Masks Off: The St. Regis Venice Is Not Your Standard Palazzo Hotel

The hotel opened in 2019, built into the bones of the former Grand Hotel Britannia — a property that has been welcoming guests on the Grand Canal since 1895, and was the first hotel in Venice with electricity in every room. The St. Regis brand inherited five connected palazzi, the oldest dating to the 17th century.

Photo: Vicki Denig

Arriving at The St. Regis Venice felt like a scene out of a glamorous, 1960s Dolce Vita film. We were picked up from the train station in one of the hotel’s private water taxis, complete with white leather seats and a polished mahogany exterior, our hair whipping in the wind as our captain navigated through the picturesque inlets of Venice’s Cannaregio district. Upon entering the property, I was immediately blown away by the Art Deco meets contemporary design of the space, as well as how quiet the overall vibe of the place felt — a rare luxury in a city as overrun by tourism as Venice.

Rooms and suites

Photos: Vicki Denig

Our suite was on the piano nobile — the primo piano of the original palazzo and historically the grandest floor — with a living room overlooking the Grand Canal, a separate bedroom, and a marble bathroom. The bedroom ran warm in the afternoon sun, which the blackout curtains and the thermostat sorted out quickly enough. Although the living room’s floor-to-ceiling windows were undoubtedly the star of the show, the room’s palatial bathroom gave the view a run for its money — think lavish black and white marble, a deep soaking tub, and premium toiletries, complete with plush terry cloth robes warmed from the towel heater.

Dining and amenities

Like most Italy-bound travelers, our main goal in Venice was to eat and drink well—and The St. Regis overdelivered on all fronts. We started with an Afternoon Tea ritual at the Gran Salone , then had our first dinner of the trip at Gio’s Restaurant & Terrace, led by chef Giuseppe Ricci. A native of Puglia, Ricci integrates southern Italian influences into Venetian cuisine with dishes like seared scallops with Lamon beans and lagoon reduction, codfish dumplings, and lagoon sea bass in anchovy sauce. I sprung for the scallops to start, then moved onto a blue lobster paccheri pasta drenched in spicy blue lobster basara sauce. We had the all-Italian wine pairing throughout. The highlight was hands-down the Franciacorta Bellavista Brut Satèn 2020, served in a custom-made Murano glass flute designed specifically for the hotel.

Photo: Vicki Denig

Downstairs, the Arts Bar is one of the rare late-night drinking spots in central Venice — a small room built around a wooden cabinet designed in homage to Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa, with outdoor seats on the canal. The bar’s menu, called Worldwide Icons of Art, features twelve cocktails each based on a work or artist: Munch, Mondrian, Warhol, Banksy, Monet, Ai Weiwei. Every drink arrives in a custom Murano glass made by Berengo Studio specifically for the cocktail it holds. The one I ordered, through the trees, was the Edvard Munch iteration — Norwegian aquavit, roasted barley syrup, smoky hop soda, and a touch of absinthe, served in a jagged, off-kilter vessel meant to evoke the figure in “The Scream.” The aquavit and barley carried the smoke; the hop soda cut through it. It worked.

What to Do Around The St. Regis Venice

Book a private boat tour

Although definitely the most obvious thing to do in Venice, a visit to the city without a private boat ride wouldn’t be complete. However, rather than springing for a cheesy (and overpriced) gondola ride, The St. Regis proposes a variety of private boat excursions, each completed on the property’s signature Mahogany Riva boats. Grand Canal tours are generally one hour and leave from the hotel’s private dock, though longer excursions, such as the 4-hour Murano and Burano experience are perfect for those looking to enjoy longer experiences on the water.

Indulge in afternoon tea with breathtaking canal views

Photo: Vicki Denig

I’m not going to lie, I was a bit skeptical about the Afternoon Tea experience, as I figured we’d likely want to wander around the city instead. I was wrong. Served at the Gran Salone of Gio’s, this canal-side experience was one of the most relaxing and indulgent parts of the trip — I mean, what’s better than sipping on tea (in my case, cappuccino and Prosecco) and snacking on finger sandwiches and scones while watching the boats slowly mosey by?

Explore Berengo Studio on the island of Murano

Photos: Vicki Denig

This trip to Venice marked the first time that I was able to make it over to the island of Murano, which had long been a bucket list item of mine due to Berengo Studio. Founded in 1989 by Adriano Berengo, this iconic glassblowing studio is known for hosting contemporary artists like Ai Weiwei and others to work with Murano’s master glassmakers. Guests of The St. Regis can book a private tour of the studio, which includes a visit to the active furnace, on-site museum, and private boat transfers to and from the island. Hit the neighboring wine bar, Osteria Sensa Fondo, for a tasty glass of wine and cicchetti to end the visit on a high note.

Partake in classic St. Regis rituals

Every St. Regis property worldwide does two daily rituals: a Champagne sabrage ceremony at 5 PM, and a house bloody mary based on the original red snapper from the King Cole Bar at The St. Regis New York, where the cocktail was invented in 1934. Both traditions are alive and well at the hotel’s Venice outpost, with a few locally-inspired twists to boot. The evening Champagne sabrage features Italian bubbly, of course, and the bloody mary variation here is called the Santa Maria — a clarified twist on the classic bloody mary made with verjus, house-made spicy tincture, grappa, and horseradish-infused vodka. Enjoy al fresco at the Gran Salone or Arts Bar for equally iconic views.