Il Tornabuoni Hotel reivew – The Points Guy

Florence is one my favorite stops in Italy because it has so much to offer within a very walkable footprint — think masterpieces like Michelangelo’s David, the iconic Duomo di Firenze, and of course, Tuscan wine, Florentine steak and the most delectable pasta.

On my most recent trip with a group of friends, I was in search of a specific hotel feature: rooms or suites with multiple king beds. That led me to the Il Tornabuoni Hotel.

Here’s what it was like to stay at this Hyatt Unbound Collection property.

What is Il Tornabuoni hotel?

In a city with so much history like Florence, I enjoy staying somewhere that doesn’t feel like a cookie-cutter hotel chain with predictable wall coverings, furniture and bath products. You won’t find that at Il Tornabuoni, a 62-room hotel in the city center. While it is a Hyatt property, its Unbound Collection affiliation (Italy’s first, actually) means visitors will get a little something different.

Renaissance-era style architecture and luxury are the inspiration here. Il Tornabuoni’s prime location and varied room types make the property feel like a smaller boutique hotel with a taste of local flair. You’ll be greeted by a modern take on design without losing the connection to the city’s storied past.

How to book Il Tornabuoni Hotel

As Il Tornabuoni is a luxury hotel in a popular tourist destination, rooms and suites will cost you — but there are a few ways you can save money on a stay.

Il Tornabuoni is a Category 7 Hyatt property. That means the best points rate you’d find for an off-peak room based on Hyatt’s redemption charts would be 25,000 points per night or 43,000 for a standard suite. Unfortunately, a World of Hyatt credit card won’t help here because the annual free night awards are only valid for Category 1-4 properties.

Related: The best Hyatt Category 4 hotels to maximize your free night award certificate

Hyatt isn’t a program I currently have very high status with, nor did I have enough World of Hyatt points for this stay, so I turned to my credit cards. (If you do have enough points, I was able to find redemptions available for both rooms and suites on the Hyatt website in the coming months.)

Il Tornabuoni is an Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts property, so if you book a stay through the portal and pay in full using your Platinum Card® from American Expres, it would trigger the annual up to $200 in statement credit.

For this stay, I opted to leverage a different card: my Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, which also has up to $200 hotel credit when you book through Delta Stays, the airline’s hotel booking portal. What added to that decision was a limited-time Delta promotion where I’d also earn Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs) and bonus SkyMiles for my stay. As a Diamond Medallion member who’s trying to keep status amid some lofty requirements this year, this was a big win on a big spend.

If booking Il Tornabuoni, you’ll also want to consider using one of the credit cards that earn the most points for Hyatt stays, as well as one that possibly offers automatic World of Hyatt elite status for value-added benefits. These include:

• World of Hyatt Credit Card: Earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and resorts, automatic Discoverist status, and five elite night credits per year toward a higher tier.
• World of Hyatt Business Credit Card: Up to 9 points per dollar: Earn 4 points per dollar spent at Hyatt hotels and resorts, automatic Discoverist status, and five elite night credits per year toward a higher tier, plus 5 base points from Hyatt per eligible $1 spent for being a World of Hyatt member

The location is central and ideal for exploration

The historic property was once a palazzo that, according to Hyatt, would host the likes of the Grand Duke of Tuscany. It’s nestled on the corner of Piazza Santa Trinita, a central and convenient jumping-off point for any Florence adventure.

We arrived to the city by train, so we grabbed a taxi from the train station — Florence Santa Maria Novella (SMN) — to the hotel because we had heavy luggage. The ride was only about 10 minutes, and Il Tornabuoni’s bell service was waiting to assist with our arrival.

Sights in the historic center of Florence are not very far apart to begin with, and from Il Tornabuoni most major attractions are within walking distance. Just a short walk from the hotel, guests will find:

• The Uffizi Galleries, Ponte Vecchio or Palazzo Vecchio, all just about five minutes away (as are those trendy and delectable All’Antico Vinaio sandwiches — I highly recommend La Paradiso, stacked with mortadella and cream of pistachio).
• The Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, home of the city’s famous terracotta-tiled roof, about 10 minutes by foot.

And if shopping is your heart’s desire, Via Tornabuoni, where the hotel is situated, is luxury-brand central, with designer shops from the likes of Gucci, Ferragamo and Louis Vuitton steps away from the front door.

We ended up taking a short car ride across the river and up the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo, which is famed for magnificent views, but it’s not an impossible walk there as well if you’re looking to get more steps in.

Il Tornabuoni has a wide variety of room and suite options

Il Tornabuoni has more than a dozen room and suite types. Our group ended up staying in three different rooms. I booked the King Bed Premium (pictured below), a spacious 300-square-foot room with wood accents, rich red wallpaper and a smattering of avian-inspired art (I noticed that animal art, beyond birds, was a running theme at the hotel).

One of the fun design features here is that each room’s color palette and decor differ greatly between room and suite types. (For example, some of our friends stayed in a 500-square-foot suite with dual king beds. The space was adorned with black and white panel molding and deep golden-yellow accents.)

Turndown service was consistent. Canned water and candies were placed in the room, along with slippers left at the bedside. I also have to compliment the hotel for the excellent air conditioning in our room, which stood up to the test of my very American cold-room standards.

The bathroom in our room had a bathtub and a rain shower, as well as a hand shower function. Bathroom amenities from a brand called Hemp Care, which uses Italian hemp oil in its products, were plentiful. In addition to the basics, the room was also stocked with face wash, shaving gel and a hair mask.

Our room also featured an espresso maker and coffee machine, a wine fridge, a minibar cold fridge and snack items. There was also an in-drawer safe above the minibar.

Food and drink options at Il Tornabuoni

While there’s certainly no shortage of amazing food and drink in Florence, I do appreciate nice options at my home base as well. Our first stop was the property’s Butterfly Terrace, a rooftop cocktail bar. The terrace is open from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., except on Mondays. In Florence, I always think rooftop bars are a great way to take in the view — and it was nice to have one in our own building.

On the ground level, Il Magnifico Restaurant — and the next-door Il Magnifico Cafe and bar — are open for a variety of meal and drink times. Both buffet and a la carte options are available for breakfast. The buffet was around $44, while an omelet a la carte was priced at $20. I ended up going with the buffet so I could explore the extra options, plus the price of a la carte wouldn’t have been too different.

The buffet included a yogurt parfait station, baked goods and fresh scrambled eggs.

I took advantage of the cafe’s all-day menu for a few afternoon snacks. The menu ranged from staples like burgers ($31) and club sandwiches ($25) to more local fare like pasta with Tuscan ragu ($23) or a board of Tuscan cured meat ($29).

Spritzes and signature cocktails really shine at the glam bar, which stayed busy until closing. The house-made limoncello was one of our go-to orders. Drinks ran around $25 to $28 each. The menu also featured mocktails.

Reasons why Il Tornabuoni might not be for you

• The higher price point at Il Tornabuoni won’t fit all budgets.
• If a workout is part of your vacation routine, Il Tornabuoni’s gym might not be adequate for you. While the hotel does have a fitness center, it’s not much more than a few machines and some small free weights. (Instead, we went to Florence Fitness around the corner, which offers day passes.)

Accessibility

Though it’s a historic building, I did notice accessibility features throughout Il Tornabuoni, like ramps that were added to make the former palazzo more convenient for wheelchair users.

I checked several dates on the Hyatt website for availability of accessible rooms, and wasn’t able to find a room to book online — the hotel’s website does not have a dedicated accessibility page. However, when I reached out to the hotel directly, they confirmed that some of their premium rooms do have accessible features. They said that guests should reach out to them via email (at reservations@iltornabuonihotel.com) to reserve an accessible room.

Checking out

I found Il Tornabuoni to be an outstanding hotel that I would definitely return to. While a stay here isn’t easy on the wallet, the location can’t be beat, the staff was very helpful and attentive, and the variety of room choices can appeal to a range of travel parties (families, couples, groups of friends, etc.).

It’s also a convenient way for Hyatt loyalists to use points at a top-tier property in one of Italy’s most desirable destinations.

In a walkable city like Florence, Il Tornabuoni offers not only a convenient location but also a charming blend of historic architecture, creative design and a chic and comfortable home away from home.

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