Bring my own Food/Wine not allowed in Florence Hotel?

Does anyone know if this is normal? does it applu to all Italian hotels?

Not normal and it does not generally apply to hotels in Italy. It is their establishment and they can make whatever rules they want for their own place. It does sound she did get you what you needed, just letting you know she was doing you a big favor. Just a bit of Italian schtick that is part of their charm.

Some hotels may have had poor experiences with guests who left a mess. Or if they have a guest bar selling wine, then they'd prefer your patronage there. It's often a good idea to keep your picnic under the radar. But sometimes you won't know until you ask.

Sabrina, it is common for hotels to ban eating and drinking in the rooms, except for what they sell you. And not just in Italy. It is also difficult to enforce. Work on the principle what they can't see doesn't hurt them.
I always bring a Swiss Army knife on my travels, includes a corkscrew and a knife for cutting salami, cheeses etc.
There are usually glasses in the bathroom, or you can take a half-full glass from the bar up to your room to "finish off", and make sure you put it somewhere the maid doesn't find it until you leave.

The RS trip Paris hotel told the tour that we could not have food in our rooms. The hotel was very nicely decorated; it didn't have a restaurant that would be competing for wine purchase, etc.

My husband & I typically have a snack in our room, especially if the room has a balcony to relax. Anything that could smell, i.e. salami would be eaten in a park.

Thanks all for the response.

Now I understand what they are concerning about, will keep all the suggestion in mind.

Yes, we encountered this in multiple hotels in France. People can be messy.

Food in rooms can encourage insects, too.

The hotel I will be staying in in Paris does not allow eating in the room. They state it results in pests and insects in the rooms.

Last summer, our hotel room in Stresa had a beautiful balcony overlooking Lake Maggiore with a little table and chairs perfect for drinking a bottle of wine. When I asked at the front dest for wine glasses and a corkscrew, we were politely informed that it was not possible. Then the concierge lowered her voice and said to me that the bar next door would probably be willing to provide wine/cocktails for us to take up to our room as long as we promised to return the glasses. We ended up enjoying ice cold lemoncellos under the stars.

Before I took the RS Paris tour, I'd read a comment on the forum about the Hotel Londres Eiffel frowning on people taking food to the room. I kept this in mind when I stopped in a grocery and bought crackers and a drink on the way back to the hotel on one of the free afternoons. I asked Cedric at the front desk if I could eat my snack in the breakfast room. He said yes. Well, before you know it, other tour mates started lumbering in with their own snacks and we had an impromptu happy hour off the lobby!

That was France, but in London and Dublin I've eaten in hotel rooms and have never thought twice about it. If they have biscuits and a kettle in the drawer, I figure they're used to people eating in their rooms.

Didn't really run into the issue when I took the RS Best of Italy tour couple years ago. Often brought in things to snack on before bed at various hotels through the trip. But I guess the hotels can set whatever rules they want.

The hotel used in Paris for the RS tour went beyond very helpful. The front desk noticed we were bringing in a roasted duck from the take away place down the street and offered plates and everything else we needed to have a nice dinner on the lobby patio. We did buy wine from the hotel (a decent wine at a decent price).

Perhaps certain places with problems do not want mice squeezing in there eating the crumbs ruining your vacation that is why

I look at this from the receptionist's perspective. She was probably taken aback/shocked that you asked for eating utensils when they apparently have a no outside food policy. I have been to a number of hotels that do not permit food in rooms and it is not specific to a country or city but is more of a individual hotel or chain thing. I can't say that I have never brought food into one of those hotels but have tried to be circumspect to the point of bringing the trash out with me.
As an aside, I too have stayed at the Hotel Londres et Eiffel -- love Cedric, he is super. And while they state on their website that food from outside is forbidden, I don't think they strictly enforce that with respect to eating in their breakfast room especially when it is not breakfast time. But I can imagine how annoyed they would be if their breakfast room was filled during breakfast time with a bunch of people eating breakfast that they brought in from outside while the breakfast they offer sat unsold and uneaten.

My hotel in Rome last fall served breakfast in the room because they lacked a breakfast room, and had a makeshift mini-bar in the room as well. I had wine in each of my hotels in Florence, Orvieto, and Siena without anyone saying I couldn't (Florence hotel had a public bar as well). It's the sort of thing that if they have such a policy, they should state it up front--but you can't count on it.

I think in southern Europe where people eat meals on plates at tables with family and friends at very specific times, this munching in the room with a toothbrush cup for the wine is considered tacky. That’s why she ultimately got you the utensiles, others opened the breakfast room, and ugh—a greasy duck without proper plates would be a real mess. One of my southern European friends cringes at tacos because we use our hands. Sushi passes but nothing warm. Even for picnics, you’ll sometimes see folding tables and chairs. And the smell in the room the next morning and clean up for the poor maid. And the pests.

"we were told that it is not allowed to have outside food inside hotel room."

So, you could have food in the hotel room but it just had to be their food? Well that makes a little more sense. We eat when we are hungry, sometimes that means we skip dinner but have some snack food in the hotel for when we do get hungry. I have never even thought to look if food was or was not allowed in a room as we are intuitive eaters and if we are hungry we eat and when on vacation we never stick to a bfast, lunch and dinner schedule. And there is nothing tacky about being resourceful and using what you have to make it work, in fact that is part of the fun of travel..I would never say "Oh no, no proper wine glasses, guess no romantic toast for us".

Who travels without a corkscrew, or some spoons and forks, and those plastic cups provided by the hotel, in the first place, are meant to be filled with wine. :)

My RS corkscrew was confiscated at Schipol a few years ago 😞

Adventure stores sell plastic wine glasses (with or without stems). I know, it adds to 'trinket creep' in those with the 'pack light' philosophy but I tend to take a glass, a spork (one of those 3 in one utensils) and I a camp plate that lays flat, but sides snap to create a cup or bowl. I don't use it for cereal, but it is a tidy place for food out of respect of the room. Having read that the TSA approved corkscrews are often confiscated, I just buy a twist cap wine or pick up a cork screw in country. Sometimes buy a paring knife as well. These all work for picnics, or alfresco dinner in a nearby park.
I can see the concerns about bugs in hot humid climates, but if one is super tidy, washes up promptly and double bags garbage, it can't be much worse than discarding old gum, granola bar wrapping or other minor snack packaging for attracting pests....or head out for a late passagieta and discard garbage in a nearby trash bin.
After a full day traveling, I often eat in and one of the reasons I prefer short let apartments or places with light kitchen facilities.
I can't say I have ever seen posted notices about bringing in outside food on a hotel website or room, but I can see I will need to be a little more observant.

"It's often a good idea to keep your picnic under the radar."

This is the best advice.

Some hotels have a no-food-in-room policy for important reasons. I know one hotel in Italy that is famous for its nearby bird sanctuary. Their rooms offer outdoor terraces, and food can create a nightmare for them. They do their best to control the situation so that all their guests can enjoy the views.

I eat when I'm hungry, and that means often, because I'm a very active visitor. I ignore certain rules that conflict with my personal and professional needs. Certain rules are for people who lack discretion and consideration of others.

It is quite normal for me to be awake at 4:30 AM in Europe, especially the first three days. If I am up that early, I eat two breakfasts. I travel with my own homemade granola, high-quality oatmeal, chopped roasted pecans, and fresh-roasted ground coffee. A high fiber and high protein diet is crucial for my good health, not always easy to find at odd hours in Europe.

I travel with a miniature kitchen. My luggage list always includes:
- special travel bowls for food
- travel cups for beverage
- Nalgene bottles for olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and liqueur
- tiny travel jars for spices (sea salt, fresh ground pepper, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, herbes de Provence, vanilla extract)
- travel Melitta with coffee filters
- travel utensils
- immersion heating element

If I'm up early and eat two breakfasts, I can put off lunch until 1 PM, which is normal for locals but not normal for me. I often eat lunch with a local. If I eat lunch between 1-3, then I can do a light dinner between 8-9:30. Sometimes I nap between 3-4. I try to be in bed by Midnight, sometimes by 11 PM.

I have never been a carry-on only traveler. I could never function happily with such restriction. I don't require a lot of luggage space for the items listed above. After thirty-plus years, I happen to be an expert packer. One of my bags is a backpack, and no hotel has ever asked to search mine before going to my room. I have enjoyed a vast array of goodies through the years, in my room or on my terrace. For me, food is very much connected to my joy of travel.

NYCTravelSnob, if I may, I would like to take your kitchen packing list. I am traveling somewhere soon where I need to be creative with meals and your list is the ticket....though a test of my immersion heater showed it would be a failure. I am not about to wait 20 minutes for warmish water for coffee. I am packing a mini kettle ;-)

They probably want you to patronize their restaurant or their bar (or minibar in the room). I've never had that happened, but maybe my hotels are never too fancy. Here in the US I bring to my hotel room my own burner, coffee machine. Sometimes I even bring a small pot for cooking spaghetti in the room.

I think in southern Europe where people eat meals on plates at tables with family and friends,

We eat from plates in Northern Europe too! ; )

I'm currently lodging at a guesthouse in Rome and we're not supposed to have food in our rooms either. The Inn provides a common kitchen area with fridge, sink, and microwave. Cabinets and hutches hold dishes, silverware, cups and saucers, and shelves for storing dry goods. A common dining room has a TV, table and chairs, and comfy lounge chairs, and a hot pot to boil water.

I stored items in knotted plastic bags in the fridge until a new guest opened up my bags and finished off all my food in a few days. So I stopped using the fridge, shop now every day, and store my food on a nice ledge outside my window. Thank God it's cold, and I have a balcony with a high wall so nobody can see the fridge on my ledge and if anything falls off the ledge, I can go out and fetch it without being seen, and of course the balcony ensures that items will never fall to the sidewalk.

The Inn doesn't know what I'm doing and I'm not talking. I live in a far corner of the balcony so even the other guests have no reason to snoop over here.

The staff said that the fridge is public and we use it at risk. Ok fine, I'm happy with my setup, works for me. I also keep dry soup packets and sealed whole grain cracker packs on the inside shelf with a few other items that don't need a fridge. So far the housekeeper hasn't snitched on me.

"(I) store my food on a nice ledge outside my window"

I remember my guestroom-in-convent visits well. Always appreciated those thick Roman ledges, and travel during the cooler months. Nobody had mini-fridges in the late 70's, or en-suite bathrooms.

"I stored items in knotted plastic bags in the fridge until a new guest opened up my bags and finished off all my food in a few days."

In a communal situation, it would amaze me to discover some stranger stealing food. Yuck, I couldn't imagine touching such a bag.

Perhaps the knotted bag was not enough deterrent. I travel with a big, black Sharpie. I'd put my name on the bag, and a big "DO NOT TOUCH." If that doesn't work, then your plan B works for me. Unfortunately, in Rome, you've got to keep an eye out for the birds and the cats. The ledges aren't completely private, either.

I had a "corkscrew going through security" issue recently.

I had a carry-on bag (a garment bag) and the x-ray showed a corkscrew. "really!?" I said "Oh, man, I had no idea!" I knew it couldn't be anything expensive (I don't have an expensive one!) so I said "let's get rid of it" and there began about 30 minutes of digging through the suitcase. HE wanted to do the digging, and after 15 minutes said "can you help!?" and we kept digging..... and never found it. He finally said, "oh, just go on!" and I did.

Got to my destination, then to the hotel, zipped open the bag and the corkscrew fell out onto the floor!!! In, like, 2 seconds after unzipping the bag!

I'm really careful about packing carryon, now!

Susan
Expat in Ireland

Get a couple of these:

https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Wine-Corkscrew-Set-Black/dp/B00PX791EG/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=GF58Y8B8EX0FGYF4095M

TSA doesn't mind corkscrews, but other countries may:
https://apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa/cib_results.aspx?search=corkscrew

Cheap is better and put it in a place you can find it to show to baggage dude in case he wants to confiscate it.

As things alert security, I make note and then move them to a separate bag which I just take out and put in the trays like my liquids. So far, my Lush solid shampoo tins, corkscrew and alarm clock (with batteries). Coming home from Spain (no issues going into Spain), I held up the line while Security dug for 'something'. It was my round plastic manual massage ball - in a shoe, in a bag and behind socks. Another thing to add to the 'interesting items' bag.....
I went with screw top or box wines in Spain. Plenty good enough and no need to fuss about corkscrews.

don't ask, don't tell