A Mini TR from our recent 7 night vacation stay.

Check In

A very pleasant and thorough check in experience with all basics taken care of and additional things offered at the start (Map of Florence with all sights pointed out, shuttle timetable handed out etc.)

Room

Rooms are small. Although we were upgraded to a Deluxe room, it was still poky for two people plus luggage.

Service

The lady who runs the exec lounge needs to do customer service 1.01. We have innumerable examples of poor behaviour ranging from pushing past customers when meeting at the lounge entrance, to dismissing me with a wave and turning away to look at her computer screen whilst I was trying to explain that the coffee machine wasn't working.

Bathroom

We had issues with the hot water. In our case, the flow and temperature fluctuated wildly, making showers a game of Russian roulette where you were alternately frozen and scalded.

Dining

Il Terzo Cerchia, a family restaurant a couple of blocks away that is brilliant. You should go at least twice (we made 3 visits in 7 nights), once for the pizzas which were outstanding, and once for the Bistecca Fiorentina that was absolutely excellent. Apart from the food it has a great atmosphere and was full of locals, often in large family parties.

The Lounge

Everything about the lounge (location, views, food (especially evening snacks) and drink) was all great.

Taxi

If you get a hire car, then pay extra for the sat nav option. The hotel sits in a maze of roads and can be very difficult to get to (or at least that was our experience).

Overall

It's a nice property without being outstanding in any particular way.

The Hilton Metropole in Florence is a new modern hotel on the outskirts of town.

Transportation

Arriving from Rome via the train, the Metropole has a shuttle the runs at the bottom of every hour. It picks you up right outside to the left of the main entrance of the train station. It takes about 20-25 mins with traffic to reach the hotel. The shuttle drop-off point is only 10 min walk to the Duomo and quickly puts in into the center of attractions.

Location

The hotel is very modern highrise for which you can see when as you arrive in the shuttle. It does seem to be in a residential area with very little options to explore around the hotel.

Check In

Check in was very quick, pretty much no different than any Hilton here in the States.

Room

The rooms are small, think of New York, but very new age. The key to the door is one of those RFID type that you need to wave on the sensor on the right side of the door. I had room 1403, which faces the Duomo. As you enter the room, there will be a slot where you need to insert the key to turn on the power to the room. Took me a min to figure this out!

Amenities

The rooms have a nice glass bathroom, and amenities, a small TV; almost too small. They have working desk, with internet access. King bed was comfortable with nice sheets and pillows. There is pool in the basement with workout room, but I didn't use them.

As a Diamond, I was given the exec floor access which is really nice. On the 16th floor (it might be the 15th, but it is the top floor) you have straight view to the Duomo with 2 outside patio areas with tranquil waterfalls. Seeing how this was February and it was raining the most of the time I was there, I really didn't get to enjoy the outside area, but I'm sure in the summer time it will be nice.

The Lounge

The lounge is stocked with small snacks, beer, wine and water/drinks. They have a nice size plasma tv to watch while chilling. There is a computer with free internet access, and unlike the other hotels, there was no need to login or show a passport. For nibbles, it doesn't compare to the Cavalieri.

Dining

The restaurant on the 2 floor is a nice touch, an I had a good meal there the first night. It's only open for dinner, which starts at 7pm. Prices were reasonable with a dinner for one running about 50 euros (appetizer, and wine included into price.)

Overall

For a Cat 5 hotel, it was nice, worth the points but you do lose the ambiance of being so far from the city center. The shuttle does run pretty late, but keep in mind you will be waiting outside the train station for an hour if you miss it.