Hotel Rivoli

Would not recommend this hotel.
After leaving a very beautiful, clean and accommodating hotel in Rome, (Rose Garden Palace) we had our expectations high when checking into Hotel Rivoli. We were extremely disappointed. The first room we were given was small, stinky, and noisy. The walls are paper thin and it’s easy to hear all the comings and goings on from all neighbors. (even their bathroom visits)
After complaining, we were moved to an identical room on the 3^rd floor. It was a little less noisy, but the walls were just as thin. The rooms are cramped, out of date and stuffy. There is a 30 minute pants press on the wall taking up room, and a huge bidet. The hairdryer was something from the 50’s and burned my hand.
The worst part was the HEAT! The rooms were stifling hot and since apparently the air conditioning was turned off for the season, it was impossible to put back on. The front desk attendant suggested we sleep with terrace door open, but with no screens or fan… we were attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. My husband had huge welts all over his back from being bitten in his sleep. We both woke up every few hours from bites and buzzing. So we closed the doors to wake up drenched in sweat.
To make matters even worse, we were charged $ 5 per day for wifi that was spotty at best. One evening it went down completely. I had to go downstairs 2 times for them to take me seriously enough to reboot the system, and even then it didn’t go back on. This might not seem like a big deal to some, but if you are a parent missing your child overseas– this is everything. I had a short window everyday to facetime with my son and missing it caused a few tears to be shed. (not his)
To be fair, they didn’t charge me for wifi the day it went down, the location is very close to train station and the employees were nice (for the most part). The front desk took time to book us a few tours, called us cabs and answered questions.
I would never return or recommend this hotel to anyone. I believe there are better options within same price range.

Très chouette hôtel bien situé. Notre chambre supérieur était petite (grand pour l’Italie) mais belle et disposait d’un jolie petit coin salon et d’une magnifique petite terrasse. Le personnel était très charmant et serviable et parlait anglais.

My group of 10 traveled to Florence from Venice. We originally booked a different hotel that was disgusting. This hotel was accommodating. Great location to the train station and other attractions.
Continental breakfast was good. Had a nice variety of food.
Our bathroom was big.
Downfall is the wifi is not free.

Our guest room was spare and without amenities – not even an electric tea pot. The pergo floors were bare. Room 302 smelled f cigarette smoke. The common area staircases and carpeting are shabby and worn. We were charged 10Euro for 3 days’ wifi. The downstairs common rooms are lovely. The location is convenient to the sights you may wish to visit in Firenze, but this can’t be the quality of 4-​star hotels here. Inexplicable and disappointing. But for the hassle, I would ask our agent to move us, having come from an excellent experience at a same priced/​rated hotel in Rome (the Britannia on Via Napoli). Would not return.

My travel group stayed here for our 4 nights in Florence. You use your card key to turn on the lights – there’s a slot for you to put it into.
We loved our room. It was clean, spacious with an outdoor deck that overlooked the hotel quad. We had a mini fridge — you do have to pay for the drinks although there isn’t any sign indicating this.
One problem – the mattress on Mr Rinky’s side was on the soft side.
Lots of outlets to use (with the adapters we brought from home)
The bathroom was small but had a regular shower/​tub. The bidet took up a lot of space. There was a blue towel set for Mt Rinky and a pink set for me. There was a towel warmer too. We had a bathroom scale which I never looked at… hey we’re on vacation. There was a pants press in the foyer of our room… never used it.
The closet was ample – with sliding mirror doors. One side included a clothes rack with hangers. The other half included a set of drawers and a safe which was large enough to fir our laptops, passports and other miscellaneous objects.
The wi-​fi was annoying. Although we were suppose to be getting the wi-​fi free as part of our tour costs we kept having to go to the desk to get a new password card.
The regular price is 5 Euros per a 24hour time period.
The buffet breakfast was fine. Plenty to choose from — different kinds of bread, jams, croissants, rolls, teas, coffee, hot chocolate, juices, cereals (no hot cereal), yogurt, eggs, bacon and sausage and other items. The staff was very attentive at replenishing the buffet items.
The front desk was very helpful. They will call a cab for you if you need one.
The location is close to the train station and other attractions.

Very conveniently located near the train station. Also very centrally located to all the sights, which were all in walking distance. I chose this location primarily for the convenience, and that’s exactly what we got. Not too much on the other frills, but it also wasn’t too pricey. It was a good choice. I wasn’t in Florence to sleep in a hotel. I was there for the sights and a good location and price were what i was looking for. No real complaints.

If I was heading back to Florence for business and on a budget, this is where I would stay. The quality of the rooms can vary so if you don’t like what you see, ask for another. That said, this is Italy and hotel rooms in Italy simply aren’t up to US standards. These rooms though are probably on par with a Best Western or Holiday Inn in the United States and are definately better than most of the rooms found in the surrounding hotels. (I know b/​c we checked out several neighboring hotels.)
The bathrooms have a nice touch, heated towel racks! Kind of random I know but nice all the same. The restaurant has a decent breakfast which includes scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, cereal, yogurt, fresh fruits, meats and cheeses. The restaurant also has a pretty decent dinner menu and one item a lot of local restaurants dont have… focaccia! You’ll quickly find that the local Tuscan bread really isn’t that great! When you can get focaccia it’s much appreciated! By the way, don’t dip the bread in olive oil or balsamic. That’s an American thing and when you are given bread, you won’t get an extra plate. If the olive oil and balsamic aren’t already on the table. They’ll come with your meal.
Breakfast is included with the room rate and you can also negotiate wifi with the room as well. Wifi was reliable but you’ll need a new key every day.
If you are serious about working out, I doubt you’ll find a single hotel in Florence that has a «fitness room» consisting of more than two cardio machines and a dumbbell rack. (Again, i know because I’ved looked.) The Rivoli doesnt have a gym either BUT has the next best thing.
Hotel guests have access to the gym down the street. It’s close enough that in freezing weather, I was able to walk to the gym in shorts and a tee shirt, without getting cold. It’s the only «real» gym in the immediate area and Rivoli guests workout for free. It’s an old 50’s style gym but has everything you need for a great workout. I worked out there for 6 weeks and loved it.
Lastly, the hotel is close to several restaurants, the tram stop and train station, a really good supermarket (up by the McDonalds near the train station), the Domo, several museums and of course, luxury shopping.
My wife says when that if we go back to Florence we’re staying at the Savoi but if I manage to leave her at home, I’m staying at the Rivoli.