Location - the hotel is a short stroll from the main train station (Stazione Santa Maria Novella) and is situated on one corner of a lovely open park area. The main attractions are within easy walking distance - Gallery of the Academy (statue of David) 0.65km, Uffizi Gallery 1.5km and Vecchio Bridge 1.6km. There are several restaurants, bars and mini-markets within a block or two. I booked this Hotel through Hotels4u and my booking was for a Double/Twin room for single use for two nights. On arriving in the hotel I was given Room 6 which is located on the same floor as the reception and looks out onto the street outside (I suspect that it would be quite noisy). The room was quite dark and smelt quite strongly of smoke. The room was tidy and had everything required in a single room. On realising that I had been given a single room instead of my pre-booked double/twin I returned to reception where I spoke with the Receptionist who had checked me in. I showed him my booking confirmation and he made some enquiries with Jumbo Tours (they seem to be a broker in Spain for Hotels4u). Jumbo Tours confirmed that the booking was for a double/twin for single use, but it would appear that they had sent through a booking to the hotel for a single room. Due to the error being with Jumbo Tours the broker suggested that he would have to get the payment difference authorised by his boss and that he would phone back once that had been done. The Receptionist was extremely polite and helpful and suggested that I go out sightseeing as planned and that by the time I got back the situation would be resolved and that it wouldn't be an issue as they had a double room to give me. I returned to the hotel 3 hours later and spoke with a different Receptionist, Luca. Luca was the opposite of the initial Receptionist in that he was completely unhelpful and obstructive from the moment I met him. I explained the situation to him and he stated that if I didn't pay to get changed rooms then I wouldn't get the double room, despite me showing him my booking confirmation which showed that I had in fact booked a double room. I requested that he phoned Jumbo Tours, which he very reluctantly did, however by the end of the conversation the situation had not been resolved. I then phoned Hotels4u and spoke with Anthony who was very helpful. He confirmed my booking and couldn't work out why I had been given a single room as he advised that the contract they had with the hotel was only for double/twin rooms and they never book single rooms. Anthony spoke with Luca briefly before speaking with me again and advising me that I was to be moved room to the double/twin and that it would be sorted by Hotels4u/Jumbo Tours and the hotel. I was moved to room 202. Again Luca was completely unhelpful as when he handed me the keys at no point did he advise me where the room was, nor where the lift or stairs were. Room 202 was a lovely room. It had a double bed, which could obviously be split to create two single beds if needed. It had big French style doors which looked into a small courtyard in the middle of the building. It wasn't a particularly picturesque courtyard; however it made the room lovely and bright and made it very quiet. I left my things in my room and ventured back out again, leaving my keys at reception with Luca who, this time, completely ignored me. The following day I spent most of the day sightseeing. On returning to the hotel that evening I was again met by Luca. Prior to handing over my keys he asked if I had seen my emails, however as I hadn't been anywhere with wifi I hadn't. He advised that Hotels4u or Jumbo Tours had been in touch with the hotel and that unless I paid the difference in rooms I would have to move again. I explained, yet again, that I had paid for a double/twin room and as such would not be paying anything. Luca then quite glibly stated that Hotels4u would just deduct the amount from my credit card. I returned to my room and on doing so found that I had received an email from Emma Cowley at Hotels4u stating that Hotels4u had been advised by the hotelier that 2 of us had arrived and checked in despite my booking only being for one person and this was the reason that they would be expecting me to pay the difference. I emailed Hotels4u, and copied the Hotel into the email, advising that if the hotelier had advised this then they were blatantly lying as I was the only person who checked in and the only person who had been in the room. I was travelling for a week around the north of Italy by myself. I immediately returned to reception and spoke with Luca who had the same couldn't care less attitude. I asked for him to confirm that there had only ever been me as part of my booking, which he did. I also requested that he read the email I had forwarded to the hotel and forward it on to Hotels4u confirming that I was the only person on the booking, again, which he did. I suspect that this email was then quickly deleted as I had expressed my dissatisfaction in Luca's attitude within the email, however I have never had any type of response from the hotel about my complaint, which if I had would have negated the need for this lengthy review. The following morning, I again spoke with Hotels4u who confirmed that the issue would be resolved between the supplier (Jumbo Tours) and the hotel. They were also extremely angry that I had been told by Luca that if I didn't pay the difference then Hotels4u would just take the money from my credit card. They confirmed that this is not action that Hotels4u would take and that as Luca is not an employee of Hotels4u then he should not have been giving out information on behalf of that company. Other than redeploying Luca to a non-Customer Service role, I would recommend that the hotel have specific non-smoking rooms as the smell in Room 6 was quite over powering and unpleasant. Overall I would recommend the hotel given its location and its overall condition, however would state that Luca totally spoilt my impression of the hotel and the service it provided.

The positive sides of this hotel are its proximity to the train station (10 min walking) and the main attractions (15 min by foot), as well as the price. There are eateries, bars and convenience stores nearby. The hotel is clean and well maintained. The downsides are the small size of the rooms and the noise from the street. Get a room on a 3rd floor if you'd like to open the windows (a must during the warm May weather when the general a/c is not switched on yet (there's no individual a/c in the room) and the plastic windows are so tight you can loose your breath it's so stuffy).

City breaks are about getting away from your daily life and experiencing something new and exciting for a couple of days. Florence is one of those cities that offers a huge variety of options. I chose the Hotel Malaspina from Lastminute.com because it was close to the city centre and had low daily rates. The hotel was very close to everything you would want to see in Florence, perfectly situated on a city park and about a 10 minute walk from the train station to the Duomo. The hotel provided an upgraded room for a small fee, the front desk clerk was very accommodating and friendly. The room I had was right off lift and a fairly good size. The bathroom and shower (water power) were the main issues I had, but I reported this to the front desk on check out. If you are on a budget and want to see Florence, this is a good stay. If you are used to travelling and staying in luxurious accommodations, this is not for you. But the best part of the stay was sitting in that great park at the end of the day, watching the older people gather to gossip, the dog owners letting their animals socialise and read a great book during the last few hours of sunshine.