BUR Regular

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...

bdemaria

Hilton in Venice is very nice but not as close as Piazza San Marco as the SPG or Westin properties. If you are contemplating the Hilton in Venice, you might check the paid rate right now - as it can be relatively inexpensive (esp. compared to the Westin or SPG options) and thus a better value paid than the 50K/night points it would take for a free room.

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.

SanDiego1K

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.

BUR Regular

Thanks for the thoughts on the hotels! Any reccommnedations on local hotels?

bdemaria

slawecki

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.

YVR Cockroach

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.

BUR Regular

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.

BUR Regular

Thanks YVR

BUR Regular

Thanks, slawecki

BUR Regular

Thanks, SanDiego1K

fanger

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.

BUR Regular

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!

craz

I was in Florence last month for a long weekend , dont know which airport yopu are flying into. I flew into FCO and trained it up to Florence. All I can say nothing beats walking out of the Westin and in a couple of mins being smack in the middle of Everything. Also its a quick 5 min walk from the Main train station to boot

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

bdemaria

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.