The St. Regis Florence

A jewel among Florence hotels, the St. Regis is housed in a palace built in 1432 as a home for the noble Giuntini family. Used as a hotel since the late 19th century, the property underwent an extensive renovation and re-opened as a St. Regis in 2011. It retained much of its classic Florentine architectural and decorative style -- frescoes, period furnishings, crystal chandeliers, and gilt-framed mirrors -- while incorporating contemporary elements. The feel is one of pure opulence. The sun-filled lobby is an exceedingly elegant library-style space with leather sofas, shelves of art books, and sit-down check-in desks instead of the reception counters. The venue's typical mix of well-heeled tourists and couples congregate here and in the Art Deco-style Winter Garden restaurant, featuring mezzanine seating and a soaring stained-glass ceiling. 

The St. Regis Florence is in a quiet location in one of Florence's most elegant sections on the north bank of the Arno, overlooking the river and next to Piazza Ognissanti and the Ognissanti bus stop. The Chiesa di Ognissanti is less than a one-minute walk northeast of the hotel. Piazza di Santa Maria Novella and Basilica di Santa Maria Novella are both a seven-minute walk northeast, while Santa Maria Novella train station is an eight-minute walk north. Guests can walk 10 minutes southeast along the Arno to reach the iconic Ponte Vecchio Bridge, and two minutes farther southeast for the Uffizi Gallery. Home of Michelangelo's David, the Gallery of the Academy is a 20-minute walk or bus ride northeast of the hotel. Florence Airport, Peretola is a 15-minute drive northwest, with bus access available as well.

The five-floor St. Regis has 100 lavish and ornate rooms, designed to evoke Florence's artistic splendor with units divided into Florentine, Medici, and Renaissance styles of decor. Florentine rooms feature high, coffered ceilings, frescoes, and brocades, while Medici rooms showcase light tones to evoke Tuscany wines. Renaissance-style rooms have canopy beds. All spaces have chandeliers and vivid colors like burgundy and gold, with some boasting velvet accents, fine prints, and gilded mirrors. The premium suites also feature wood columns and original antiques and paintings. Windows are expansive to let in abundant natural light. 

Nearly half the rooms have views of the Arno River, and some corner rooms take in views of Cestello Church and the surrounding greenery. All rooms also come with 42” flat-screen TVs with DVD players, Bose sound systems with iPod docks, and plush beds dressed in 250-thread-count cotton linens. Beds are turned down each evening with chocolate truffles placed on pillows. Bathrooms are clad in marble and come with rain showers, separate deep soaking bathtubs, premium toiletries, robes and slippers, and TVs set into the mirrors. There’s a fee for Wi-Fi in rooms, but it's free in the hotel's public spaces.

As a relatively small city hotel, the St. Regis has no space for a swimming pool, and has no steam room or sauna. But it does have numerous top-notch facilities, including a small full-service Clarins spa (treatments for a fee), 24-hour fitness room, and 24-hour business center. The acclaimed Winter Garden by Caino serves breakfast on the balcony and also offers afternoon tea and innovative Tuscan cuisine for dinner. Room service is available around the clock as well. The bar serves a signature Bloody Mary and features an evening champagne ritual with the bartender theatrically uncorking bottles with a special champagne saber. Guests sip glasses of bubbly, nibble on appetizers, and listen to a pianist play classical music.

The hallmark of the St. Regis is its gold-plated service standards. Guests staying in the Premium Deluxe Arno River View Rooms and suites enjoy signature butler service, as well as amenities like in-room coffee and tea-making service, luggage unpacking and packing service, garment pressing, and 24-hour eButler e-mail. The multilingual concierge staff are members of the celebrated Les Clefs d'Or concierge society. The St. Regis also features bespoke tea ceremonies, guided epicurean events, 24-hour limousine service, and on-site valet parking and nearby self-parking, all for a fee.