The first day we arrived we were told by the receptionist (a nice girl) that Oops! the room we booked (a quad) was occupied, but she would put is into two rooms for the night. I was a bit unhappy about this as I had booked well in advance, we should have been on their calendar with no problems. But, we took what they had to offer for night one, a little worried about what was in store for the next two nights. My daughter took the single room, 104, which was an adorable (but very small) single on the garden side of the hotel. The open window overlooked a patio filled with plants. The room was very quiet and I would recommend it for the single traveler looking for a charming, quiet place to stay. The room the other three of us stayed in (me, husband and younger daughter) was on the first floor, street side. Not so good. Although the windows seal out much of the traffic noise, you are still right on the street and cars and trucks are whizzing by well into the night. The following night we were given the quad, which was room 228. Though it was also on the street side (there are apparently no quads on the garden side) it was much quieter and the room was exceptional. The 1 king and two twin beds were very comfortable. The TV got cable, which the kids liked (watching Japanese game shows dubbed into Italian), the room has a small refridgerator, and the view of the street was not bad. There is a little market to the left and a couple of blocks away for a great selection of foods and wines; a laundry is a couple of blocks away if you turn right out the door, and several little bistros are within close proximity. The bathroom was very clean and had ample hot water. The most amazing thing about this room was the ceiling, which was very high and painted in the Florentine style. Breakfast was, admittedly, nothing to write home about: croissants, coffee, cereal, yogurt and canned fruit. But it was plentiful, and better than trying to find coffee at 8 am out on the street. I found the staff to be mostly young and very helpful. I never encountered anyone whom I would describe as rude. Once we figured out the layout of Florence we realized that the hotel is fairly central. About a ten minute easy walk (if its not boiling hot out) to the Duomo or Mercato Central. Before you arrive, if you tell them which places you are interested in, the hotel will pre-book visits to museums in the area so that you dont have to wait on lines.