c-hotels Joy in Florence

Facilities: Mostly complaints:
1. The standard 14 sqm room was definitely misrepresented. We stayed at a hotel in Milan later where a 15 sqm room felt much, much more spacious. There's no harm in a little comparison.
2. The bedside table was literally just a block of wood – you read that right, not even a small shelf, just a block. There wasn't even enough space for two phones to charge.
3. The electric kettle had a large plastic lining and was broken. Luckily, we always bring our own portable one when traveling.
4. The room had a lingering smell of cleaning products, and when the heating was turned on at night, there was also a distinct smell coming from the air ducts.
5. The sink faucet wouldn't shut off completely and kept leaking.

Location: It's about a 100-meter walk from the nearest train station exit, just around the corner across the street. The location is truly convenient, especially for those staying in Florence and planning day trips to other Tuscan cities by train. This is a big plus.

Service: The front desk staff immediately pushed for a room upgrade (to a 22 sqm superior room). After politely declining multiple times, we were told we couldn't check in until after 3 PM, but if we upgraded, we could check in immediately. We were also asked to pay the city tax right away (which is fine, but it was strange as all our other hotels in Rome, Venice, and Milan collected it upon checkout). However, the breakfast was absolutely excellent! After enduring several days of hotels in Rome offering no hot food at all, having hot scrambled eggs, bacon, and stir-fried vegetables was pure bliss. Plus, the breakfast menu changed daily, and we enjoyed it thoroughly for all five days of our stay.

Overall: The location, breakfast, and value for money allow me to give it 5 stars, which somewhat compensates for the shortcomings in the room type, cleanliness, and facilities.