I am taking my family to Italy. We have 3 children (21,19, 15). I am looking for accommodation suggestions...would like to put 5 in a room if possible. I am aiming for a nightly rate of approximately $250 USD/night. Any suggestions?

You might be more comfortable in apartments. There are others here more knowledgable of apartment rental agencies than I, but just to get you started, www.venere.com is a good place to "comparison shop" for hotels, b&bs, apartments, etc. Just plug in your parameters (city, dates, type of accommodation, etc.) and you will get a listing of many properties that are available with their rates for your stay.

Hotels rooms are smaller thanyou might be expecting. You are traveling with your children, yes, but two if not three are adults. Please, consider two rooms if you go the hotel route. You will probably get along better if you do.

For Florence,you could stay in one of the agriotourism/villa's just outside Florence and day trip in. Much nicer to see Tuscany and Pisa from. Check out Slowtrav.com for some great apartment reviews. Paris Perfect has apparently just acquired an apartment right it Florence which might work for 5. We stayed at Hotel Santa Maria in Rome which had family rooms.
Good luck.

Which three people are not going to use the bathroom?

ellenem is "dead on".

Best wishes,

Rex

Even though they are your children in reality you've got 5 adult size bodies! I question the logistics of staying in a hotel room & sharing a single bathroom. Wouldn't you like a place with a tiny bit of extra space to sit, relax, read, whatever when you aren't sleeping? Or possibly you've done this successfully before? I would suggest apartments, suites, connecting rooms, or two hotel rooms. Even if you have to stay in a more modest place to afford the space.

Try looking at apartments listed by sleepinitaly.com. There are plenty within your price range.

In Florence, try Palazzo Gamba Apartments (centrally located, next to the Duomo). We are a family of 4 (2 adult children) and stayed there in November. We were quite pleased.
http://palazzogamba.hotelinfirenze.com/

Individual rooms for 5 are very rare. Quads are hard enough to come by. And with the 3 children not being youngsters, I think it would be quite cramped. I know the Santa Chiara (Rome) has an apartment type accommodation, but I think it will probably run quite a bit higher than your budget. We stayed in their quad but I don't think they could fit an additional bed in there. I agree that an apartment may be the best options. You can also look into a triple/double combo. In FLorence, Hotel Casci might work (for 2 rooms).

ganzelc-

Saw this post in a currently running thread about "favorite rooms in Europe" and it may be something for you to consider. Poster does not indicate what season the rate is for, but perhaps:

Author: mlr
Date: 05/04/2004, 09:11 pm
Message: Message: Carmen
Having read your posts, may I suggest the Hotel Nerva near the Colosseum in Ancient Rome - 15 minute walk from the Pantheon. Small hotel, family run, very friendly. We had a room with a loft (and good air conditioning) that easily accomodated our family of four (again, 15 year old boy and 20 year old daughter)Large, marble bathroom. Easy access to subway. Somewhere in the 220 Euro/night range. Great value for the money. BTW, loft has two twins, so room could accomodate five.

Oops - sorry - thread is "What are some of your favorite hotel rooms in Italy".