Palazzina Grassi Hotel in Venice by Philippe Starck

The Palazzina Grassi is located in the heart of Venice on the Grand Canal. The hotel is within a short walking distance to all of Venice’s main museums, art galleries and sites including the La Fenice Theatre, Galleria dell Accademia and the Palazzo Grassi which is located a few short steps away. The façade is a classical 16th-century shell, behind which generations of noble and haute-bourgeois families lived; several centuries earlier, the site served as a Roman spa. Classical references abound in the hotel’s public spaces, including a restored central colonnade and modern columns, but the interior is otherwise geometrically designed, pushing abstraction as far as it can go in this classical context.

With no reception desk in the entrance area, a personalised check in service marks the beginning of the “tailor made” service guests can expect throughout their stay. From the canal-side restaurant that offers the best of Venetian cuisine, juxtaposed with Starck’s version of Venetian design, and the limited access club room, to encouraging guests to take their meals whenever and wherever they desire. Privacy, flexibility, luxury and elegance are the fundaments of Palazzina Grassi.

The beds in the five apartment suites are situated in the center of the room, surrounded by transparent glass wardrobes and large backlit mirrors, so guests will get plenty of close up views of themselves. Coffee tables made of steel and moonstone onyx, soft rugs, and natural stone in the bathrooms soften the look to create a modern but comfortable atmosphere. A chic restaurant and bar are open to the public, and there will also be a second bar area downstairs that’s reserved for hotel guests only and ultra VIP Venetians.

But it is the 26 guestrooms that best show the marriage of ancient and contemporary, romantic design, especially the F Suite with its wood beams, sloping roof and spectacular views of Venice. Other rooms offer glimpses of the lagoon landscape and the Canal Grande. Suites are provided with LCD screens and Internet access. The design is echoed throughout the Bar and the hotels’ lobby/lounge, which are designed as interlocking public spaces. Venice has never been seen through such a highly modern prism.