Hotels -- Venice, Rome, Cinque Terre (Vernazza), Florence

There are thousands of hotels in these cities. I'm usually looking for less expensive digs than you're planning for, but let me explain what I do.
I go to Booking.com and sign into rooms for a specific city. I'll filter the search from low price to high. I'll then look for accommodations that have substantially higher customer ratings than others in the same price range--and ratings from a bunch of travelers. I'll read what they say closely. I also sometimes put the same hotels into TripAdvisor to see what's being said about them. I've never been disappointed with rooms researched this way.
In the big cities, you also do best by figuring out what part of town you want to stay in.

Not necessarily specific suggestions for you, but some comments.

I am not sure that the "star" system in the US means much from the stand point that there is no central authority that assigns stars and no consistent criteria, so your trust is not in the number of stars, but whoever is assigning them. Most cases though in Europe, there is a standard that a hotel of a number of stars needs to adhere to. However the number of stars usually speaks to the amenities rather than the quality of the beds, furnishings, or what the Hotel paid for the rating. It more likely means is there a bath in the room, elevators, food service, 24 hour desk, etc.; all depending on the system in use in the country that the hotel is in.

I have stayed in fantastic one and two star places...rated such because they did not have an elavator in a two story structure, no 24 hour desk, maybe a shower instead of a bath, and I have stayed in some horrendous 4 star places (well that goes for both Europe and the US) The only thing I can add is you need to know your own tolerance for comfort or expectations for a stay. It is different in Europe than in the US, I have many friends that would be shocked at using a shared bathroom down the hall, if the price is right, no problem here.

As for your situation, for your price range, having a balcony, especially overlooking something interesting may be a stretch, but mainly because most of the rooms just do not have them. If you focus on that, you may overlook many great places...but it is still worth considering when available.

As for destinations,

In Rome I usually stay at the Hotel Trastevere, simple place, but comfortable. Staying in the Trastevere is a bit out of the way, but a joy just to wander at night and a bit more of a neighborhood feel. Many others love the Campo di Fiori area or the Pantheon area, but quiet may be more important than balcony there.

Florence and Venice I have never really settled on a location or Hotel. If I were to have any advice, it would be to splurge on a place in Venice, maybe even double your budget, and get your balcony there, with a canal view.

In the Cinque Terre, any traditional measure of quality goes out the window. There are a few, more traditional hotels, but mostly you are looking at rooms, but more rustic, fewer amenities. A few of Ricks picks in Vernazza are a place to start, a few places in Monterosso offer the more traditional hotel experience, but I would push you to risk a bit and find an odd room in Manarola or Riomaggiore. A balcony is a bit more of an option there, maybe more worth the money.

jordin,

To find hotels that fit your criteria in all the places listed, I'd suggest picking up a copy of the RS Italy guidebook, as it has good recommendations for hotels in all those places. The 2017 edition of the guidebook should be released sometime around Sept./Oct. That way you'll be able to pick which area of each city you want to stay in.

Regarding your stay in the Cinque Terre, you'll have to decide whether you want more of a "conventional hotel experience", or whether you're willing to tolerate a simple room with no elevator, possibly a lot of stairs and few amenities (including no breakfast). If you'd prefer to have more of a hotel, then Monterosso would be a better choice. It's the largest of the five towns and therefore has the greatest selection of hotels and restaurants, and also the nicest beaches. For a hotel with balconies and a view, I can't think of a better recommendation than Hotel Villa Steno (the first photo of breakfast on the patio will give you an idea). IMO, it's worth a splurge.

Agree with Ken that the best place to start narrowing the thousands of hotels down to a manageable list to really examine is the RS Italy Guide book. We've used them for years and have never been steered wrong. Also agree with Ken about Hotel Villa Steno.

You are right; the star rating doesn't mean much. I don't need luxury hotels but I do view the hotel as an integral part of the trip and believe in splurging a little more for a great lodging experience. My main criteria is location and cleanliness. When I remember our trips, I remember the hotels as much as I do the sights, the food, the gelato, etc.!! I do a lot of my hotel research on Trip Advisor and find the reviews to be reliable. I usually pay a little more to be centrally located and have found some fantastic hotels and/or B&B's as follows.

In Venice, we love Locanda Orseolo (top rated on Trip Advisor and for good reason). We stayed there in 2013 & will stay there again next month (can't wait!). The location can't be beat, the rates are reasonable, and the breakfasts and staff wonderful. They have rooms overlooking the canal and it's just behind St. Mark's Square (and close to the Rialto bridge). For breakfast, they offer standard buffet items and will also make omelets and fruit crepes.

As for Rome, we stayed at Albergo del Senato which might be more expensive than you're looking for but the location, staff and breakfast buffet was great. We were upgraded to the penthouse overlooking the piazza and loved sitting on our balcony with a gelato and watching all the activity below us. One night, I woke up at 4am and decided to go downstairs and take pictures of the Pantheon & piazza without any tourists; it was a magical experience! On our upcoming trip, we will split our time in Rome between Navona 49 (new hotel) overlooking Piazza Navona and Hotel Abruzzi (in the same area as Albergo del Senato a stone's throw from the Pantheon). Both are highly rated and afford excellent views.

As for the CT, we have been there twice and stayed in Monterosso both times. We loved Monterosso because it's the largest of the 5 towns, the flattest and has the most amenities (i.e. restaurants, etc.). On our last trip we stayed at Hotel Pasquale and loved it. All rooms have a view of the ocean and though it's close to the train station, we weren't bothered by train noise at all and loved opening our windows and hearing the waves crash on the shore. The staff was very helpful and again, the breakfast buffet was very good. The patriarch of the family gets up early every morning to bake fresh croissants with marmalade filling; a very nice touch! While all the rooms have ocean views, only one room has a balcony and if you plan enough in advance, you might be able to secure that room!

All of the above mentioned hotels are very popular and book up way in advance so plan accordingly if you're interested in staying at any of them. Have a great trip and have fun planning!

While in the CT area, try this place in Vernazza:r favorite

http://www.elisabettacarro.it/

We've stayed twice in Venice at the Pensione Guerrato and once at Casa Rezzonico. I would highly recommend both. Both are B&Bs and very well located. One cool thing with Rezzonico is that our room looked out onto a small canal and we had a nearby church tower that rang its bells during the day. I made an online album of photos of Rezzonico and the surrounding area, in case you're interested: Casa Rezzonico

In Florence try http://mobile.hotellascaletta.it
Wonderful property, great people and a rooftop bar overlooking Florence.

Florence: http://www.relais-tiffany-firenze.com

Central location, family run and even has a garden. At least one of the rooms backs right onto the garden so you can have your breakfast right there. Ask for it.

I just returned two days ago and would highly recommend these hotels:

Venice: Hotel Giorgione (beautiful and if you are there when it's hot, they have a nice cool pool)
Cinque Terre: Hotel La Colonnina (we had the top floor with a sea view and entire patio to ourselves

These were our two favorite hotels of our entire 24-day trip.

I booked both of these very early and got really great deals. You don't say when you are going, but if you wait until the fall/winter rates are posted you may get a better deal.

We just stayed at Ai Beretini in Venice and it was wonderful. Air conditioned, convenient to Rialto Bridge and St. mark's cathedral and owner was so sweet. Great breakfast and ideal location and not too expensive. Agree with Ken about Monterosso. We would book Hotel Villa Steno in Monterosso again in heartbeat. Taxi ride from train station, park your rental car or walk with lots of stairs (but great exercise!) Incredible owner and staff who all went out of their way. Close to beach, shops and restaurants. We had a single room with pull out trundle and it was tight but great balcony with table and sea view. Also delicious breakfast with homemade jams, complimentary welcome drink, etc. Cannot say enough great things about Matteo and his hotel.

In Rome, Arco dei Tolomei is a B&B in Trastevere that fits your price range and is in the Rick Steves book. I am staying there later this year after a really nice experience in 2014. There are reviews on Trip Advisor too.

In Florence, Grand Tour Relais, also in the RS book, another B&B.

We loved these places on our last trip -

Florence - B&B La Dimora degli Angeli http://www.dimoredeicherubini.it/la-dimora-degli-angeli/ - everything was right outside the hotel and we could see the Duomo from our window! The staff was very friendly and welcoming, the room was beautiful and clean.

Venice - Ca' San Giorgio - http://www.casangiorgio.com/ - For us, the location was perfect. Right by the San Stae stop and away from the massive crowds. There was a little square down the street with a Coop (grocery store), two amazing gelato places, and a gorgeous church. It felt like a neighborhood. The rooms were clean, the staff was friendly, and breakfast was great!

Rome - Inn Urbe Colosseo - http://www.innurbe.it/EN/index.asp - Rooms were clean and very modern, staff was nice, the location was great, walking distance to the Forum and Colosseo, just a block from the Metro. It was a little more modern than what we go for, but I wouldn't hesitate to stay again