0.3 business
Address:
Calle vallaresso, San marco 1332
, Venice 30124, Italy
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Lonely Planet review
- Alison Bing
- Lonely Planet author
Venice's favourite ridotto (gaming hall) circa 1648 is now a sound bet for a glamorous stay along the Grand Canal, thanks to a 2004 overhaul. The entrance and lobby were redesigned for maximum impact, and rooms in the Ridotto wing were given a slick, modern sheen without losing the delicious memory of good times had here over the centuries.The renovation has revived the glory days at this pleasure palace. The lobby, designed by Milanese architect Piero Lissoni, positively glows from within, thanks to a clever glassed-in courtyard garden. The galleried Ridotto, which once served as a theatre and gambling den, was converted to a splendid ballroom while preserving its 17th-century grandeur. Standard rooms in the Monaco wing offer more predictable Venetian elegance, but the new wing features a junior suite with a distinctly modern outlook. When the main hotel is full, you might be assigned a room in the adjacent annex, where quarters are smaller, darker, and not quite worth the posh price tag - so buyer beware when booking deals online. Hit cocktail hour in the groovy glass-front bar on the terrace, with its Grand Canal views framed by stone columns and ultramod marble bathrooms.
