25hours Hotel Florence Piazza San Paolino

Room Type: Medium Paradiso with Balcony

Hotel Amenities: Gym, Sauna, Parking (€30/day), on-site Cinema, Cafe, Restaurant, and Bar

Average Cost per Night: €276 (incl. fees, for 5 nights)

Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

My Rating: 7.5/10

I'm not usually one to stay at a chain, but this was my first time traveling solo abroad and, although I'm sure everything would have been perfectly fine, I felt safer staying at a larger hotel with a 24-hour front desk. I also booked my stay extremely last-minute, so the options were fairly limited.

I'd never heard of 25hours Hotels before. The chain currently has 12 properties, mostly in Germany and other European destinations. When searching online for a place to stay, I was intrigued by the unique thought and design aspects of the hotel, which seemed to create more of a boutique feel than other typical chain hotel properties. 25hours Florence, specifically, was designed by interior designer Paola Navone to bring Dante's The Divine Comedy to life in a city rich with Alighieri history.

The theme was immediately apparent. After a quick and easy check-in, I lugged my suitcase to the elevators, where one was outfitted with gold-crested mirrors and soft, heavenly light while the other sported black walls and a red neon sign that read simply: HELL— as my luck would have it, the latter lift opened for me.

Despite hopping a ride through Hell, my destination was "Paradiso" themed. (Guests also have the option of staying in "Inferno" rooms, which appear quite...red, if the website pictures are to be believed.) On my floor, however, lush royal blue carpet and wallpapered hallways led the way, all while a recording of a man's deep voice softly played over hidden speakers, reciting what I can only assume were excerpts from The Divine Comedy in Italian. The doorway to each room sported a quirky cherub statuette along with a placard detailing a brief, often tragic, history of a notable Florentine who interacted with Dante in some way or another. (My room was that of Buondelmonte, an acquaintance of Dante, who made the unfortunate choice of jilting the daughter of one wealthy family of Florence in favor of the daughter of another wealthy family...only to be murdered by the first in retribution for the slight.)

The room itself was full of natural light and spacious, by Italian standards. The balcony was a nice touch, though big enough only for one chair, and the risk of mosquitos outside versus the air-conditioned inside meant I never actually used it. A king-sized bed with a flashy silver-painted headboard, funky ceiling mobile decked out with fornicating cherubim (!?), complementary mini bar, TV with cable and Chromecast, and separated shower and toilet completed the setup.

The desire to explore all that Florence has to offer made hotel amenities less important, in my opinion, so I didn't sample the hotel breakfast buffet, restaurant, or bar. I did get coffee and a pastry one morning at the cafe, and though it was fine, it was neither the best option nor the best value. The hotel gym was small, with only one treadmill, one bike, and one elliptical, but had enough functional space for two or three people to work out at once. A locker room and outdoor Finnish sauna are also offered to guests free of charge, although I never once saw anyone using them.

Overall, this is a solid 4-star stay in Florence. It's only an 8-minute walk from the main train station, and about the same to the Ponte Vecchio, but its location between the two means that it's blessedly secluded and quiet at night. Do I think it's the best value for the money? Probably not, but for a last-minute booking in Italy during the summer holidays, it was the best value for the money at the time. I enjoyed my stay enough that I would consider other 25hour properties in the future.