Located in the heart of Florence just 10 minutes away from Santa Maria Novella station, The Student Hotel Florence is a dynamic new hotel specifically oriented towards a young, creative clientele. The hotel is sited in the former Palazzo del Sonno—an 1864 building designed by Italian architect Giuseppe Poggi. Rizoma Architetture sought to preserve the site's historic character on the exterior while infusing it with a modern, contemporary aesthetic on the interior.

The hotel is the first project in Italy by The Student Hotel, a Dutch start-up active in the hospitality sector since 2012 and with locations in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris, Rotterdam, and several other European cities. The hotel employs a hybrid plan, allocating just over half of its 390 rooms for students to stay for up to two years. The remaining rooms are for tourists, professionals, business travelers, and anyone else looking to stay for two nights to 12 months.

Rizoma Architetture designed a series of communal spaces to serve as the heart of the hotel, including classrooms, co-working spaces, and auditoriums for conferences and meetings. The hotel also offers restaurants and cafes, an outdoor swimming pool, a gym, a communal kitchen, and a rooftop bar.

These spaces are all designed for collaboration and creativity, with a modern, industrial edge that contrasts with the historic walls of the palazzo. The lively and modern interiors are punctuated by neon lights, artwork by local street artists, exposed ductwork, and a bold color palette punctuated with bright blues and reds.

With rates starting at just $88 a night and around $565 to $790 euros a month, the hotel strikes a comfortable balance between democratic and design-oriented, desirable yet still within reach.

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Project Credits:

Interior Design: Rizoma Architetture / @rizomarchitetture

Architect of Record: Archea Associati / @archea_associati

Builder/General Contractor: INSO SPA

Structural & Civil Engineer: AEI Progetti SRL

Lighting Design: ESA Engineering