15 hours ago
The luxury Venice hotels where the Bezos wedding guests are staying (and affordable alternatives)
As the nozze di Bezos melodrama rolls into town, Venetians are each preparing in his or her own way. The city's millionaire mayor Luigi Brugnano is preening, its anti-crowds protesters are polishing their placards, while in ultra-luxe hotels pillows are being plumped for the fortunate few on an ultra-glamorous, ultra-high-net-worth guestlist.
On Venice's streets and waterways the 200-odd pampered invitees can expect to be disrupted when they descend into the tourist-packed city for the wedding extravaganza on June 24-26… or 26-18; there are conflicting reports. Protest organisers have already plastered venerable walls with 'No space for Bezos' posters – a reference to the Amazon boss' Blue Origin space venture. Next they're calling for pedestrian mayhem and water-borne hurdles along wedding-guest routes as Bezos attempts to tie the knot with his journalist fiancée Lauren Sànchez.
So the straightforward, unchallenged luxury beyond the doors of the classic hotels where guests are rumoured to be staying will come as a blessed relief. And Venice's grandes dames hotels have decades – even centuries – experience of making the very rich and very powerful feel very special.
Intrigue continues to swirl around the actual nuptials: word is they may take place on board Bezos' yacht Koru, possibly to be moored, gazing across the lagoon at St Mark's square, at the island of San Giorgio Maggiore – though the dock's website says only boats up to 13m long are accepted, so at 127 metres (417 ft), the Koru hardly meets the specs.
There's far less call for wild speculation, though, where accommodation is concerned: the tried-and-tested candidates for indulgent stopovers are obvious.
The inevitable 'insiders' who have been proliferating as the event draws closer seem to have coalesced around the Aman Venice as the most likely choice for the bride and groom themselves. This could simply be by association: George Clooney and Amal Alamuddin chose it when they married in Venice in 2014.
But there's no denying that this five-star in magnificent Palazzo Papadopoli is the perfect perch on the central reaches of the Grand Canal. (Wedding date hint: at the time of writing it was still possible to book a canal-facing room for June 24 for a mere €3,905. From June 25-29 the place is full.)
With just an inconspicuous gate in the high wall around the Aman's delightfully secluded garden, access here is predominantly by water, giving the patrician palazzo a paparazzo-proofed feel, for guests who wish to be gossiped about but not disturbed.
On the eastern tip of the Giudecca island – and with an Olympic-sized pool to boot – the Belmond Cipriani is a favourite haunt of privacy-seeking movie stars during the Venice Film Festival and will no doubt be hosting a gaggle of wedding guests.
Much-loved concierge Roberto – fount of all Venetian knowledge and for decades the personification of the hotel's effortless charm – has slipped quietly into retirement but his imprint on the vibe remains.
It says much about this hotel that the only gate from the rest of the island into the premises is fiendishly difficult to find and takes you through backstage areas, into further reaches of the garden. For the average, non-adventurous guest the place is rigorously water-facing, with arrival by launch to the jealously guarded private dock de rigueur.
Also sadly missing now from Venice's classic hotel scene is ebullient, bespectacled Paolo Lorenzoni, who took the historic Gritti Palace hotel – with a superlative collection of antique furniture and gallery-grade art and now part of Marriott's Luxury Collection – from delightfully elegant dowager to cutting-edge classic glamour in a $35 million restoration programme during his 15 years as general manager.
Here too, the influence endures. As they settle into ornate suites (the Redentore Suite with its own rooftop pool comes in at a cool €14,000), or gaze upon Grand Canal traffic from their breakfast table, the Bezos-Sànchez wedding guests will certainly be made to feel like they're old friends paying a visit.
Those opting for the lagoon-front Hotel Danieli, on the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront just round the corner from the Doges' Palace, will find this luxe bolthole in a state of flux, as management transitions from the Marriott group to Four Seasons.
The hotel will remain open throughout an on-going renovation under the guidance of French interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon; the full takeover should be completed by the end of 2025.
In the meantime guests still enjoy one of the finest dining views in the city, from a rooftop restaurant where the Bezos yacht will hog the limelight if indeed it does tie up at the San Giorgio Maggiore marina, directly opposite.
Marriott may be retreating from the riva but it's still exquisitely placed in the watery city with its Grand Canal-fronting St Regis.
Here, guests can relax between wedding commitments in a compact outdoor space with the canal lapping against the balcony, looking straight across to the bridal-white curves of the Santa Maria della Salute basilica.
Doubtless some extra-fortunate members of the wedding crew will be enjoying a similar view far from the threat of passing paparazzi, from private rooftop terraces in suites that can cost upwards of €9,000 a night.
The canal-fronting palazzo may have been accepting guests since 1895 but the current ambience is retro-contemporary, with rotating displays of artworks in glass – ideal for those who prefer clean lines and lagoon-inspired pastels to sumptuous brocades and classic over-the-top Murano crystal.
Will guests be tempted to avoid running the gauntlet of anti-Amazon protesters and cocoon in the luxurious tranquillity of their grandes dames hotels?
Unlikely. But will some risk creeping quietly out their hotel's back gate to experience Venice without the flash of cameras? You never know.
Five alternative affordable hotels
Near the Aman is the Antica Locanda Sturion, one of Venice's oldest hotels. It has a suite with a Grand Canal view in late July for just £291 – making a far smaller dent in your credit limit.
The Cipriani shares the same dreamy view across the water to St Mark's Square as the Generator hostel next door, which offers double en-suite rooms from £86 (dorm beds of course are available for even less).
Swap the Gritti Palace for the delightful Hotel Flora, just around the corner and with a gorgeous garden in which to graze on a fantastic breakfast, currently offering doubles from £266 a night.
Also in this location is the St Regis – and the much more accessibly priced Novecento Boutique Hotel. This small and intimate property offers an alternative to standard Venetian decor with beautifully exotic fabrics and colours in its rooms, which start from just £257 in July.
A lagoon view from the riva degli Schiavoni waterfront rarely comes cheap, but for £205 at the Hotel Pensione Wildner you'll have just as fine a view of the San Giorgio island as you would at Hotel Danieli. The restaurant is also excellent.
