Florence is one my favourite stops in Italy as a result of it has a lot to supply inside a really walkable footprint — suppose masterpieces like Michelangelo’s David, the long-lasting Duomo di Firenze, and naturally, Tuscan wine, Florentine steak and essentially the most delectable pasta.
On my most up-to-date journey with a bunch of mates, I used to be in quest of a selected lodge characteristic: rooms or suites with a number of king beds. That led me to the Il Tornabuoni Lodge.
Here is what it was like to remain at this Hyatt Unbound Collection property.
What’s Il Tornabuoni lodge?
In a metropolis with a lot historical past like Florence, I get pleasure from staying someplace that does not really feel like a cookie-cutter lodge chain with predictable wall coverings, furnishings and bathtub merchandise. You will not discover that at Il Tornabuoni, a 62-room lodge within the metropolis heart. Whereas it’s a Hyatt property, its Unbound Assortment affiliation (Italy’s first, truly) means guests will get a little bit one thing totally different.
Renaissance-era fashion structure and luxurious are the inspiration right here. Il Tornabuoni’s prime location and diverse room varieties make the property really feel like a smaller boutique lodge with a style of native aptitude. You will be greeted by a contemporary tackle design with out dropping the connection to the town’s storied previous.
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Learn how to e book Il Tornabuoni Lodge
As Il Tornabuoni is a luxurious lodge in a well-liked vacationer vacation spot, rooms and suites will value you — however there are a couple of methods it can save you cash on a keep.
Il Tornabuoni is a Category 7 Hyatt property. Meaning the most effective factors charge you’d discover for an off-peak room primarily based on Hyatt’s redemption charts can be 25,000 factors per night time or 43,000 for the standard suite. Sadly, a World of Hyatt credit card will not assist right here as a result of the annual free night time awards are solely legitimate for Class 1-4 properties.
Associated: The best Hyatt Category 4 hotels to maximize your free night award certificate
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Hyatt is not a program I at present have very excessive standing with, nor did I’ve sufficient World of Hyatt factors for this keep, so I turned to my bank cards. (Should you do have sufficient factors, I used to be capable of finding redemptions accessible for each rooms and suites on the Hyatt web site within the coming months.)
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Il Tornabuoni on Amex Fantastic Lodges & Resorts
Il Tornabuoni is an Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts property, so when you e book a keep by way of the portal and pay in full utilizing your Platinum Card® from American Expres, it might set off the annual as much as $200 in assertion credit score.
For this keep, I opted to leverage a distinct card: my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, which additionally has as much as $200 hotel credit when you book through Delta Stays, the airline’s lodge reserving portal. What added to that call was a limited-time Delta promotion the place I might additionally earn Medallion Qualification {Dollars} (MQDs) and bonus SkyMiles for my keep. As a Diamond Medallion member who’s making an attempt to maintain standing amid some lofty necessities this 12 months, this was an enormous win on an enormous spend.
If reserving Il Tornabuoni, you may additionally wish to think about using one of many credit cards that earn the most points for Hyatt stays, in addition to one which probably gives automated World of Hyatt elite status for value-added advantages. These embrace:
- World of Hyatt Credit Card: Earn 4 factors per greenback spent at Hyatt resorts and resorts, automated Discoverist standing, and 5 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier.
- World of Hyatt Business Credit Card: As much as 9 factors per greenback: Earn 4 factors per greenback spent at Hyatt resorts and resorts, automated Discoverist standing, and 5 elite night time credit per 12 months towards a better tier, plus 5 base factors from Hyatt per eligible $1 spent for being a World of Hyatt member
The placement is central and supreme for exploration
The historic property was as soon as a palazzo that, in line with Hyatt, would host the likes of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. It is nestled on the nook of Piazza Santa Trinita, a central and handy jumping-off level for any Florence journey.
We arrived to the town by practice, so we grabbed a taxi from the practice station — Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN) — to the lodge as a result of we had heavy baggage. The experience was solely about 10 minutes, and Il Tornabuoni’s bell service was ready to help with our arrival.
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Sights within the historic heart of Florence usually are not very far aside to start with, and from Il Tornabuoni most main points of interest are inside strolling distance. Only a brief stroll from the lodge, friends will discover:
- The Uffizi Galleries, Ponte Vecchio or Palazzo Vecchio, all nearly 5 minutes away (as are these trendy and delectable All’Antico Vinaio sandwiches — I extremely advocate La Paradiso, stacked with mortadella and cream of pistachio).
- The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, dwelling of the town’s well-known terracotta-tiled roof, about 10 minutes by foot.
And if buying is your coronary heart’s want, By way of Tornabuoni, the place the lodge is located, is luxury-brand central, with designer retailers from the likes of Gucci, Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton steps away from the entrance door.
We ended up taking a brief automotive experience throughout the river and up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo, which is famed for magnificent views, however it’s not an not possible stroll there as effectively when you’re seeking to get extra steps in.
Il Tornabuoni has all kinds of room and suite choices
Il Tornabuoni has greater than a dozen room and suite varieties. Our group ended up staying in three totally different rooms. I booked the King Mattress Premium (pictured beneath), a spacious 300-square-foot room with wooden accents, wealthy crimson wallpaper and a smattering of avian-inspired artwork (I observed that animal artwork, past birds, was a working theme on the lodge).
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One of many enjoyable design options right here is that every room’s colour palette and decor differ drastically between room and suite varieties. (For instance, a few of our mates stayed in a 500-square-foot suite with twin king beds. The area was adorned with black and white panel molding and deep golden-yellow accents.)
Turndown service was constant. Canned water and candies have been positioned within the room, together with slippers left on the bedside. I even have to go with the lodge for the superb air con in our room, which stood as much as the take a look at of my very American cold-room requirements.
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The toilet in our room had a tub and a rain bathe, in addition to a hand bathe operate. Toilet facilities from a model referred to as Hemp Care, which makes use of Italian hemp oil in its merchandise, have been plentiful. Along with the fundamentals, the room was additionally stocked with face wash, shaving gel and a hair masks.
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Our room additionally featured an espresso maker and occasional machine, a wine fridge, a minibar chilly fridge and snack gadgets. There was additionally an in-drawer secure above the minibar.
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Foods and drinks choices at Il Tornabuoni
Whereas there is definitely no scarcity of wonderful food and drinks in Florence, I do respect good choices at my dwelling base as effectively. Our first cease was the property’s Butterfly Terrace, a rooftop cocktail bar. The terrace is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., besides on Mondays. In Florence, I all the time suppose rooftop bars are an effective way to soak up the view — and it was good to have one in our personal constructing.
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On the bottom degree, Il Magnifico Restaurant — and the next-door Il Magnifico Cafe and bar — are open for quite a lot of meal and drink instances. Each buffet and a la carte choices can be found for breakfast. The buffet was round $44, whereas an omelet a la carte was priced at $20. I ended up going with the buffet so I may discover the additional choices, plus the value of a la carte would not have been too totally different.
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The buffet included a yogurt parfait station, baked items and recent scrambled eggs.
I took benefit of the cafe’s all-day menu for a couple of afternoon snacks. The menu ranged from staples like burgers ($31) and membership sandwiches ($25) to extra native fare like pasta with Tuscan ragu ($23) or a board of Tuscan cured meat ($29).
Spritzes and signature cocktails actually shine on the glam bar, which stayed busy till closing. The home-made limoncello was one among our go-to orders. Drinks ran round $25 to $28 every. The menu additionally featured mocktails.
The reason why Il Tornabuoni won’t be for you
- The upper worth level at Il Tornabuoni will not match all budgets.
- If a exercise is a part of your trip routine, Il Tornabuoni’s fitness center won’t be sufficient for you. Whereas the lodge does have a health heart, it is not a lot various machines and a few small free weights. (As an alternative, we went to Florence Health across the nook, which gives day passes.)
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Accessibility
Although it is a historic constructing, I did discover accessibility options all through Il Tornabuoni, like ramps that have been added to make the previous palazzo extra handy for wheelchair customers.
I checked a number of dates on the Hyatt web site for availability of accessible rooms, and wasn’t capable of finding a room to e book on-line — the lodge’s web site doesn’t have a devoted accessibility web page. Nonetheless, once I reached out to the lodge immediately, they confirmed that a few of their premium rooms do have accessible options. They mentioned that friends ought to attain out to them through e-mail (at reservations@iltornabuonihotel.com) to order an accessible room.
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I discovered Il Tornabuoni to be an excellent lodge that I’d undoubtedly return to. Whereas a keep right here is not straightforward on the pockets, the placement cannot be beat, the employees was very useful and attentive, and the number of room selections can attraction to a variety of journey events (households, {couples}, teams of mates, and many others.).
It is also a handy means for Hyatt loyalists to make use of factors at a top-tier property in one among Italy’s most fascinating locations.
In a walkable metropolis like Florence, Il Tornabuoni gives not solely a handy location but in addition an enthralling mix of historic structure, artistic design and a classy and cozy dwelling away from dwelling.
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