I didn’t expect to have a normal experience with this hotel. Good location but not the hotel. My partner and I stayed in Continentale Hotel Florence by Lungarno Collection on the last week of October 2021.
So, have you packed your luggage? Planning to go to Florence, Italy? I have made a review of one of the hotels in Florence where we recently stayed in.
The Hotel Continentale by Lungarno Collection
Continentale Hotel, a second of the Ferragamo-owned Lungarno Collection hotels in Florence. Yes, it is part of the Ferragamo collection.
So, here is the story. My partner and I went to Florence for a weekend to visit our dentist. Among the hotels in Florence, we decided to book a room at Continentale since it is a Lungarno collection. “Lungarno collection has its name in the hospitality industry in Florence”, I said to convince my partner.
Three days before our check-in date, we received an email from the hotel, Continentale Lungarno Collection asking what time we will be arriving and if we have a four-foot animal to bring. we were surprised as only some hotels do this. So, we were very excited about our stay with them.
We arrived at the hotel in the afternoon. When we arrived we saw two ladies assisting a couple at a table. One of them was talking to the guests and the other one wasn’t. We were in shock as they just stared at us as if we were ghosts. So, I immediately told them that we have a reservation. Two more guys came and told us to go to another table.
After that, we went to a table in front of the elevator. I did the check-in as my partner was busy talking over the phone for work. We gave our documents. Then the receptionist asked which the reservation is named. She was not even smiling. Maybe that is the way they welcome their guests (not even “welcome to the Continental”). After that, she handed over pieces of paper to sign. I signed. She asked for a credit card. She swiped and asked for the pin. We inserted the pin and then we asked how much the deposit is. Then that was the only moment that she explained that she took a security deposit and the room charge. ( It would be best if she explained what the charges are before asking us to insert our pin).
After checking in, she gave us a key. And of course, since we were two, we asked for a separate key. Before entering the elevator she asked us to check our temperature by standing to the standing thermometer that was not working. Therefore, we stood for about another 5 minutes waiting for the thermometer to work. It was awkward as we had to wait for it before heading to the room. That was a hassle for us.
We went upstairs and to our room. When we arrived on our floor, we went crazy looking for the room. Only to find out that the room numbers are written on the floor and not on the door. That was not common to all hotels. At least they should have advised us at check-in.
The room was old. Like super old. There was a big mirror in front of the bed and it was as big as the mattress. Imagine that. It was funny.
However, the view was amazing. We had a room that has an overlooking view of the famous bridge, Ponte Vecchio. There is a view but no good hotel experience. No hospitality.
At night, we asked for the breakfast menu at the reception. We were prompted that we have to fill out the form and hang it on the door and call them before hanging as there is no one to collect the form. Guess what, there was no pen inside the room. So, we called again the reception to give us a pen.
The next day, they delivered the food 10 minutes late (but it was fine, we were not that hungry though but it would be nice to be on time). They missed our orange juice!
So, at check out, we informed the receptionist (I think she is the manager), that we didn’t have the orange juice. She didn’t move from sitting and just ignore what we have said to her. She didn’t even ask how the stay was. And mostly, she was not even looking at us.
“Never again”, I said. Never again to this hotel. Yes, you may have a chance to have a view of the bridge but not a chance to get a quality or even just a good service.
I didn’t expect this from them as they are proud to be a Lungarno Collection. To be fair, the rate they gave us was competitive. However, their name in the industry didn’t match the service we had. I even encouraged my partner to stay with them instead of staying in another hotel.
Hi! It’s me! I am a hospitality professional and a part-time blogger! I am a travel dreamer and world conqueror based in Rome, Italy.
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