offerendum

Most may know I´m not a fan of StR Florence, had a mediocre stay and personally I think it´s at least one step below FS- BUT the interior is nor cheap and the building also has a lot of history. Also the room itself was in my eyes one level with FS.

sophialite

I admit it could be limited to the rooms I was shown. And the lobby area wasn't as bad (even if it felt cramped compared to the Four Seasons.

richarddd

That's where we're staying for our November trip. The location was a major factor. I hope it does well on other criteria.

david22

Thanks everyone for all the input and useful info!

But one of the things I don't see that mentioned in any replies are the noise concerns. I know noise is hard to avoid completely in historical buildings and busy cities, but anyone want to opine on that aspect? :-)

bhrubin

@david22 we had no noise issues at any of the StR Rome, StR Florence, or Gritti Palace.

For the StR Rome, we had an interior junior suite looking into the central courtyard. For the StR Florence, we had a corner junior suite on street and entry plaza sides of the hotel. For the Gritti Palace, we had a suite towards the rear of the property on the side street. No issues.

sophialite

No issues at the Four Seasons. I've done the presidential, which overlooks a small exterior garden, the gallery suite which overlooks the street, the Renaissance suite, which overlooks the private garden (and the pool area in particular, which generates the most noise), and a junior suite on the other side of the building which also faces the garden. No noise issues whatsoever except if you open the windows.

I haven't stayed in the Limonaia, so I don't know if there's noise issues with that. Wouldn't surprise me if there were noise issues because it opens out into the garden, and they frequently host events there.

Ive so never stayed in the building on the far side of the garden. Again there could be noise issues there because a lot of private events like weddings are hosted in that building and just outside of it.

offerendum

StR Rome long time ago, but remember nothing. StR Florence no noise from outside but from inside. FS Florence very silent.

david22

Thanks for all the input. So far I've booked:

* Rome: Fendi Suites (Palazzo Suite 1)
* Venice: Gritti Palace (Landmark)

Still mulling over the implications of location in Florence.

I might change those around as prices evolve / I learn more, though.

I find it really hard to justify the massive price premium of Aman over Gritti when Gritti is so well regarded and the rooms in Aman are kinda austere and there's lots of reports of poor internal soundproofing. Good bathrooms and common areas though.

obscure2k

imho, there is no justification for the price premium of Aman over Gritti. Stick with the Gritti. I had a good long look at Aman. It convinced me that I would never want to stay there. It feels more like a movie set than a hotel. Last year in Nov, only 3 rooms were occupied.

EuropeanPete

You've already had a number of well informed opinions, but for what it's worth:
Rome: St Regis. The other luxury hotels in Rome all have something seriously wrong with them, IMO. This will not be the best hotel on your trip, but such is Rome
Venice: You're right to pick the Gritti.
Florence: While I think that the St Regis Florence is perhaps the best hotel in the Marriott portfolio globally (at least for service), it isn't on quite the same scale of grandour as the Four Seasons with their lovely gardens. Pick based on whether you'd like a luxury boutique great service feel (St Regis), or grand luxury at the Four Seasons.

Valveking

We loved the location of the FS Florence. It feels like an urban resort. It is absolutely stunning and the 15 minute walk back after dinner was a great way to walk off a few calories. They run a house car into town fairly regularly if you don't want to walk.

sophialite

You really think so re the StR: Florence? I feel like the StR Osaka, Ritz Kyoto, Ritz Montreal were all better in terms of service (and hard product without question).

sophialite

Exactly. People talk about the Four Seasons' location like it's a con. It's a pro in my view. All the other hotels are too close to the action. Even during August, the Four Seasons felt like a sanctuary from all the tourists. And the private garden, which is the largest in Florence, is incredible.

My only complaint about the whole set up is that the outside dining area (Il Palagio) and the swimming pool area can feel a little too resort-ish and manufactured Italian. The food is also overpriced and not that good in the pool area. I suppose it's a 5 star hotel, so what do you expect? And anyways, if you're going to Florence to eat at the Four Seasons the whole time, you're doing it wrong.

EuropeanPete

You can immediately discount my view as I've not been of the above. I'd be super surprised that the RC Montreal was all that good, but Japanese service is obviously going to have attributes you're just not going to get in Europe. My favourite anecdote about the St Regis Florence was that I left some trousers on the floor which had a small hole in them - within 3 hours of leaving the room the Butler had noticed the hole, got them fixed and left them folded up in the room with a bow tied around them and a note.

sophialite

The Ritz Montreal was, indeed, surprisingly good. At least back in 2015 when I stayed there. Obviously a lot can change in 4-5 years.