Hotel Orto De' Medici — Hotel in Florence

I wish I could give it 0 stars. This place stinks!

Literally, this hotel smells like raw sewage. They make their best attempt to cover up that smell in the foyer / hallways and rooms with the chemical fragrance of bleach or toxic air freshers, so it’s one or the other!

We were wedged into one of the teeny tiny rooms at the hotel, not overlooking an internal courtyard but a mosquito filled fire escape. Our room in particular looked in to another hotel room, so there was no sunlight for us.

It was almost as if the buildings entire plumbing system was fixed to the outside of the bedroom wall. Every time a toilet flushed or a shower ran you could hear it rushing through the pipes as if it were in the room.

While the website boasts renovations and a fresh and modern furnishing, they could’ve done a better job with the aesthetics should they have stopped by Ikea. Everything is tacky and flimsy - the beds are cheap and hard, the sheets smell like bleach and feel like scratchy plastic on your skin.

Late on our second night at the hotel, after sitting on the edge of the bed, two of the slats broke, making the bed entirely unusable. When we took a look at the cheap manufacturing of these cots, it was obvious we needed some assistance with this issue. Reception were in no way helpful, after telling them of the issue we were told “can’t you just sleep on it” before being offered any solution. We were reluctantly given another room across the hall with no assistance to move our belongings after our significant inconvenience. The room we were moved into was smaller, noisier and stinkier than the one we were in before! The bed is positioned on the wall against the elevator shaft so every time it was called you could hear it rattling through the walls, not to mention the guests talking in it. The walls and floors are not soundproofed as you could hear every footstep. The so called “Soundproofing” listed on the website is a blatant lie.

Every negative review for this place seems to have some kind of excuse - but nothing can excuse how everything about our stay at this hotel was significantly off, especially after having traveled to other cities around Italy on this trip and in hindsight we just have to laugh at how bad this stay was!

*Edit after response from the owner; see below. This review was only posted in one other place (where the hotel was booked), and was only posted here on Google as there was not enough room to air all of the grievances of this place on Hotels.com. As you can see from Giacomo's response, who has called me "not too reliable" for expressing my opinion of this bad hotel, all they want to do is come up with pathetic excuses for their awful hospitality. Not angry, just glad I never have to spend another night at this...

replying to owners message

If you are going to write a narrative please respond accurately. Children walking is not the same thing as stomping on the floor, dropping things and dragging things on the ground. I am pretty sure anyone traveling would think the same thing. I did report on the second night but there was never any mention of changing rooms or anything, not even a follow up from the front desk. And if I didnt write the email what would have happened, because calling the front desk didn’t do anything? I cannot comment on emails that you replied to because you put disclaimers on it saying it cannot be shared or used (but I guess you are allowed to use it in commenting). This whole experience is a disaster and is the equivalent to a 1star hotel service. Disappointed would be an understatement and the lack of ownership, accountability, or genuine care from a hotel that claims to be a luxury 4star hotel is disheartening.

replying to owners message

I can’t believe I have to write this, but this experience was the WORST hotel experience I’ve had In years. I chose this hotel because of the great reviews, but unfortunately my experience was not the same and it seems like management could honestly care less. I had multiple nights of people above me stomping, dropping things, and dragging things on the floor (these noises went at least till 2300hrs). This small glimpse of a video is that experience throughout my stay. I contacted the front desk, nothing changed, so I ended up writing a message hoping it would find its way to somebody who could help. For a 4star hotel charging €400 a night, you would think you are paying for an experience and service, but I was wrong. When I went to checkout, they offered to cover a €7 a night city tax for compensation, which I do not think is equivalent to being able to relax and sleep in your room. At this point there is nothing I can do but share my experience with other guests, so they can fully understand what you could experience or the lack of care from a management team. I asked if they needed anything before I departed and they said no.

To make things worse, they start calling a couple hours after I left because they forgot to charge my credit card before I departed. So now they want me to start emailing me credit card information, which is not something I feel comfortable doing over a non secure platform.

This place ruined my experience...

If you're reading this sentence, you should stop and simply book yourself here. THEN, you can come back and finish reading this review to see why it's sometimes worth to trust the opinion of an internet stranger. Because someone will book the room before you do and by the time I've convinced you to...booked out.

Truly lovely accommodations.

The rooms are remarkable beautiful in simplicity, layout, and decor. You'll be enamored by the highly vaulted ceilings and the entire ambiance of the room and of the hotel itself.

The bed was very comfortable, but the highlight for us American tourists is the bathroom. The pictures don't do justice to the spacious shower to fit yourself in for a wash after a Florentine steak and too many glasses of wine (with water pressure that'll make you re-think your own plumbing back in the US). The toilet, bidet, sink, mirror everything...is just top notch in terms of spaciousness, cleanliness, and every bit the new standard for a 4-star hotel.

But where Hotel Orto De Medici is the truest gem of Florence is the complimentary breakfast in the mornings. Let. Me. Tell. You.

I don't know where they get the breakfast pastries from, but wherever you went and stood in line for 15 minutes because everyone said to go....Orto De Medici has it beat. Literally the best cornetto I've had in my entire visit. The breakfast alone has me planning a visit back to Florence just for this hotel. Not an exaggeration.

Anyways, the staff are about as friendly and helpful as you can imagine. Everyone speaks excellent English and it makes me truly marvel at how bad the American school system is when it comes to language proficiency. But I digress.

Last thing (and you're still reading and not booking eh?), the location of the hotel is perfect. Yes, it's a small jaunt from the train station, but you're so optimally located to the major Florentine sights. Be mindful that the sidewalks are narrow. If you're lugging a gargantuan Samsonite, you'll be earning that amazing breakfast. And you'll be thanking me (you're welcome in advance), because it'll be more than worth it.

Trust me (an internet stranger) and the rest of the internet strangers who took the time to echo the same sentiments. Trust the staff at Hotel Orto De Medici. Have a...