Hotel Splendid Venice – Starhotels Collezione

The historic hotel in Venice, born as an inn in the 16th century, is part of La Grande Bellezza - The Dream Factory project created by the Starhotels group to promote high Italian craftsmanship. Among the various activities, there is also the possibility of booking immersive experiences in the largest art ateliers in the city.
It is the dream of all of us: to experience the most authentic Venice, to understand its secrets, to witness the work of the great master craftsmen who have allowed it to become the most beautiful city in the world.
Supporting their work, promoting the refined arts at risk of disappearing, means allowing this beauty to live forever. This is the vision that inspired “La Grande Bellezza – The Dream Factory” project launched by Starhotels in 2019 at the behest of its president Elisabetta Fabri.
With La Grande Bellezza – The Dream Factory project, we set ourselves the ambitious goal of giving a voice, space and concrete opportunities to the workshops and enterprises of Italian craftsmanship. A treasure trove of beauty and know-how that has made us who we are and is the object of love and desire around the world.
(Elisabetta Fabri, President and MD of Starhotels)
From this year Splendid Venice is also part of it, a real piece of history in the lagoon, born as an inn in the 16th century and then transformed in 1900 into a hotel with the name of “Albergo Splendido”, reborn after an impressive restoration in 2009 as part of the Starhotels group.
In a quiet location, albeit a few steps from Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge, the restyling of Splendid Venice wanted to pay homage to the great textile tradition of the Serenissima and, in particular, the refined production of silks and damasks that has distinguished it since from its profitable trade with the East.
Once you enter the hotel, you are struck by the colors of the velvets used for the curtains, sofas and armchairs, underlined by Byzantine-inspired furnishing accessories such as the oriental lampshades and the Gothic mullioned window lines.
Details that are also found in the 16 suites (there are 165 rooms), including the beautiful Heritage Suite with a romantic indigo color characterized by pleated fabrics, inlaid wall mirrors and masterpieces of the Murano glassmaking tradition.
The heart of the hotel is the wonderful lounge with Ottoman-style sofas and giant windows overlooking the canal that runs alongside it and the Campiello, the external courtyard with a completely retractable glass roof that makes it livable all year round. Here, the cuisine of Chef Massimo Livan who leads Le Maschere, the structure’s restaurant, is on stage every day from breakfast.
Thanks to La Grande Bellezza – The Dream Factory project, from this year Splendid Venice will be enriched with an ever greater number of artisanal works of art exhibited in hotels which can also be purchased.
Furthermore, the structure offers the Craft Experiences, a journey to the temples of artisan talent, immersive experiences held in selected workshops in the city with the possibility of experiencing Beauty firsthand, accompanied by their masters at work.
Among the experiences already bookable for hotel guests, the possibility of visiting the atelier of Stefano Nicolao, legendary costume designer for cinema and theater – from Pirates of the Caribbean to Casanova – and creator of some of the most beautiful dresses for costume balls in Venice.
During the visit, Maestro Nicolao will talk about the profession of the costume designer and the history of the Venice Carnival, with the possibility of seeing some of the most significant pieces from his collection of original museum clothes.
Or, you can book the workshop at the Ca’ Macana artisan laboratory, famous throughout the world for having collaborated on important theatrical and cinematographic productions, including Casanova by Lasse Hallström and Eyes Wide Shut by Kubrick, to learn how to create papier-mâché masks and decorate them with the most diverse materials.
The Secret
On the top floor of the hotel is the Altana Solana, named after the typical Venetian terraces built on the roofs, the largest of all the hotels in the city. With a wonderful view, in the summer it welcomes guests at aperitif time, truly spectacular at sunset.
Atelier Ca’ Macana
Atelier Stefano Nicolao
Useful Info
Hotel Splendid Venice – Starhotels Collezione
S. Marco Mercerie 760
30124 Venezia
Tel. +39 041 5200755
Rooms from 320 euro, breakfast included
Craft Experiences: from 300 euro up to 10 people, more info on La Grande Bellezza