T+L’s Lodge Evaluation of Lodge Gabrielli in Venice

It was an emotional second for everybody, as our water taxi approached the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront promenade and the lagoonside entrance to Lodge Gabrielli Venezia – Starhotels Collezione. On board with me was normal supervisor Salvatore Pisani, who has overseen the years-long restoration of this storied Venice lodging that reopened on August 25. Impeccable in his powder blue linen swimsuit, Pisani opened the automated doorways with a sweep of his palms, and we had been the primary company to step into this Venice legend.

Lodge Gabrielli sits on coveted actual property alongside the Riva, the lengthy stretch of Venice that faces the lagoon and the mouth of the Grand Canal. For years, it was arduous to stroll previous its boarded-up façade and never really feel a twinge of nostalgic disappointment. Privately owned by the Perkhofer household since 1856, Lodge Gabrielli shut down in 2019, after the devastating excessive water flooding pushed over six ft of seawater into its first ground. The classic signage remained, however restoration from the flooding would take years—and a partnership with Starhotels, Italy’s largest privately owned resort group, which now manages Lodge Gabrielli below its luxurious Collezione model.

Within the foyer lounge, supervisor Pisani pointed to colourful Murano glass chandeliers and appliqués, timeworn parquet flooring, unique wooden beams, and marble columns, all meticulously restored piece by piece. These classic parts mix seamlessly with the trendy aesthetic of Milanese designer Andrea Auletta, who sought to keep up Lodge Gabrielli’s finish of the century ambiance, whereas creating a glance that’s firmly rooted within the current day. “We have now a foot sooner or later, and a foot previously,” Pisani says.

Right here, my full overview of Venice’s reopened Lodge Gabrielli, which is only a quick stroll from Piazza San Marco.

The Rooms

Lodge Gabrielli’s 66 rooms and suites are unfold throughout three palaces, the oldest of which dates to the 1300s. The three linked edifices kind a pleasant maze of areas, with stairways and corridors linking the buildings, and 6 completely different elevators serving the six flooring. The room rely is down from the unique 105, leading to generously sized, elegant but inviting areas, most with lagoon views.

We holed up within the Lagoon View Suite, the place the balcony is framed by quadrifor home windows, 4 ornate openings divided by columns.

All visitor rooms and suites are stocked with complimentary water, tea, and low. Company take pleasure in recent flowers, a number of welcome pastries, a pillow menu, fluffy bathrobes, and velvet slippers. The sprawling Presidential Suite is likely one of the largest in Venice, and has its personal rooftop boweror Venetian-style terrace, with sweeping views of the lagoon and metropolis.

All have a delicate grey shade palette, offset by wooden and gold accents and brocade materials. As I’ve present in different Starhotels Collezione resorts, the inside design is a considerate mixture of textures, tones, and decor gadgets which are clearly intentional however by no means obtrusive.

Meals and Drink

Lodge Gabrielli’s important restaurant, Felice al Gabrielli, doubles because the breakfast space, which offers the anticipated wealthy buffet in addition to a menu of cooked-to-order gadgets. Govt chef Mirko Pistorello sources recent seafood from the lagoon and produce from close by islands and the Veneto mainland. All the things was model new throughout our go to, together with the menu, and we had been solely capable of pattern just a few gadgets. However the appetizer of scallops topped with stuffed and delicately fried zucchini flowers, and an entrée of spaghetti with recent lagoon clams dressed with panko breadcrumbs, actually bode nicely for the restaurant’s full choices.

A night at Lodge Gabrielli ought to completely start on the rooftop Terrazza Gabrielli, which, from my perspective, is the true jewel of the meals and beverage program. Even on a balmy August night, a breeze blew in off the lagoon, and we saluted the sundown with elaborate cocktails in hand. Our group loved a model of the Americano, a traditional cocktail of Venice, accompanied by artistic aperitivo snacks, together with the traditional Venetian antipasto, cod mantaned up, creamed salted cod served on bread slices. The terrace will probably be open to exterior guests, although precedence will go to registered company, and it’s undoubtedly well worth the detour even in the event you’re not staying at Lodge Gabrielli.

Actions and Experiences

The resort can organize a number of experiences, many suited to households or first-timers to Venice. These embody skip-the-line excursions of the Doge’s Palace and Basilica San Marco, lagoon cruises with stops on the islands of Murano and Burano, or strolling excursions of Venice’s finest neighborhoods.

For a deeper dive into Venetian custom and craftsmanship, company can e-book guided visits to a few of the metropolis’s most revered artisan studios, together with Ca’ Macana, well-known for its handmade papier-mâché masks, and Atelier Nicolao, the place guests ogle exquisitely ornate and detailed costumes.

Our expertise took us to Lunardelli Venezia, a woodworking studio and showroom tucked into the San Polo district, the place we discovered in regards to the studio’s custom of upcycling objects and wooden that may in any other case be discarded. After a tour of the showroom, we sanded and completed our personal a sfroa pie-shaped slice of a Venetian wood piling. The oak pilings, submerged within the lagoon, finally decay and are changed each few a long time. Lunardelli salvages them and transforms them into stunning objects—souvenir souvenirs which are in contrast to anything in Venice.

The Spa

I didn’t get to strive La Spa, however the 1,076-square-foot wellness space includes a remedy room, a whirlpool tub, Turkish sauna and dry sauna, and a rest room. There’s additionally a small however well-equipped health room.

Whereas the spa is technically a shared area, company are inspired to e-book it for unique use. It’s a small space that, whereas suited to a few or buddies, would possibly really feel just a little crowded with a blended group of customers.

Household-friendly Choices

Starhotels has a complete household program, VIK, or Very Essential Children. Considerate extras embody welcome items and treats, and kid-friendly strolling itineraries. As well as, as much as two youngsters ages 16 and below can sleep free of their mother and father’ room.

Accessibility and Sustainability

Venice itself presents loads of challenges for the mobility-impaired, with so many areas accessible solely through stepped bridges. That mentioned, the Riva degli Schiavoni, the lengthy pedestrian space fronting Lodge Gabrielli, is wheelchair accessible, because of a sequence of ramps over its many bridges. Aside from just a few rooms which are solely accessible through staircases, Lodge Gabrielli is totally accessible, together with its rooftop terrace. Our suite had a step up out to the balcony.

The resort’s restoration is a research in sustainability, as unique items had been cleaned, repaired, and reinstalled. Starhotels eschews single-use plastics in favor of glass water bottles and refillable containers for toilet facilities.

Location

Lodge Gabrielli is on Riva degli Schiavoni, a 10-minute stroll from Venice’s grandest piazza, and 20 minutes on foot to the Rialto Bridge. The Giardini della Biennale, dwelling to dozens of worldwide artwork pavilions of the Venice Biennale, is quarter-hour away.

The closest worldwide airport is Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE). From the airport, a personal water taxi takes about half-hour and might be organized by the resort. Additionally from the airport, the Alilaguna public water transportation service reaches the Ospedale cease in about 40 minutes, and from there, it’s a 15-minute stroll to the resort.

Water taxis might be employed from Venice’s Santa Lucia prepare station. A number of municipal water buses run the route from the station to the Arsenale cease, which is only a minute stroll from the resort.

Ebook Now

Members of Starhotels loyalty program, I’m Star, obtain particular charges, on-site reductions, room upgrades (primarily based on availability), and late check-out (primarily based on availability).

Lodge Gabrielli can be affiliated with Main Accommodations of the World. Members of the Leaders Membership can entry unique charges, every day continental breakfast for 2, early check-in and late check-out (primarily based on availability), and complimentary Wi-Fi.

Nightly charges for normal rooms at Lodge Gabrielli begin from €550 ($643), and suites begin at €940 ($1,100).

Each T+L resort overview is written by an editor or reporter who has stayed on the property, and every resort chosen aligns with our core values.