Grand Hotel Vittoria

Perfect base for Discovering Tuscany. The staff are amazing, from your first welcome, to the House Staff attending your room, Breakfast or Evening Waiters and Barman, you are main to feel welcome, if you have limited Italian, that's no problem, as they all adapt to assist you. After reading some comments, yes the shower cubicle is on the small side, but there's ample space to clean yourself and that's the main thing. Also there's a basin, toilet and bidet, within the bathroom area. If like us, you are on Half Board, you can experience, boredom with the menu. It would have been lovely if this had changed weekly, as although there were several items to choose from, we did escape one evening to a local Pizzeria to have something a little more down to earth, as the food is very Al la Crate but good. If you are looking for a base to explore Florence, Lucca, Alto and Pisa, Montecatani, and the Grand Hotel Vittoria's is a great place to base yourself, as the train and Bus are all a short walk away, likewise is the Beautiful park, funnicular, and town centre.

We stayed here 4 nights as a part of our Gate 1 Tour. While it was conveniently located for visiting Florence, Lucca, Sienna, and Cinque Terra, it was a disappointing experience. The shower was tiny. If you got up early you had hot water. But, if you slept past 6:30 you had to contend with periodic bouts with cold water. The breakfasts and dinners her were not up to our expectations. On the other hand, the hotel and grounds make a good first impression from the street. I wouldn't stay here again.

As you can see from the photos, the exterior of the building and public areas are grand and delightful. Overall, we had a very pleasant stay. But for those who want more of the nitty-gritty read on: Room: We were in room 124, which is a standard room near the elevator. Like most European hotels, the room is considerably small. I appreciated the large armoire, night stands, and drawers so that if one wanted, personal items can be stowed out of sight. I found the bed to be very firm, but have a PranaSleep mattress at home, which is super comfy. I read that the rooms were "recently" renovated, but ours could have definitely used a touch-up. There was a mark that appeared to have been where someone killed (and smudged) a bug on the wall, and several spots where the walls were scuffed and chipped. Cleanliness: The housekeeping did a sufficient job of cleaning the room, and the dining areas were immaculate. What struck me as odd was the beautiful red carpet on the grand staircase was in need of a vacuum during our entire stay. Minute detail, for sure, but one that struck me as odd. Amenities: Here's where I think they could improve. There is not an iron in each room, however, they will bring one upon request. In my case they asked for it back 24 hours later, which was problematic for me, as all of our clothes needed ironing. I requested an iron four more times before I received another one, three days later. Sadly the one I was given was completely broken. (Good news: I learned to get wrinkles out of clothing by dampening the garment and using a hot hair dryer!) The toiletries were paltry and the bar of hand soap was the size and thickness of a quarter. I am imagining this is done for the sake of conservation, but be aware: if you are the "DO NOT DISTURB" type, you will need to find housekeeping to stock up daily. The towels and bedding were all stain-free and seemed to be of decent quality. Temperature: We are from upstate NY and the room was very hot for us, even with the AC on the lowest temperature. We stayed in October and ended up sleeping with the windows open. Bathroom: The shower is incredibly small! If you drop your soap you would actually need to step out of the shower to pick it up! No joke! The water pressure is incredible, however, and there was always plenty of hot water. WiFi: Nearly non-existent. I have heard that they are planning to upgrade. Otherwise, you need to sit in the lobby or use the laptop they provide in the front area. Typical to Staff: Most of the staff was professional. We had many pleasant exchanges with a young waiter named Federico. The evening/night staff were not as pleasant and almost seemed bothered that they had to interact with patrons. Food: The breakfast was plentiful and consistent: a table full of breakfast pastries, cold cereal, melons, yogurt, scrambled eggs, muffins, bacon, sausage links, several types of cold cuts and cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes. We ate dinner at the hotel three times and so

The outside of this hotel and the lobby area are very nice. The hotel is also in a very nice area. The room is large and the bed is comfortable. However, I rated the hotel as average due to the following: Air conditioning is controlled by the hotel. They turn it off during the day all together and raise the temperature at night so our room was warm. It averaged 75 to 77, not great for sleeping. The shower is so tiny that you can barely move in it. The toiletries looked super cheap like something you would get at a budget motel. The breakfast and overall food was mediocre. Although we didn’t have issues with the internet, I heard from other people at the hotel that they could not access the internet from their room.