Helvetia & Bristol

Delightful stay in the heart of Florence. Old world charm that has been beautifully maintained. The service was fantastic. Everyone was welcoming and helpful, from the restaurant and room service waiters to the concierge, who was incredibly helpful and gracious. The room was beautiful, the bed was comfortable, and the bathroom was marble-​walled elegance. Definitely recommended.

Some context: I am from San Francisco California. I travel frequently and have been to Italy several times. While I am outwardly easy going about travel experiences– I internally am pretty particular.
The hotel has several really excellent things going for it. First– the location. You are a short walk away from the major tourist spots. Second, the hotel is bursting with old world romantic charm that is well maintained. Third, the staff are wonderfully friendly and helpful. The concierge offers to make reservations for restaurants and getting into the museums without waiting in line. This is extremely helpful as my Italian is sub-​par and figuring out the whole American Cell Phone usage in Europe can be a pain. Fourth, above average hotel restaurant (hint the room service is great!)
If you want modern — this is not the place. If you want traditional — I definitely recommend giving this place a try. We booked on Orbitz and got a decent rate. I would say that overall this is a well appointed hotel at a good price. You will find cheaper, but I doubt they will be more classically luxurious. You can pay more and I doubt you will have an exponentially better experience.
Not sure about the other reviewer’s issue with the internet. It was fine for us. We came as tourists vs. on business so only needed the wifi for facebook and wifi calling. We face timed with no issue.
Did I mention how friendly the staff are?

Great location, good hotel, good staff but terrible internet service. If you would like to do any work or even post something on Facebook you should look somewhere else to stay.