The Gritti Palace in Venice is an absolute destination of its own. Dating back to the 1400’s, this building was once a private palace for the Doge of Venice. In the 19th century, this marvelous palace was turned into a hotel. In the fall of 2023, I was planning a 23 day trip to Italy. I had an award night certificate from Marriott that I needed to use and was trying to find which property was my best option. I stumbled upon the Gritti Palace and fell in love with the idea of staying in the once luxurious private residences of the Venetian aristocracy. I checked the award night calendar on Marriott’s website and found an award night for 88,000 bonvoy points, on a Sunday night during my timeframe that I would be in Italy. My award night certificate was for 85,000 points so I only needed to supplement an additional 3,000 points! Score! I immediately booked this night and then had to tailor my trip around this one night in Venice. It was a little tricky but was more than worth it.

My husband and I were leaving Florence after meeting up with a friend there and spending a few nights. We took a 9:30am train and arrived to Venice around 12pm. Since we only had one night in Venice, we decided to splurge and book a private water taxi from the train station to the hotel. The ride was about 15 minutes and 60 euros. Exploring Venice by foot is a great way to sightsee, but you truly must explore the wonders of Venice via the Grand Canal, whether by Gondola or private water taxi. The crisp, salty air of the ocean floating through the canals, while viewing some of the most beautiful architecture, and listening to gondoliers belting out Italian classics, is an experience that does not leave you.

After docking at the Gritti Palace, we were immediately escorted off the taxi by bellmen in 3 piece suits, and were shown the front desk to check in at. At the front desk, we were informed that our room was not ready, but that they would hold any luggage for us while we explored the city. My husband and I were hungry to explore not only the city, but the dining options as well. After we finished lunch, we meandered around, dodging the sudden rainfall, when the front desk called to inform me that the room was ready. I was eager to see if we would be granted an upgrade at check in because I have Platinum Elite status with Marriott properties, and upgrades at check in are a perk of this status (subject to availability). The front desk clerk greeted us and informed us she was able to grant us an upgrade. She glanced around, and quietly informed us she was giving us one of her favorite suites in the Palace. We were thrilled! She asked another young lady to escort us to our room, and when this lady discovered what room she was taking us to, her eyes went wide and she smiled. She quietly told us how this was a favorite suite of hers as well and implied it was rare for it to be given out. She gave us a tour of the room and went on her way.

To say we were blown away by the suite was an understatement. The most basic room at this hotel puts many luxury hotel rooms in the US to shame. Walking in to the foyer, there was a fresh bouquet of roses on the entry table. In the living room, the hotel had given us a bottle of prosecco and fresh pears. The hall bath and master bathroom were wall to wall marble (yes, you read that correctly, the hall bath AND the master bath) with ornate mirrors and light fixtures. The bedroom was so tranquil and quiet. The room was lined with fabric coverings, with a softened batting underneath. I had never seen upholstered walls before, and it made the room so quiet, no sound bounced off the walls. It was the first hotel room in our 23 night stay that we didn’t even turn on our sound machine to sleep. The windows in the living room and master bedroom were above a canal. You could occasionally hear the gondoliers belting out as the paddled through the canal below.

This was day 19 of our trip and we were exhausted. We lounged on the settee, drank our prosecco, snacked on the pears, and for the first time during our trip, turned on netflix and watched tv. I then took a long soak in the massive, oversized marble tub before getting ready for dinner. They provided bath salts, bubble bath, and I actually used their shampoo and conditioner, something I can usually never do because hotel shampoo and conditioners leave my hair feeling like a haystack. Not at the Gritti Palace though.

We went out, walked the streets of Venice, had a charming dinner in a cafe and were again eager to return to our piece of paradise at the palace. Upon returning, we realized they had provided a turn down service, with fresh towels, restocked toiletries, an eye cream placed on our pillows, and slippers out beside our bed. We got in bed, ready to relax into more netflix, since we didn’t have to check out until 4pm. A lovely extra gift given to us by the generous front desk. I think that was the best sleep I got during our trip. I will say, I was awoken at 3am by the TV turning on. I was confused, and went to snap at my husband for turning on the tv so late in the night, when I realized he was in fact, asleep. I woke him up to turn it off, as the remote was on his nightstand, and then quickly drifted back to dreamland. The next morning, I was curious and did a quick google searched. Apparently, the Palace is haunted and there were many tales of the spirits that live here. Luckily, they were harmless and merely wanted to netflix and chill while my husband and I slept. Lol.

I was so impressed with this hotel. The most basic room, on the night that we stayed, was 1,800 euro cash rate at the time of my booking. I can’t imagine what the exact room we stayed in would have cost had we had to pay cash. I actually tried to price it out on their website a few months after returning and wasn’t able to find this suite on their site. Maybe that’s why the front desk ladies were so quiet about assigning us this room, because it wasn’t actually a bookable room? If anyone has stayed in the Dorsoduro Suite, room 202/203 comment below please!

To say this was a stay that will stay with me is an understatement. I’ll never forget the sound of Gondoliers singing, drifting in from the windows, while I sat in a palace suite, drinking Venetian prosecco and fresh pears. Some experiences, last a lifetime, and in that moment, I knew that this was one of those.

Water taxi to the hotel

The most dreamy master bathroom and the hall bath below

Master bedroom. Unfortunately, this is the only photo I got

The details on the staircase were incredible. I could picture all the ladies that were dressed so fabulously, walking down them to attend a ball.

The beautiful lobby bar