Grand Hotel Minerva

Absolutely awesome hotel. Large comfortable well appointed rooms. A super attentive staff. Just a few minutes walk from almost everything you'd want to see in Florence. Outstanding breakfast. Staff gave us great restaurant recommendations. A few minutes walk from the train station. Despite it's location on a large piazza, it was perfectly quiet at night. Because we were there during the winter, we didn't have a chance to use the rooftop pool.

There are not enough superlatives to adequately describe our stay at this wonderful hotel. Location is excellent, close to many attractions. Service is on point! And when our room door had a technical issue they immediately upgraded us to a deluxe room with a view for the duration of our four-night stay. The breakfast buffet is one of the best we’ve experienced with attentive, experienced staff ensuring all runs smoothly! Don’t miss a trip to the bar for a Negroni Toscana made authentically by a Florentine bar tender. This is Quality with a capital Q! Stayed during Winter so didn’t experience the pool this time, but will be a return guest in future for sure! Bravo!!

When our mom died suddenly 5 days before our trip to Italy in 2023, there was a lot to cancel. We had 2 hotels booked in Italy. The first one gave us a complete refund and their condolences. The second one, The Grand Hotel Minerva, told us that they would offer a credit to be used with one year - no condolences. Because we lost a lot of money, and live out of the country, we could not return within 365 days. When I reached out after this time, the hotel said they’d give us a 20% discount if we returned within another year. We were able to accomplish that this past December. We were shocked upon arrival to learn that they would no longer honor their promise due to the way we re-booked it. It seemed strange that an oversight in booking would have anything to do with a gesture of kindness during a difficult time. You either care enough to extend a gesture or you don’t. They didn’t. We were embarrassed for them as they verbally wrestled with us at the desk, missing our point continually. Both the desk clerk AND manager GIACOMO BALESTRI (a soulless man) could not leave their script, saying there was nothing they could do. As a person who worked in hotels for many years, there is a LOT that a manager can do. There is a lot that a desk clerk could have done. Their tight clutch to 20% of our stay was neither a good business decision nor a human relations one, particularly that this story was about a death. As a further insult, they took 10% off our dinner from a dinner we had at the hotel, disclosing that they indeed had the power to do more. The hotel itself was clean and of course the views are great. But the warmth of Italy was not represented here. In fact, it was a side of humanity I wish to never experience again.

I don't normally post reviews unless a location was remarkably horrible or exceptional. Grant Hotel Minerva represents the latter. It was recommended by our travel advisor, and did not disappoint. The staff is courteous, welcoming, and speaks wonderful English. Upon arrival, they take you to your room and show you how it operates, since there are eccentricities from American hotels. The rooms are spacious, the beds comfortable, and the bathrooms well appointed. (Oddly they didn't include wash cloths, but I also never asked for one.) The hotel atmosphere is fantastic. There's comfortable seating all around, and a rooftop bar and seating area where you can enjoy the surrounding environs. It's fantastically clean, and I never heard another human while inside my room the whole time we were there (3 nights). The food is fantastic and the service top notch. The hotel has a small, intimate lobby bar with a wonderful assortment of wines and drinks, which are carefully made by hand and with care. The included breakfast is high quality, wide ranging, and fresh. The coffee (espresso) and cappuccino was delicious. I would be remiss if I did not mention the food and beverage manager, Paolo Micheli. He greeted us every morning with a smile, catered to our every need, and was a wonderful companion in the bar in the afternoon. He has great insights into Florence and the surrounds, and is just a joy to speak to. If you meet a tall man, well appointed, wearing glasses, that's likely him. Say hi and chat him up. I will 1,000% be staying here again and I cannot wait to do so.

Return visitors to this lovely, very well located hotel and we were equally as pleased visiting here in winter as we have been in early summer. Last time we stayed we had a beautiful duplex suite, this time we had a junior suite and a premium view room right next door to each other on 4th floor looking out onto the Piazza Santa Maria Novella. The views were truly gorgeous, we captured some great photos from our rooms and from the rooftop terraces. The terraces are closed for service (food etc) during winter, but they were open to go up and enjoy the views, get some pictures and fresh air. Hotel is perfectly located, less than 5 minute walk from train station, we walked everywhere while in the city, Pitti Palace, Santo Spirito & Oltrarno districts, all along the river. Florence is a great place to walk everywhere and this hotel is a perfect location to start and finish those walks. Breakfast in morning was ample and tasty, the bar area for pre or post dinner drinks was staffed by lovely people and very chic. Highly recommend.