The Westin Excelsior in Florence, Italy was the destination my wife and I chose for our "re-honeymoon" at the end of last year. It was the perfect getaway trip. What a relaxing time! The hotel is quite grand and was highly rated on Conde Nast.
I'm a Platinum member of the SPG program, which has lots of perks. So when we arrived, I surprised my wife (or they surprised my wife!) with an upgrade to a huge room. The welcome gift was a guidebook for Rome and a DVD; this worked out great because we hadn't done much research before hand. (Karen usually does the research, and this was a semi-surprise for her.) We didn't need to rely on cabs as a lot of tourist sites were within comfortable walking distance of the hotel.
I talked briefly with the concierge, Andrea, upon arrival about our bags that the airline had misplaced. He assured us that they would take care of it. Indeed, he did! He followed-up with the airline for us and we had our bags the next day. The concierge asked if we had all of our toiletries, etc.. We had our stuff, but nice thinking!
The room was comfortable, not luxurious, but classic European style and equipped with a king size bed, desk, spacious red-marble bathroom (good water pressure!) and modern amenities like a B&O sound system. The best part was the balcony... right over the entrance of the hotel! We would spend our evenings sitting outside people-watching on the square. One morning, room service even agreed to allow us to eat breakfast out there.
Neither of us used the gym (this is vacation afterall), but I stuck my head in and it looked well-equipped. Even a small fridge with drinks and fruits and stuff.
This is definitely a Luxury Collection hotel by every standard. Although we probably wouldn't go back to the same city for another "re-honeymoon", if we did ever return to Florence, I think the Excelsior would be on the list.
Review by Kevin R.
Posted at April 11, 2006 8:46 PM
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1 experiences with westin excelsior, florence
August 14, 2006 4:39 PM. MAULD said:
I just returned from Florence, spending one night each at the Grand and the Excelsior. I too was given a large room with an enormous balcony, but mine overlooked the Duomo & rooftops of the city (room 560). As a Platinum, I was given a choice of amentity at check in. I asked about the 'Local Gift' and was shown a round container holding pencils. I was advised by the desk clerk not to take it, but instead go for either the points or local Chianti wine (I went with the wine). Wine was delivered with 2 glasses, no fruit or other amentity. I had checked into the Excelsior from the Grand, across the Piazza and the Grand had made arrangements to have my bag delivered to my room, which was done with no problem. Everyone was very welcoming at both hotels and I would highly recommend a stay at either one. A minor complaint that I had was in the evening, I stopped at the lobby bar, and after viewing the cocktail menu, I asked if I could order the risotto (12euros) and I would take it up to my room. I was told it would take a while to make, but they would send it up in about 30 minutes. I generally do not order room service, and thus was a bit surprised by the euro 28 charge for the risotto delivered to my room!!