No Small Wander

I spent a week this month in Florence, Italy—and I’m so glad that I was staying at The Social Hub Florence Lavagnini hotel for that time. This is the second Social Hub Hotel in Florence, and I liked it so much I thought I’d write about all my favourite things!

The Location

The Social Hub was really easy to get to by public transport: it was one tram ride from the airport to the Lavagnini tram stop, which was literally across the street from the hotel entrance.

I love walking when I visit new places, and this hotel felt perfectly situated; about a 10-minute walk to central Florence, and a 15-minute walk to the Duomo. It was quite close to places to eat, but was far enough away from tourist traps that I didn’t feel overwhelmed by crowds.

The Room

I picked a pretty basic room—a queen-sized bed, a nice bathroom. I’ve always been of the opinion that if you’re going somewhere where you’ll be out a lot, the room matters less than the city. Two things I loved about this room, though: the presence of a corkboard (because the idea that I could put up little reminders of home felt cute), and the toiletries. A brand I hadn’t heard of before, Zenology, had the nicest-smelling citrus and black tea hand wash and body balm.

The Amenities

By “amenities” I just mean services offered by the hotel—I’ll go over the physical space in the next section, because I think that the Social Hub team has put a lot of thought into the hotel’s layout, and I wanted to talk about that in the next section.

But this hotel was great on service! First, I got an early check-in (about an hour early) because the room was ready and they seemed keen to get me settled. I was really grateful for this! After landing midday and figuring out the transit system in 37°C heat, it was really nice to be resting in some air conditioning ASAP.

The concierge was also helpful at helping me find a quick bite to eat on my first night, and a lovely dinner a few nights after. For breakfast, there’s an additional €17 charge for the buffet, but only if you book it in the night before (for the day-of, that price goes up to €21).

Checkout was also smooth and easy—and seeing as the last checkout was noon, I was very comfortable sleeping in that morning. They stored my luggage so I could work at their co-working space and walk around the city without a carry-on suitcase in tow!

The Social Spaces

This is what I felt really set the Social Hub hotel apart from other places I’ve stayed or worked at. There were so many of what I’d call “third spaces”—places to hang out and enjoy the vibe that weren’t the rooms. The rooftop pool and restaurant; the outdoor courtyard with sofas and deck chairs; a grand piano next to the concierge desk.

A little deeper into the hotel, there were numerous co-working spaces and conference rooms; a giant bulletin board alerted residents to events that were scheduled, like movie screenings in the basement cinema, or exercise classes free to guests. There was also a photobooth (a staple of Florence; I saw many throughout my walking tours!) and even the entrance had a pink-lighted swing set.

I loved that there were so many places to just chill. Florence was full of these spaces, where I felt like I could just sit and rest without the pressure to buy something. But for the commercially-inclined, the hotel also provided a branded merchandise shop, an in-house coffeeshop, and a tattoo parlour.

All in all, I had a really lovely stay at the Social Hub Florence Lavagnini, and would definitely book it again on my next trip to Florence. Between the great service, ideal location, and plenty of spaces to explore and relax, it was an ideal place to rest after days of walking through the city. Happy travels!