Head-to-head · Venice
Two of Venice’s big hotel stories this year. Orient Express is a 15th-century palazzo after an eight-year restoration; the Danieli has reopened as a Four Seasons next to the Doge’s Palace. Here is how I would choose.
Toured both · October 2026
An eight-year restoration, some seventy kinds of marble, restored ceilings and Murano chandeliers, on a quiet canal corner in Cannaregio. It is almost overwhelming how beautiful it is.
My Orient Express review →
A showstopping Gothic lobby, the rooftop restaurant with one of the great views in Venice, and St. Mark’s at your door. Now a Four Seasons.
My Danieli review →
| Orient Express | the Danieli | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | A quiet canal corner in Cannaregio, close to Santa Lucia station | On the Riva degli Schiavoni, next to the Doge’s Palace |
| Outside the door | Calm canals, an easy walk into the city | The liveliest waterfront in Venice, St. Mark’s on the doorstep |
| The building | Palazzo Donà Giovannelli, 15th century, after an eight-year restoration | A Gothic palazzo, reopened as a Four Seasons in July 2026 |
| Size | About 47 rooms and suites | About 120 rooms today, growing in 2027 |
| The look | Dark wood, around seventy marbles, restored ceilings and Murano glass | Understated, very classic rooms |
| The showpiece | The marble and the ceilings | The Gothic lobby and the rooftop |
| Pools | None | None |
| Room to ask for | The piano nobile, for the highest ceilings | A lagoon view, across to San Giorgio |
| Service | Personal, at about 47 keys | Polished Four Seasons service, with better odds of an upgrade |
| Best for | Design lovers, couples, travelers arriving by train | First-time visitors, Four Seasons loyalists, the scene |
Work with me and you get Fora perks, plus someone who knows these hotels personally and personalizes your stay: I arrange the boats, tables and transfers before you land. Same rate as booking direct.
I toured both on the same day in October 2026, along with Airelles Palladio and Aman Venice. Orient Express wowed me. “It is almost overwhelming how beautiful this property is” is what I said out loud on the tour, and I meant it.
I liked the Danieli and think it is a great option, just a different kind of stay: the lobby and the rooftop are the stars, and the rooms are classic and understated.
Book the Danieli if being at San Marco is the point, or if you collect Four Seasons stays. A bigger hotel also means better odds of an upgrade.
Orient Express sits on a calm canal corner in Cannaregio, away from the San Marco crowds and an easy walk into the city. It is close to Santa Lucia, so it works well if you arrive by train from Florence, Milan or the Dolomites.
The Danieli is right on the Riva degli Schiavoni, steps from St. Mark’s. You are in the middle of everything, with St. Mark’s on your doorstep.
At Orient Express, it is the mix: dark wood with some seventy kinds of marble, book-matched in the bathrooms, restored painted and coffered ceilings, and Murano chandeliers. Everywhere I looked, something new caught my eye.
At the Danieli, the Gothic atrium is the great see-and-be-seen room in Venice, and Terrazza Danieli on the roof looks over the Salute, the Doge’s Palace and the lagoon. Even if you stay elsewhere, go for a drink or dinner.
At Orient Express, ask for the piano nobile, the noble floor one level above the ground floor, where the ceilings are highest. At about 47 rooms, service feels personal.
The Danieli’s rooms are classic; book a lagoon view, which is what makes them. At about 120 rooms there are more rooms to upgrade you into, and my relationships with the team mean my clients are looked after.
Both are palazzo hotels without a pool, though the Danieli’s new spa is now open. If a pool matters, look at Airelles Palladio on Giudecca, my number one hotel in Italy.
For most travelers, Orient Express. The eight-year restoration is jaw-dropping, and its corner of Cannaregio is quiet but convenient. Choose the Danieli if you want to be at San Marco, with its famous Gothic lobby and the rooftop restaurant.
No. Neither has a pool. For a pool in Venice, look at Airelles Palladio on Giudecca, with an outdoor pool in the gardens and an indoor pool in its spa.
Orient Express, in Cannaregio, close to Santa Lucia station. The Danieli is on the Riva degli Schiavoni next to the Doge’s Palace, at the other end of the city.
Yes. It reopened as the Danieli, A Four Seasons Hotel, in July 2026. Its new spa is now open.
At Orient Express, a room or suite on the piano nobile, where the ceilings are highest. At the Danieli, a lagoon-view room or suite looking across to San Giorgio Maggiore.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Orient Express review → The Danieli review → Venice’s three new hotels → Aman or Orient Express → Airelles or the Danieli → My full Venice guide →