Alamanni Hotel

It’s more like a Jolly 1BR apartment

You need to go fairly high-end in Italy before you see the "always new" gloss you expect in the cheapest American chain hotels. You also can’t expect a lot of personal space. However, the "Jolly Room" at the Alamanni delivers a quiet, well appointed, very spacious one-bedroom apartment for the very reasonable rate. You’re across the street from the main train station (which sits between you and downtown, necessitating detours) but the thick walls and windows keep out the noise. You get a bed and several fold-outs, a full kitchen, a giant bathroom with plenty of hot water and a real stand-up shower, and two adjustable air conditioners, at least one of which seems to work. Great place to drag yourself before or after a train ride. Downside is the service--don’t expect early check-in, since "2pm" means "2pm" and your early arrival is certainly "not their problem." You can stack luggage in a corner until the time is right. But this isn’t surprising at the price--service and amenities carry steep prices around here.

Great location and good deal for the price

We stayed in a Jolly room, which was an apartment about a block from the main hotel. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of space and the completeness of the kitchenette. However, the mattress needed replaced and the shower curtain holder was coming out of the wall. There was only one set of keys, which made it difficult for me to go to my meetings and my friend to go exploring. This made for some very long waits at the gate, since room buzzer at the gate didn’t ring in our room.

Stay here if you like the sauna

PROS: hotel is just up a short hill away from the station on the right. -is about 30 mins walk from most places; all the attractions in Florence is accessible by walking. CONS: -terrible service. Our hotel room had AC but was more like the sauna room. The AC was pumped up to the max but was hardly blowing any air at all and the air that was blowing was warm like the outside’s summer heat! Our small travel alarm clock/temperature meter was reading 29*C overnight. -I had asked if we could at least get a mosquito repellent plug so we can open the balcony door and don’t get mosquito bites everywhere by morning... that seemed impossible for them to accommodate. -Our bathroom light also busted - same thing, nothing was done. We showered in the dark. -hotel’s situated on the 2nd floor of a very old and rundown building. There is an elevator but it’s very small and slow -with luggages, you’d have to make 2 or more trips. We had pre-paid through Expedia so to move to another hotel would’ve been more money and higher rate. We sucked it up as we only had 3 nights there but from the reviews I read prior to booking, it seemed okay. Had I known better, I would not have booked let alone stayed at Hotel Alammani.

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

They offer breakfast for something like 8 euros -- it’s expensive for what you get which is mostly cold breakfast (croissant, toast, etc). You can walk down the street when you’re ready to start your day and grab a sandwich at one of the grocery stores or snack stands for 2-3 euros.

Excellent choice. Great location, wonderful staff.

Just what we were looking for. Across the street from the train station, Walking distance to everything. Booking price did not include breakfast but for a few euros each, we were more than happy. Wonderful and helpful staff

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

If you can go in the off season, you can save about half. Especially good choice for short stays before and after visiting somewhere else. Parking available, but we did not use it.

cheap but so so

this hotel was very cheap, but soso. I stayed just one night,so it was ok.

Wish I could recommend it

Hotel Alamanni is small, cozy and clean, with a decent breakfast (rolls, yogurt, cheese, cereal, cappucino) and located right near the Train Station. A good value, buuuuuut . . . The desk personnel are less than friendly. It’s too bad, because my husband and I had a long stay there and the first day we encountered the gruff and arrogant desk manager. We spent our 11 days ignoring the personnel and enjoying Florence. The housekeeping women were friendly and good. The location was perfect for us, since we were there for the Florence Biennale and it was a short walk to Fortezza de Basso. It was also an easy walk to the Duomo and all the main sights. We did a Segway Tour and had fun while learning interesting details we would have never known about Florence. We used Rick Steve’s guide book and it was great reading and excellent advice. Florence is very difficult to navigate, so carry a good map with you at all times. We were there in early December and needed a coat and gloves most days. Saw a movie (August Rush - in English) at the Odeon Theatre - a real treat! Fall/Winter is a great time to visit since there are no lines to get into the museums and Duomo. And you don’t sweat!

Traveler's tip on saving a few bucks

Since food is expensive in Florence, for a cheap lunch, hop into one of the small grocery stores and pick up some cheese, bread and fruit for a picnic by the Arno River or in one of the many little parks. Gelato can be expensive, so check the prices before buying. We paid about $12 a cone one day!

Clean Rooms, but HORRIBLE Location!

I would strongly discourage travelers who wish to stay in downtown Florence from staying at the Alamanni Hotel. The hotel advertises that it is in the center of the city, however its really a 10-15 min walk (minimum) from the attractions, shops, restaurants, etc. through a rather undesirable route. Upon seeing our dissatisfaction, the concierge (there are only 3 staff at the hotel) was instantly rude to us and was quite unpleasant the remainder of the stay. Pay an extra $50 and stay in the center of town - i would NOT recommend this place to anyone.

Convenient location

I only checked in to the hotel and was sent to an apartment building a block away to occupy their Jolly Studio, which is basically an efficiency room. This studio was fine, although the AC never worked and the shower head kept slipping off its position. I picked this place only because it was across the street from the train station and affordable, to accomodate the last night of my trip. I would recommend it only if you are not carrying much luggage; There are stairs to navigate to get to the lift of the hotel itself and there’s the additional trek to the apartment building if they send you there.

Great Place as a Hub for tourism

This hotel is not fancy. It’s clean and has a nice shower. The beds were comfortable and the towel warming rack was wonderful. The rooms were on a courtyard and were very quiet. The contenintal breakfast was very good. The employees were estremely friendly and helpful.

Cozy and Convenient

The hotel is very close to the rail station(walking distance). The service was good. The breakfast was satisfying and the room was comfortable and clean. I would definitely stay again.

Traveler's tip

The hotel was convenient because it was also close to the buses and could easily take the bus to the downtown and main museums. There’s an information booth on the way to the rail station that will give you the bus routes.