Pros
1. Great location, across the street from trams and the main railway station. 10 minutes walk from the Duomo and the old city center
2. Free wifi, works well
3. Breakfast included in the price
4. Good pricing (relative for Florence where hotels are ridiculously priced)

Cons
1. Shared bathroom for some rooms means that the bathroom is down the hallway from the room
2. No A/C or TV in the rooms
3. Language barrier for non Italian speaking guests for late night checkins or early morning checkouts.

Location:
Stayed in Hotel Hermes for 2 nights in September 2011. As other reviewers have said, the hotel's location is perfect - about 5 minutes walk from the central Florence (Santa Maria Novella) railway station and about 10 minutes walk from the Duomo (main cathedral/town square). The railway station is also where tours that leave for locations around Florence leave (like Cinque Terre). Tourist Florence (within the medieval walls) is completely walkable, so it is good to be within easy reach.

Transportation
As mentioned above, the railway station is literally across the street. The Florence tram also stops right across the street from the hotel if you wanted to get around further into other parts of the city.

Rooms
We stayed in a double bed with a shared bathroom down the hall. The room was decent; felt a lot like a hostel with a door. There was a bidet in the room itself which I found a little weird. The lock is a traditional key-and-lock and you take the key with you when you leave the hotel. Our room faced the main drag which made for a lot of noise at night. Air conditioning was not available in our room which was okay for late September but might be an issue in summer. The shared bathroom was okay; there was a shower curtain but there was otherwise no separation at the floor level between the shower area and the toilet section; this means that after a shower the floor gets wet in the entire bathroom.

Facilities
Wifi access was available from the room and worked well. Breakfast was included in the price of the room and included bread, excellent cake, coffee (cappunico) or milk and orange juice. Seating space for breakfast was limited (about 5 tables or so) which means that you would have to wait for a place if too many people showed up at the same time. There was no business center (this is a bed and breakfast of course). No lift; the reception area itself is a walk up two flights of stairs from the street level which would be a problem with heavy luggage.

Staff
Very friendly staff. We did not speak Italian and were unable to communicate with the after hours (late evening) and early morning staff. The owner was very flexible in in arranging for us to stay an additional night in our room at short notice; I called a few days before we arrived asking for an extension of stay and was able to get an additional room arranged with no issues at all.

Neighborhood
Being near the city center, there are always a lot of people around so the location seemed very safe. There are good restaurants and shops within 2 blocks of the place, so purchasing supplies (snacks, water supplies), a meal or simply a take out pizza (by far the best value in Italy) is easy

We arrived in Florence with a sense of adventure but no working knowledge of the city. Hotel Hermes is easily accessible if you arrive by train into either the Rifredi or SMN stations. They are only one stop apart with no charge if you have a train ticket for the same day (valuable knowledge learned from the hotel staff). Our rooms were quaint but with modern amenities such as AC that we did need. Bed linens and towels were simple cotton and surprisingly functional when you are used to fluffy American towels. Beds seemed to be temporary and easily moved, but were extremely comfortable. Bathrooms were in our rooms (option of bath down the hall is available) and showers had great water pressure. Room 10 is a smaller bath with toilet in the shower space. This makes for a smaller space but again functioned perfectly for me and my two daughters. Hotel staff became our private guide to the city of Florence without ever leaving the desk. With their knowledge and direction I was able to navigate the tourist attractions and secret treasures unbeknownst to my Michelin guide and other tourists. THIS IS INVALUABLE!! The city of Florence is so used to tourists that it is easy to lose sight of the Italian culture. We were very much interested in the culture and trying to learn the language and the hotel staff was fabulous at answering our questions and even helping us learn Italian at breakfast each day. I will return to Florence and stay in this hotel again and would highly recommend it to anyone visiting the city.

Very happy with the hotel. Staff are friendly and helpful; the location is great for the station and main sights in Florence. I will use this hotel again when next I have need in Florence.

I would sincerely recommend take into consideration this small, but extremely nice hotel. It is located closely to the Central Station. It really took me 2 minutes to find it after the train.
Starting with neatly-furnished rooms, attractive rates, free Wi-Fi access, perfect location and finishing with very welcoming, helpful staff, it seems to be a wise choice when enjoying Florence. The owner is a very elegant, always smiling, really caring about her guests lady - Ms. Patrizia.

And thank you, Patrizia, for your hospitality and wisdom;)
I will return)
BR,
Ellen