The Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Florence

I originally did not intend to publish a public review of this hotel. However, after filling out a Marriott survey about my experience at the hotel, I received a very strange email from this hotel that was both highly combative and confrontational. This really soured my overall perspective of our stay even more and has motivated me to write out this review. I found my stay at the Excelsior to be frustrating and deeply disappointing across both soft and hard product. We were traveling to get married in Italy and spent the night before moving to our wedding hotel at the Excelsior hoping it would be special. It was also part of my wife’s combined birthday and honeymoon trip as her birthday was one week after our stay. Unfortunately, we felt very unwelcome from the start. Perhaps this is because we redeemed our Bonvoy Brilliant award to book this stay. From our perspective, this was no different than us paying $650 for the hotel night as that was the annual fee on the card we paid to receive the night. The hotel clearly did not feel this way and repeatedly reminded us that we were booked on an award stay. When we asked the Bonvoy team if the Excelsior could do anything special for our stay and my Bonvoy Titanium status, they told the Bonvoy team that they would not provide anything as a matter of policy. To be fair, upon checking in they did allow us to choose from a selection of 3 standard base rooms with different views. We selected one of these options but this brings me to my frustrations with the hotel’s aging hard product. The rooms are simply not maintained well with stains and scuffs littered throughout the property. While sometimes wear and tear can add depth and character to a room (see the St. Regis Florence across the street), the state of our Excelsior room left us with questions about overall cleanliness. This was especially true for the bathroom which was both extremely small and, frankly, dirty. The most positive aspect of this hotel is its incredible location. It is truly in the heart of the city. However, the same can be said for a myriad of other properties including the St. Regis across the street which also participates in Marriott Bonvoy. We stayed at that hotel previously and had a magnificent stay! I wish I had booked that hotel for this trip instead. Overall, I would never return to this property in the future. It is a shame to ever feel unwelcome at a hotel as a guest but it was particularly unfortunate to have that experience on such an important trip. I can only imagine what type of response (either public or private) this review will elicit but I am gla

We were treated with such professionalism and kindness our entire stay. A lovely young woman (maybe Hannah - she had a cute infant son who we met one night) checked us in and upgraded us automatically. She personally accompanied us to our room which had a bottle of wine and welcome note. The balcony is so lovely for watching the sunset. And I can not recommend the upstairs bar enough - breathtaking views. The concierge Beatrice emailed us before our arrival. I asked her about massage options and she arranged our appointments at the St. Regis which was perfect. The library lobby was comfortable and great for relaxing. The breakfast buffet was a great start to the day. A perfect stay!

Amazing hotel. One of the nicest hotels I've ever stayed in. Wonderful staff, everything is sparkling new, and the location couldn't be better! The rooftop restaurant and bars have spectacular views of the city and the Arno river! Couldn't have chosen a better hotel in the city.

We came here mid August 2025 on our honeymoon for a 5 night stay. The hotel and room were exceptional. Delicious breakfast, awesome restaurant & rooftop bar, and great amenities. But the service was what really stood out to us. My husband’s luggage was stuck at the London airport for all 5 days of our trip. The concierge was actively working with us to get information about the bag, and get it sent over immediately. They worked tirelessly with calls, emails, etc to airport staff. Our very last day we were checking out, headed to our train to Rome and the concierge notified us the bag had finally touched down in Florence, and they were able to get it on an immediate taxi over. We got the bag and made our train to Rome with the help of all the staff. Special thanks to Andrea and Nico who were a huge help to us. All the staff is extremely professional, friendly, and they really care about making your stay exceptional. They turned our stresses into laughs and we will never forget the kindness the whole Excelsior team showed us during our special stay. I would choose the Excelsior every time when we return to Florence. Much love from the USA!

Quite simply a fabulous lunch. An amazing rooftop experience in Florence.what a beautiful restaurant!!! Food was so delicious. The service was exceptional. Greeted by a charming Jessica and kudos to Ava for taking care of us. Plus to all of the staff for super attentiveness. Can’t wait to return.