Recommendation For Hotel Near Florence Airport

Florence is very close to the airport. From any hotel between the Duomo and the train station, a taxi will get to the airport in less than 20 minutes. Have the hotel arrange the taxi the night before. That early in the morning, traffic won't be an issue.

How early is your flight?
A taxi will take less than 20 minutes as there is little traffic on the roads very early in the mornings.
I’ve done it a few times.

We’ll be heading to the airport around 4am

Check with your airlines to see what time their desk will open
No point getting there too early
Assuming this flight goes somewhere in Europe arriving 2 hours preflight is plenty of time

As mentioned above, a taxi can take you from the city center to the airport in 20 minutes or less. Traffic is not good in Florence nowadays due to the multiple working sites (they are extending the light rail) but between 4am and 7:30am traffic is not an issue.

If you are staying already in Florence for the previous nights there is no reason whatsoever to change hotels just for the last night.

If you are coming from elsewhere, and spend the night in Florence strictly for the next morning flight, then it's up to you. If you don't need to visit anything in Florence, then you can stay nearer to the airport, although at most you will save 10-15 minutes.

The best hotels, in my opinion, to stay near the airport are the Hilton Garden Inn or the StarHotels Tuscany Hotel . These two hotels have the advantage of being along the T2 light rail line which you can use to visit the city center, if you want, or even to go to the airport, if you prefer to the taxi. The taxi fare from that area is based on the meter and costs 15-20 euro, depending on how many suitcases you have. From downtown it's a flat fee of €25.30, if before 6am (it would be only €22.00 after 6am) plus 1 euro for each bag (it doesn't matter if the bags are in the trunk or with you on your lap).

The airport opens its doors at 4am, however the check in positions open only 2 hours before the flight departure. More positions open for the flight at 90 minutes prior to departure. In my experience (including twice this year), it takes no more than 45-50 minutes from the moment I step inside the airport, to the moment I'm sitting at the gate, and that includes checking in, security check, and having a cappuccino at the coffee bar along the way.

Thank You Roberto, that was exactly the information I was seeking. We’re coming back to Florence just to catch a flight. First international trip.