When I heard about the opening of The W Florence I was intrigued. The list of great hotels in Florence is long, making it difficult for a newcomer to stand out.
The building chosen is vast, on a prime square in the centro storico, and right next door to an existing property. The W hotels are usually trendy, party-led places, not necessarily suited to the art-and-culture crowd who tend to visit Florence.
All that, and an opening around the same time as a few other brands perhaps more relevant to the local market. Could they manage to pull this off? After my visit during Pitti Uomo in January, I have to say the answer is a resounding ‘Yes’.
WHY STAY HERE?
Always the killer question in a market as saturated as this one. Let’s start with that square the building occupies one side of: it’s within sight of the train station, if that’s how you choose to arrive, and only about a 20 minute cab from the airport.
The museums and shops are all walkable; the Duomo can be seen from the roof terrace. So far, so Florence.
The real draw of staying here lies within the property itself, not in what you can find outside. The original purpose of this massive structure was government use in the late 1960s. The stone facade makes this pretty clear, but the interiors have been reimagined to a level of luxury a civil servant could only dream of.
Soft wood panels sit alongside bright stone tiles and mosaics throughout the public spaces. The cosy reception area is brightened by lively, colourful painted walls before opening out into a lounge area and the first of the 2 on-site restaurants.
There is a massive courtyard to the centre which will be a hotspot in summer, offering welcome shaded respite from the scorching sun, and the Zefiro rooftop area is perfect for people-watching on the square below. Either will serve you well for cocktails at any time.
Downstairs lies a sprawling gym, very well-stocked with Technogym cardio and weights equipment. Tucked in the corner of this wellness section is a sauna, steam, and ice bath for recovery either after your workout or the morning after those cocktails.
Vibrant blonde wood in the former and soothing moss-green tiles in the latter create 2 perfect atmospheres for exercise and rest, and the quality of finish throughout is remarkable.
HOW’S THE FOOD?
Breakfast is served a la carte each morning in the main restaurant, Tratto, with views of the square. Typical continental-style bits can be grazed from a small buffet, but the hot plates are all made to order and should suit all tastes. For lunch and dinner Tratto reverts to modern Italian, and is fantastic.
Dishes are classic without being too stuffy, full of flavour and presented with a bit of fun and energy. The manzo speciale, a kind of peppery beef carpaccio with local cuts, and stewed onion beef ragú were simply spectacular.
Elsewhere celebrated chef Akira Back has his first Italian address hidden away to the rear of the ground floor, and the W Lounge serves casual nibbles all day into the night. There’s always a ‘tuna pizza’ on the menu at an Akira Back joint which absolutely must be tried.
Once fed, head up to the roof to sample a signature cocktail and watch day turn to night over the Duomo.
WHAT ARE THE ROOMS LIKE?
In short, spacious and stylish. Ours had floor-to-ceiling windows with views over the square - a great show even in winter - and the light coming in each morning was beautiful. Thick cream carpets contrasted dark wood panels.
The abiding memory of our room was that everything just worked, not always the case in a ‘design’ hotel. Outlets and switches were intuitively placed, the layout of the bathroom (which was tastefully decorated in itself) made sense and allowed us to make full use of the twin vanity sink.
Bonus points for the very high-end Love shampoo and conditioner in the shower, and never-ending admiration for the fact that when I pressed the switch by the bed to turn off all the lights, all the lights actually went off. That shouldn't be such a big deal in a hotel, but we all know it is.
Recently W Hotels have been working to elevate their brand to a new tier of luxury, one of more considered elegance than the up-market party spots they once were. With this new hotel in Florence they have undoubtedly succeeded. I can’t wait to see what they do elsewhere.
Rooms from £337 at marriott.com
