Hotel Martelli

With less than 24 hours in Florence with my son, arriving and departing (early in the morning) by train, the Martelli Hotel was perfect choice. It's in quick walking distance from the train station, even with two suitcases, so the location couldn't be more convenient, right in the center of town. We also had plans to meet up with relatives, who know Florence well, at their hotel and to go to the Uffizi, and the Martelli was very close to both. Our family gave us a short tour of many of the key things to see in Florence, and we couldn't have had a better location. (The Duomo is just steps away.) We weren't there long enough to fully appreciate any amenities of the hotel, but they have a suitcase storage room, which I was very grateful for upon arriving before check- in. They also welcomed us upstairs to use the washroom, and there were sofas where we hung out and collected ourselves before venturing out. There appears to be a restaurant on that floor, which may have a continental breakfast, but we missed it with our early departure. The space looked very nice, though. The hotel is not without some charm, though the draw of Florence itself had me not really caring too much about the hotel. Our room was intestingly located off of a dining room that doesn't seem to be used, but could be, if for some reason you wanted to have a snack there or get some work done at the table. While not in the luxury category, the room was sweet and comfortable with some traces of old Italian charm. If you want ice-cold air conditioning, this might not be the place for you. (But there IS air-conditioning, and it was fine, even in the intense heat, but not set to typical American temperatures.) I see some of the other reviews mentioned noise, but I didn't hear any other people at all. If you're looking for a boutique hotel with expensive bath products in the bathrooms, this isn't what you're looking for. But if you want a really reasonable, clean, convenient place with a low-key, somewhat eclectic/endearing aesthetic—stay here!

We recently stayed here for 5 nights and it was underwhelming to say the least... We were greeted on our first day by a very unfriendly and unhelpful man at the reception desk, he did not explain anything about breakfast, the wifi, checkout or that you have to hand your key back to reception every time you leave the hotel. We were then told how to get to the room, which consisted of taking 2 separate lifts up 2 levels at which point we reached our room and realised we had stairs within our room from the door to our beds. The room itself was clean but it was very old. Whilst the air-conditioning was functional, it was either hot or cold, on or off and it was loud and distracting especially whilst sleeping. There was a strange non-functioning dirty water basin above one of the beds which was disturbing. Also the windows in the room do not open for fresh air. The bathroom was mostly clean except the mouldy shower head that was not attached to the wall which made it extremely difficult to shower, especially with washing hair and face. On one side of the shower was a large window with no curtain or blind, although could be opened, didn't have a lock or fly screen (problematic with mosquitoes). Also the shower curtain had strange red/brown stains on it. Although advertised on the website, we didn't realise that wifi was only available in public areas of the hotel and can still be very slow. On the hot days that we experienced, these areas were not air-conditioned and quite uncomfortable to say the least. Breakfast in the hotel was advertised but very limited range of food. No sliced bread or toaster, no fresh fruit, no tea or hot water, therefore was very basic and bland. Lastly, upon checkout, we asked if we could leave our suitcases at the hotel, and again the unhelpful staff member at reception told us to take our bags back up the lift where we had come from, to a small unsecured storage room which was accessible to anyone in the hotel with no system in place for collection of bags. The staff were overall unfriendly and our 5 night stay was unpleasant. Hoping this review will save someone from having the same experience.

Very conveniently located at 5 minutes walk from the train station,next to San Lorenzo market and two steps away from Duomo.Walking distance to any attraction point in Old Florence.Surrounded by fashion shops, bookstore ,restaurants and gelaterias. Fast check in and check out . Great espresso (the barista makes them to order) , croissants and pastries for breakfast . Room was small bathroom even smaller, but clean and fully equipped. Free Wifi working on the first floor most of the time ( they have a small sitting area ) but in the morning was working in the room too .If the safe is broken in the room they have more safes at the reception, in a special room ,with your own key.

We had a very disappointing and difficult time at this hotel. We stayed for 5 nights but it was horrible, couldn't wait to leave. The staff where overall OK but on check in you need to provide the city tax - no change provided, you have to have the exact amount which isn't helpful. After our first night we asked to move rooms as the air conditioning of the room next to us effectively created a whole in the wall through which we could hear everything happening in the next room. And when I say everything, I mean everything. We were traumatized...! We were moved the next day and staff were very understanding but the new room was also noisy as there is no sound proofing at all (we bought ear plugs to be able to sleep). All doors squeak, extractor fans are noisy, plumbing is noisy. Pretty much everything makes a noise you can hear loudly. The rooms themselves are nowhere close to what the photos show or how they are advertised (see photos of the bathroom we had in our second room, barely had space to move around!). There is no safe in the room (only tiny safes at reception), only 1 or 2 power sockets (if you are lucky), decor is old and no maintenance has taken place in a long time (tap covers were missing, there was rust and tape holding things together). There is also no WiFi in the rooms only in a couple of areas and even then it doesn't work (data doesn't download at all) so it might as well not exist. Although we never opened the window of our room, there were always loads of mosquitoes as well, we couldn't understand where they were all coming from. The breakfast selection is also very limited, there is no sliced bread and no toaster and they run out of things very quickly. Best to avoid - this place needs a lot of improvement!

Firstly we've waited 30 min for chek-in, because guy in the reception was taking by the phone. Secondly despite assurance in the offer that Wi-Fi is available in the whole building, was accessible only on a cordial and even there it wasn't working at all. Breakfast - poor quality. All of this would be manageable if not dirty and fungus infested bathroom, also not working heating in the room.

The hotel is located on the main street from the main train station (Santa Maria Novella) towards the historical city center, at about 5 min distance from each. Is an old building, with a flavor of history of this place. Rooms are big and the furniture is with the same old taste like the whole building (but not in a negative way). Staff is generally nice and speak easily English. Breakfast is ok, but lacks variety from a day to another (which is to be expected to such city hotels). I would highly recommend it for city breaks in Florence.

We have recently returned from a 3 night stay in a "Superior" room at this hotel, which is perfectly located in the bustling Via Panzani, only minutes walk from both the main Santa Maria Novella station and the Piazza del Duomo. All of the main tourist sites of Firenze are therefore within a 10/15 minutes walk and its location is the Martelli's great advantage. As for the Hotel itself, on arrival the exterior and Reception are unimpressive. The Reception staff were friendly and welcoming, but it would have helped had they volunteered details such as the safe deposit boxes (only a small number were available in an minute anteroom off Reception- none in the rooms) and Wi-Fi (free, but available only in public areas, not in the rooms). The Hotel is like a maze; we had to take 2 separate lifts and 2 corridors to locate our 4th floor room, although the public areas were well presented and contained a number seating areas furnished in antique style which were useful when accessing the Internet. The hotel has no restaurant/bar, but many are available a few steps away, including he highly rated "Konnubio" (reviewed separately). The "Superior" room, however, was a great disappointment, particularly in view of the advertised nightly rate (superior double) of 330 Euros. Fortunately, we paid considerable less after booking via a price comparison site and pre-paying (note: a local tax was still payable in cash on arrival). Although our room was reasonably large with a flamboyant painted ceiling, it was rather shabby and grimy with well-worn furnishings. The curtain was partly hanging off of its rail, the advertised minibar was actually an empty and barely functioning fridge and the air conditioning was barely adequate for late-May, let alone the height of summer! It seemed like a classic case of faded glory! Sadly for us, things were even worse in the bathroom, which was more of a 1 metre wide corridor than a separate room, so accessing the minute shower involved shuffling past the sink, bidet and toilet. On arrival, we found that the shower curtain was torn and way too short, so our initial evening and morning showers unavoidably flooded the bathroom. Fortunately, the curtain was promptly replaced on day 2 of our stay when we mentioned the problem to Reception. The breakfast buffet was adequate, although we struggled to find a table at peak times (8.15 to 8.45). The staff were reasonable efficient in topping up the buffet, but were far from welcoming. In summary, this Hotel is perfectly located but, from our experience, the rooms and Reception in particular are long overdue a refurbishment and more staff training is required to make the personnel more welcoming and helpful, so that they proffer information (e.g. safe deposit and Wi-Fi) rather than providing it on request.

The location was near restaurants, shopping and tourist attractions. Easy walk to most. Staff was friendly and helpful. Our room was spacious and clean and had everything we needed. The breakfast was typical European style, with breads, cheeses, meats, cakes and juices. A staff member was there to provide a choice of coffees.

This was a great hotel convient to all that Florence has to offer and a no brainer to find. It was right down the road from the all the attractions and you dont even need a map to find it after you leave. They place great american music and are willing to help however they can. I was asked to show them a key when I got in and they told me that so I do not have to worry about loosing the key I could leave the key with them that way anyone in the room that needs it can have access when touring the area.