bdc323

I'm looking for a hotel to stay at in Florence for three nights and I think I've read enough to be pretty convinced that Nuova Italia is a good place to stay (~$40 a night, great location, no major complaints from customers). Does anyone know if all the rooms are basically the same quality, or is the cheap rate they're currently offering for a certain sub-standard room? Also, any input on booking directly through the hotel's site vs a booking site like hotels.com?

bvlenci

I checked on booking.com and the prices of their rooms seem in line with what you've seen; I assume you're looking at a single room. It gets high marks on booking.com , with some people complaining that the bathrooms are small and that there's considerable street noise. Neither of those things would bother me, and the price is hard to beat.

I usually book through booking.com , which has an excellent facility for managing your reservations. I imagine hotels.com has something similar. I'd also rather pay with a credit card through a major reservation site rather than through an unknown payment site used by a hotel. I often communicate with the hotel privately after making the reservation. Lots of people prefer to book through the hotel's site, saying they find lower rates. I often check the hotel's web site, but haven't seen this difference.

nini

We stayed there a few years ago and our room(very basic) was extremely noisy. The San Lorenzo Market is around the corner and the merchants start setting up around five am and the noise started then - carts pulled on the cobblestones creates horrid noise-- no ac when we were there. There was no elevator and we had to haul our luggage up four steep flights. The owners were dedicated smokers and the lobby/reception area was very smoky.

bdc323

I have heard some complaints about the noise, yes. Honestly that's the only thing that concerns me at this point, but I'm looking for a single room just to sleep in - I figure the rest of the day I'll be wandering the city so I'm not setting the bar very high anyway. Just looking to avoid a horror story. Thanks all!

kybourbon

>>> Also, any input on booking directly through the hotel's site vs a booking site<<<

I don't know which dates you are searching, but a random search for 2 nights in May on the hotel's website is much more than double what you said you are finding on booking.com. Did you mean 40€, not $40? The rate I see for a single in May is 86.33€ per night. Are you traveling in winter?

bdc323

Yes it will be winter, so the lower rates make more sense.

bvlenci

The noise probably won't be a problem in the winter, both because there will be many fewer tourists, and because the Windows won't be open.

At those prices, I'd be pleasantly surprised to find an elevator.