Gold, and was very happy with the hotel).

What do you recommend? Option A: Book three nights at the Westin. Option B: Book one night at the Westin and two at the Grand (and deal with the arduous trek across Piazza Ognissanti). Thanks!

FrAAmer

I had a suite at the Grand for one stay and an absolutely fabulous room (non suite) at the Westin (room 208) this past May. You can see pics from my May stay on the Westin Excelsior thread.

If I were to be offered two nights in the suite in the Grand and then had to move for the third night - or three nights at the Westin in a room equivalent to 208, I sure wouldn't bother moving - especially because I like to work out and the Grand uses the workout room at the Westin (and the Westin uses the Grand's business center).

From what I remember, the beds were identical - and the bed we had in May was wonderful (as was the bedding and towels.)