Palazzo dei Ciompi Suites

The huge balcony was a lovely extra, and the location was great. Still, the accommodation wasn’t very clean, and the dated air conditioning left the apartment uncomfortably warm at times. The balcony furniture was old and uncomfortable too. Being told to take our own rubbish out at the end felt frustrating for the price. It was an okay stay, but there’s plenty that could be improved.

The location felt a bit far from transport and local attractions, and the centrally controlled air conditioning was switched off during the hottest part of the day. The breakfast was terrible, so we didn’t return after the first day. We didn’t enjoy our stay. The rooms were old and needed a proper clean, and they weren’t serviced. We had to empty the bins and wash our own towels, which isn’t what I want to be doing on holiday.

The room was basically a basement, with no windows, a lot of humidity, and plenty of noise. This was in late March, and I can’t imagine how it would be in summer. I’ve stayed in plenty of hotels, and this was one of the worst experiences of my life. We came to enjoy Firenze, but this ruined a couple of nights. We couldn’t sleep for more than a few hours.

I’d had a decent stay here last year, so I chose Palazzo Ciompi again. After this visit, I’ll return to Florence, but I won’t come back to this hotel. The value for money is very poor, and there are much better options nearby. We stayed in the “Beatrice” attic room. It looked charming at first, but the maintenance was far below even basic hotel standards. Cold drafts came through every window, the air conditioning didn’t work at all, and the bed was so uncomfortable it was almost impossible to sleep. The flat, cheap pillows and bedding felt like they belonged in a budget hostel. The bathtub awkwardly placed in the middle of the room was visibly neglected, with limescale residue and a broken upper part of the shower that made it nearly unusable. It felt as if nobody had properly inspected or maintained the room for a long time. Pigeons hit and cooed at the window early in the morning, waking us. Between the cold, noise, and bed, it was impossible to rest properly. The elevator was out of service when we arrived, so we had to carry all our luggage up to the top attic floor after a long trip. The receptionist was kind and did her best, but seemed left on her own to handle all check-ins and fix mistakes from the rest of the team. That points to poor management and organization, not staff dedication. Parking was another poorly handled issue. Guests should be told clearly to reserve it ahead of time. Without a reservation, you end up paying more for outside parking, although the website lists an “on-site” price of 25 euros. Reception opens at 10 AM on Sundays, while check-out is at 10:30. If you need to leave earlier, you can’t, and have to wait for someone to arrive. That’s not how a hotel should work.