Hyatt Place Florence / Downtown — Hotel in Florence

I rated this hotel with 1 star only because the system doesn’t give an option for 0 stars. This is what happened: a few minutes after check in, a family member and I came off the elevator on the first floor and we were immediately approached by two members of hotel management, one of whom was the general manager. He told us (we identify as people of color) that we did not “look like we belong to this hotel,” and that it was hotel policy for management to take steps to engage us as a security risk (but never actually verified that we were guests of the hotel).

Throughout the entire interaction, we were never given a coherent reason as to why we didn’t fit the profile of people who look like they belong in the hotel or anything about our behavior that made it necessary to engage us in this manner. He eventually told us that an employee reported that we used our valid hotel key to enter the hotel through the side door and walk down a hallway toward the elevators, which led to the confrontation.

I believe in the phrase - “if you see something, say something” - but, again, we asked but were never given any explanation as to why accessing the hotel with a valid hotel key presents a security risk or how people who “belong in the hotel” look in comparison to how we look. Needless to say, the interaction made us feel extremely uncomfortable, to say the least, belittled, singled out, and clearly profiled.

If the head of the hotel didn’t think we looked the part for this hotel, then we clearly didn’t belong there. I have been a Hilton Honors Diamond member and a Marriott Bonvoy elite member for a few years, but, after giving Hyatt a try, I will gladly go back to brands that don’t treat us this way.

As to why we entered the side door with a valid hotel key (required to enter and exit the door), the reason is that we parked behind the building for check in because the small area in front of the hotel was full and we didn’t know where hotel parking was until after we received clarification from the front desk staff that it was 1-2 blocks down the street. And the side door by the pool gave us quicker access to the place where we parked. It had just rained, and we were on our way to move the vehicle when we were stopped at the elevators by the hotel’s...

Where do I start? I booked the room through Hotwire 2 hours prior to my arrival. I chose this one since it was “pet friendly” and part of Hyatt which are generally clean in my experience. Once there I went to park in their lot (across the street through another darkish parking lot). Turns out you have to check in first and use your room key to open the gate. I circle back around and check in. Desk attendant was very nice. He swiped my card for “incidentals” and I went on my way. Got to the room, the bed linens and shower curtain were dirty and the room smelled weird, like mildew-ish. After 10 hours of driving with a small child and 2 cats I decided to look past it and go to sleep. I brought my own trashbag and disposed of my cats food cans, litterbox, and litter. I spilled some clean litter on the tile when filling the litter box and cleaned it up the best I could with my hands. Regardless, I left the room the way I found it. I go to checkout and the front desk girl said to just leave the cards on counter. Two days later I check my bank account and 1. I was charged $194 and $174! AFTER I paid Hotwire $154 for the stay. 2. Apparently they charge a “pet cleaning fee” of $75, which is outrageous. So how does $75 turn into $194 and $174?? $75 is half the cost of the stay. As dirty as the room smelled and linens were, I guarantee they don’t clean anything differently when a pet stays. 3. I called and was refunded $113.19….where is the rest of my refund? Why did noone disclose a pet cleaning fee of $75 to me? Especially after seeing me with my cats upon arriving and leaving. 2 stars only for polite interactions with staff....

We stayed overnight on a Sunday evening and overall it was an acceptable Hyatt, but a quirky experience.

The hotel is newer, a 2019 construction and breakfast was good, on the better end of the Hyatts. The parking is free and while away from the hotel, isn't that far. There's one building between the hotel and the parking lot.

The strange / other stuff.

Our room had a chemical smell and the carpet was still damp from whatever cleaning was done. Had we checked in earlier and not already been exhausted from a long drive, we might have pushed to change rooms. The person checking us in seemed scattered, I also didn't want to deal with complaining about a room.

There was also a promenent sign at the front desk outlining the per hour charge for early check in / late check out. It's fine to charge, but I've not seen that at a Hyatt before. Apparently they get tired explaining it?

The elevator smelled of pot at 7am. Strange for a downtown hotel on a Monday morning. Based on the other reviews, do people come into downtown for the few restaurants and to party?

There are train tracks nearby, but we only heard the train twice. This wasn't a big deal.

The area itself was pretty desolate on a Sunday evening, only 1-2 places open and a few homeless around. It wasn't a place I wanted to go outside and stroll around. There were some businesses and nicer restaurants around, but Sunday isn't the day to be here.

My guess is this is an adequate hotel Monday - Thursday, but is best to be avoided for a different crowd Fri/Sat and is pretty...