slidergirl

did you have verifiable facts that all of those so-called rooms you supposedly saw somewhere on line were indeed vacant and clean and ready for occupancy? Reservations systems only see vacant/occupied, not HK status.
Sometimes, how you come across in your attitude will define how the "conversation" will happen.
Just sayin'....

merrickdb

No, and they may well not have been available. I'll push a little (politely) when I see availability and the hotel says rooms aren't available, but I accept that availability in the system doesn't always reflect reality. My issue wasn't with better room types not being available but with the hotel outright lying to me about having found me a better room and then giving me the same room they'd originally given me, with my friend being left feeling like the hotel thought she was a prostitute, and with the front desk agent's demeanor and attitude towards me.

(As an aside, the hotel did move me to a top-floor room with a terrace the next day.)

jb12

will there be a problem combining one free night that my wife has with mine?

margarita girl

I believe you are asking if you can do two consecutive free nights, one from each account? There's no reason why this would not be allowed. Make sure you let the hotel know that you'd like to keep the same room so you don't have to move.

dingo

It's been a year since this thread saw any action. I'll be there in November for five nights w/ my wife and 8 year old daughter. I've got a Jr. Suite right now and may try to apply an SNA to get an executive suite. Any recent mini trip reports, info on breakfast or hotel dining in general, or other tips/info would be greatly appreciated.

stromile

i was there in april for a 5 nights points stay. we were platinum through a 2017 marriott challenge, so no SNA experience. we were assigned a second story room overlooking the arno that had a few balconies. it was the least impressive room we received on our trip through italy in terms of category of room, but it was still very spacious, and there were metal shutters on the balcony windows that would come down and keep the light and late night noise out of the room. we were just as happy with this arrangement as the objectively more spectacular suites we got in como and out near trieste.

the breakfast benefit is as described above; it's a good european buffet with eggs made to order and all kinds of meat, fruit, breads, juice, etc. per person per day i think it normally runs 40 or 50 euro. definitely worth taking it as the benefit. we ate it 4 of the 5 days we were there, and the odd day out was just an instance of us oversleeping (woo, vacation!). we also stopped at the rooftop bar for a drink and a snack, which was very enjoyable. the view is pretty cool and the aperitivo was quite good. it is priced on the high side even accounting for the area, but still worth it. highly recommend.

the location is fantastic. i'm sure you already have something of an itinerary, but a very helpful face in the neighborhood can be found on the other side of the ponte alla carraia at an establishment called vinarno. it's a sandwich shop with an especially friendly proprietor named francesco who makes a very good spritz and had all kinds of helpful tips. e.g. he asked our plans, we said we wanted to see X, Y, and Z, he said try to schedule around seeing Y near sunset and look out this way for an incredible view/photo opportunity, and while you're walking over to X stop at this place for a hidden rooftop bar. we enjoyed the food and drink, but we really appreciated his insights, as they helped smooth out what was an overly ambitious itinerary for the length of our stay.

i hope you and your family have a great trip!

dingo

Thanks for this info! It's been about 10 years since we were last at the hotel / city and I'm sure much has changed. Back then, plats didn't get breakfast and there was no rooftop bar; we didn't spend much time in the hotel at all back then. I had looked at the STR across the square, but I just can't justify the boost in points to stay there vs. the Westin for what we will be doing at / in the hotel.

thanks again!

brianinok

My wife and I stayed at this hotel nearly 2 years ago for 4 nights. Sorry I didn't post then, but we had such an incredible stay I wanted to share now. We stayed when I was MR Platinum status-matched to SPG Platinum. The hotel recognized me as such and upgraded us to a wonderful room on the top floor that had a terrace and a view of the river and Ponte Vecchio. We had reserved only a room with a river view. Breakfast was included for us as Platinum at the time. Breakfast was served in the wonderfully ornate room off the lobby. We chose the hotel because of its great location near the city center (walking distance) and old world charm. Sometimes my wife and I will splurge for a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons stay, but we opted for this Westin even over the St. Regis next door and Four Seasons across town because we just could not see what they offered that the Westin could not.

Our stay was nothing short of amazing. The service we received from the entire staff but especially the concierge was incredible. They booked us dinner reservations at wonderfully recommended spots like I would expect them to. But where they really went above and beyond was when I asked if we could go to the top floor terrace / event space to take pictures (it seemed to have such a wonderful view of the Dome and the city). You see, my wife and I were expecting and we wanted to take a picture of the two of us holding a baby outfit we had bought at a local Florentine boutique to share with our friends with all of Florence in the background. They not only offered to let us up there but went with us to take the pictures for us (so it was not a selfie) and we went all over the top floor and terrace taking pictures. It was really so wonderful of them. Such a great memory for us, and we got great pictures of it as a bonus.

The hotel itself is wonderful, the staff is great, and our room was spectacular. I can't imagine staying anywhere else in Florence. I can't imagine spending additional money to stay at the St. Regis (I am very sure it is nice, but the Westin was already so ornate and plush) or the Four Seasons. The Westin rose to the top in decor, service, and location. This is where you will find our family when in Florence.

dingo

I'm looking for the e-mail address for this hotel. Ether I'm not seeing it on the website, or since the Marriott takeover they have removed the 'contact us' link that I'd used in the past. Any one have one for this hotel and/or have an idea where they moved the e-mail address to on the website in general?

rosenkreuz

Just had a stay here, Jun 2019.
1 - Room is spacious, and the decor is beautiful. Carpet is spotless (compared to Westin Excelsior Rome)
2 - The breakfast has generous selections, fresh fruit and eggs made to order. Delicious.
3 - Check-in experience was great. Was upgraded but not to a suite. Asked front desk several questions, got satisfactory answers.
Highly recommend

iluvdoco

Had an AMAZING stay here. Only stayed here one night on points (booked an Arno Premium River Deluxe view room for 105k points), and was upgraded to a HUGE Grand Deluxe Suite with an amazing view of the Arno. Might be my best upgrade as a Titanium yet. Just one level below the Presidential Suite. Staff were great, breakfast is delicious.

Hope to return and also try the StR next.

bhrubin

Happy to hear you got such a great upgrade!

I assure you that the StR is even nicer--though perhaps the room won't be as spacious if you don't get such a generous upgrade!

beachfan

jimdarcy

Have a stay coming up in April here. Any recent experiences or tips on the upgrades, room location, etc.

beachfan

Stayed in early October, it was a special occasion (my wife’s big number birthday) and got an outstanding grand deluxe suite upgrade (photo 26 on the web page pictures).

I’m a repeat guest (not many times, but a few). I’m sure that helped.