I'm looking for some recommendations for somewhat upmarket hotels in Florence in a central location. We are currently booked in Hotel Villani near the Duomo which is a great location but the hotel is expensive and sort of average (2 stars). Rate should be no more than 200 Euro per night, preferably a little less. TIA!

If you consider the other side of the river (20 min walk to Duomo) please do check Hotel David. Lovely!

The hotel star rating system in Italy relates to the number and type of amenities the hotel has (elevator, room service, meeting space, room size, parking, etc.), and many of the amenities offered by a 4-star hotel may not be of interest to you. The stars are not a measurement of elegance, although a 5-star hotel (and many 4-star hotels) will feel/look grander. So, unless you're looking for "grand," generally disregard the stars and focus on what is offered for the rate. Only you can define what is "expensive" for you.

Moved to Europe board and tagged for Italy

You don't mention when you plan to travel as hotel rates can vary quite a bit season to season. I have heard good things about the Hotel Davanzati but have not stayed there.

We recently booked a Florence hotel that we consider to be "central" which for us means an easy walk to the SMN train station as well as to the Duomo. We got it on Booking.com an have stayed in it before but it is not at your price point so I am not mentioning its name. I'd use a booking engine to look for hotels. I stay home when I want to cook.

https://www.parishotel.it/en/hotel-p...orence-center/

What Jean said. There are some pretty dumpy three and four star hotels. Some quite nice twos. Read the reviews. Look at the pictures. Ignore the stars. Unless staff uniforms matter to you

We stayed at Hotel Silla and it was great. Really enjoyed being on the other side of the river from the main tourist center. A full breakfast is included.

Listen to Jean. Stars mean nothing in Europe unless you need conference rooms and ice machines. You need to get over the Marriott mentality and just look for a convivial, comfortable hotel.

Thank you.

Thanks, everyone. I guess anyone who posts here runs the risk of being judged. Personally, I love the Italian flavour hotels but I'm not travelling solo on this leg of the trip and my companion prefers hotels with lobbies. This is her first self-guided trip to Italy and she is letting me be her guide as well as itineraries from Tauck Tours. High expectations .

Sorry you got pinched here, Redlandsneen; it does happen. I've read through the thread and it appears that one poster was judge-y, but most people were helpful. I wish I could recommend one at first hand, but after several trips to Firenze, I've yet to stay in a hotel with a lobby!

Redlandsneen--We absolutely loved the Casci Hotel. The location is ideal, IMO, and the owners of the hotel make sure that you are taken care of. It is not a high end hotel so you will not find a fancy lobby, BUT you immediately feel the warmth when you enter. I have recommended it to several friends that have stayed there during various trips and everyone raves about it, FWIW. It is well within your budget.

We stayed here https://www.touristhouseghiberti.com/en in May of this year. Many on this forum have recommended. We were very happy with our room. The room and bathroom were very spacious and comfortable. There is a small lobby and breakfast was included. I would stay there again in a heartbeat.

We've also stayed at the Tourist House Ghiberti a few times and have often recommended it. However, based on the description of the traveling companion's preference, I'm not sure the THG is the right choice for the OP. The "lobby" isn't what I'd describe as a lobby, although there is a nice, small outdoor terrace if the weather's nice.

I would compare it to the other properties recommended upthread and then decide.

A hotel with a "lobby" also makes me scratch my head. I have stayed at Hotel De La Ville, a 4 "star" hotel with a lobby, due to a last minutes plan change, and that was the only hotel with two rooms available at that point. I don't like to stay in these kind of hotels with lobbies as they are often souless business/group tour hotels. My most fond memory of staying in Italy was a two-star hotel with no elevator, no 24-hr front desk, but a friendly caring hostess who barely spoke any English. The hotel came with charming rooms and a lovely deck where we had lovely breakfasts without any business talk commotions or tour groups around us.

I don't see any overly 'judgey' posts (one was slightly snarky but not really) - everyone was trying to explain the 2, 3, 4, 5, star classifications really don't mean anything the same as they do in the States.

The stars are derived from a check list of specific amenities and say nothing about the quality/charm/room rates/whatever. There are very posh 2 star properties and pretty dismal 4 star places.

We stayed in Grand Hotel Cavour in Florence last Christmas. It has a fancy lobby. We found it a very nice hotel, good staff and in a good, convenient location. It also has an amazing roof top terrace bar, with fabulous views. Its pricey than we would normally go for but we were travelling with my sister, and it was her first visit to Italy. The rooms were comfortable and the staff will arrange a ztl permission to drop your bags if you have a car.