We stayed at the hotel for 4 nights on our honeymoon. Florence was our second stop. Here is the breakdown:

Arrival: There is a TINY sign on the hotel making it difficult to find if you don't know the specific address. We arrived at the SMN train station and knew it was a short walk to the hotel but once we were in the piazza we walked around aimlessly. Ironically we decided to stop and ask for directions and we went into the hotel! After seeing the carpet with the hotel name on it we felt stupid but relieved to have found it. The check in girl was a dynamo! She spoke a number of languages and helped us with restaurants, a map, and museum bookings.

Room: After a TINY hotel in Paris, we were pleasantly surprised by the room in Florence. It was a standard room but had a huge bathroom. with an enormous shower. Lots of storage too. Air conditioning worked well. The only flaw was that the bed was SUPER hard and we had a dificult time sleeping that first night. Afterwards it wasn't so bad but both the mattress and the pillows are pretty firm.

All in all we loved the hotel and assuming that we're willing to put up with the hard bed, the staff and facilities more than made up for it. It was a very convenient location, close to all the major sights.

My wife and I spent 4 wonderful nights at the Santa Maria Novella. It was everything we hoped for and the location is GREAT. There was construction in the square but it did not bother us and when finished will make this hotel even better. Manuella at the front desk was extremely helpful and went out of her way to help me straighten out some tour stuff I book before leaving the states. All the staff was eager and available to see we were satisfied and to help us any way they could. The room # 210 was good sized and Clean as was the whole hotel and our room had a terrace that over looks square. Even with the construction we still enjoyed the terrace. The bath room was good size and the shower was nice sized also and all fixtures were very nice. Showers had hot water instantly with good pressure. Over all we were very happy with our room and Bath.
The breakfast area was very nice as well and had an excellent selection of food to choose from and was included with the room. The wait staff was very nice and every morning had us ready American coffee that was real good if you enjoy coffee in the morning. There was free internet available down stairs also. We have no complaints at all and think this was an excellent choice for Amenities, Staff , Breakfast & Great location. I highly recommend and if we are blessed with the opportunity to go back We will stay there again. Florence is a beautiful city to visit and staying at the Santa Maria Hotel completed the package nicely. I have nice pictures also but there are so many available now anyone interested should be able to get a feel for the Hotel. Hope you find this helpful & enjoy Florence.

We stayed in the Hotel Santa Maria Novella in Florence for 4 days this July. It is exceptional in many ways. The location is excellent, between the train station of the same name and the center of town. This proved great because Florence is very much a walking town. The building has good esthetics both inside and out. Our room was as large as most hotel rooms we have used in the US but was wonderfully decorated in an old-world style. And what a beautiful bathroom! The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Don’t miss the breakfast buffet which is included with the room. If you want a nice view of the piazza and Florence, check out the roof-top patio. The cost per day was the least of our Italian vacation. During any future visits to Florence, we would stay at the Hotel Santa Maria Novella.

Frank & Lisa

This hotel has a lovely central location; just couple of minutes from the main train station. There is a heavy construction site bang opposite it currently.
Our travel agent did the biggest blunder not mentioning that we had two kids 6&9 and one infant with 4 adults. We were made to wait for two hours at the reception and were told that our booking would be cancelled as we had provided incorrect information. We requested that we were willing to pay whatever charges were there for an extra room / beds and that we even didnt need those extra beds or the rooms even after paying as the kids just dont stay in a separate room. Our receptionist (Manuel R or Manuel B) was the most cruel person i have seen as she said that she could give us the room for a few hours for the infant and that we would be charged full day for it. We were told that there is a strict law in Italy that if there is a two person room, three people are not allowed to stay in the same room: even though the third person maybe a child. Surprisiingly the other two hotels in Venice & Rome had no such problem in charging us for extra bed in the SAME two people rooms. I guess the other hotels were also in Italy law jurisdiction.
Then finally she made our travel agent book another room about 150 yards away from hotel, and then gave us the two rooms we were booked for. At 10:30 p.m. we got a call asking the names of the two people that would be leaving for the other hotel. My friend and his 6 year old son left for the other hotel!
I just really hope u dont get to face Manuel B at the reception
Well thats hospitality!! & courtesy! and Italian Law??!!
The rooms are very small and congested. The bathrooms with thier white marble floor is very good.
Breakfast is nice and the waitresses there are charming and a delight.
Location of the hotel is good to walk to good places like the Duomo & Ponte Vecchio. You MUST go to San Gimigiano & Siena if you visit Florence. View of Florence (from some place / point) is just amazin!