Our experience with Marriott Grand Flora is quite the opposite - while roof top breakfast had wide variety but also included food that was subpar - lukewarm (at best) premade omelete, cut up hot dogs labelled as sausages, bacon that was strange and very salty. Requested to borrow Italian plugs for our power cords with an immediate answer of we don't have any, until my husband said but Westin in Florence..., then suddenly they had some. Shower that would not drain and their repairman could not fix it after coming up each day (4 days) - standing in cooling soapy water was unpleasant. Regular room was even smaller than a stateroom on a cruise ship. Did you try Harry's Bar opposite? Talk about lack of service. Too few staff working too many tables and several of us had to keep trying to get their attention and even so, another long wait after putting in an order or a request. We were stuck at dinner for 2.5 hrs. Then someone else showed up with the bill at the end indicating gratuities were not included in their bill. Every guest in sight, including us, spoke with American accent, so they were expecting tips. We tipped everywhere else in Europe, including Florence and Rome, our usual 20 percent and the wait staff was usually surprised and happy. This place we left without leaving a tip.
We are midway into our stay at the Gand Flora. I choose this hotel because of the location and the ability to get a two room suite for 200k points plus the cash upgrade. The service has been great. I am a little surprised about the small fitness area, but no big deal. As titanium members, we were offered breakfast for two on the terrace which has great views. I agree with the food quality. The fruit selection is fresh, but the eggs and omelettes are horrible, the bacon is undercooked and those chicken sausages are hotdogs. It’s hard to complain when it’s free but we are three people so to pay 30 euro for this quality of food is embarrassing for this high end Marriott.
It's because of random negative and inconsistent experiences at Grand Flora as discussed above which caused us to look elsewhere.
For many years GF was the place to be in Rome, but then it went downhill. Then suddenly it was back, and receiving good reviews.
Now I'm beginning to read so-so reviews again.
So, for our first trip to Italy in October of 2018, and naturally flying into Rome first and staying a few nights,
I chose the old Boscolo Exedra Roma, now the Palazzo Naiadi. There were many reasons I chose it.
After our stay, I'd say it was a 5-star experience, as advertised. The hotel was superb----everything was exquisite,
the staff was outstanding and always went the extra mile in every facet of service (especially the concierge desk which
was the best I've ever experienced anywhere), and our special trip to Rome (and Italy) will now leave only lasting,
wonderful memories.
It's slightly more expensive, but what the heck! There's only one chance to impress, and we weren't into "giving a hotel a try" for the sake
of a few dollars. THIS is why we went to Rome----not for cheap rates and
deals and hiccups in service and/or facility,
but for a trip of a lifetime. For those who accept less, I'm so sorry.
BTW, I used half cash and half Rewards Points, and it turned out to be very reasonable, far less than I thought.
And for the other two destinations, Monterosso and Florence, we used Airbnb's, and those were fantastic and actually
inexpensive for what we got....We traveled with another couple, so it was a heck of a trip for half the cost.
We loved the accommodations, especially our 4 nights in Florence's city center...
a gorgeous, large 2-BR apartment with a private terrace all to ourselves.