Venice · New in 2026
Airelles Palladio, Orient Express and the Danieli’s relaunch as a Four Seasons. I toured all three on the same day in October 2026. Here is my honest ranking, and who each one is for.
Toured all three · October 2026
Venice had a big year. Three of its most talked-about hotels are new or newly relaunched, and they could hardly be more different.
I’m a travel advisor, and in October 2026 I toured Airelles Palladio, Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli and the Danieli, A Four Seasons Hotel back to back, with Aman Venice the same day as a benchmark. None of these were press trips. This is what I’d tell a friend.
The resort, and my number one hotel in Italy
It sits away from the crowds on Giudecca, an easy five-minute hop by boat to everything the city has to offer. It is incredibly private and secure, and at the same time lively, social and fun. Sophisticated, never stuffy. My one fear was that it would feel isolated. It does not, at all. The arrival by water to a private landing, and the reveal of the gardens, is one of the great hotel arrivals in Europe.
Keith’s notes
Pools and a real spa. An outdoor pool in nearly a hectare of walled gardens, and an indoor pool in the three-story Spa Airelles by Guerlain.
Four restaurants and four bars. Plus a beautiful library. You could stay a week without repeating an evening.
The best family hotel in Venice. A kids club, gardens to run around in, a three-bedroom suite with its own private pool, and the four-bedroom Suite del Doge penthouse.
It is not on the Grand Canal. I would argue that is the selling point: real peace and quiet in a very touristy city.
The verdict
The most spectacular hotel I toured in Venice, and one of the most beautiful properties I have ever seen. For me, it is the number one hotel in Italy.
The design
The eight-year renovation is truly jaw-dropping. I have never seen so much marble in my life: dark wood with some seventy different kinds, the restored ceilings and the chandeliers. Everywhere I looked, something new caught my eye. I loved the location, too. It is quiet but convenient, on a canal corner in Cannaregio, away from the San Marco crowds and close to Santa Lucia station.
Keith’s notes
The marble. Around seventy kinds, book-matched in the bathrooms and set against dark wood throughout.
The ceilings. Painted and coffered ceilings restored to their original glory, lit by Murano glass.
Easy by train. Close to Santa Lucia, so it works well if you arrive from Florence, Milan or the Dolomites.
There is no pool. This is a palazzo hotel. Ask for the piano nobile, where the ceilings are highest.
The verdict
“It is almost overwhelming how beautiful this property is.” I said that out loud on the tour, and I meant it.
The location
The Danieli reopened as a Four Seasons in July 2026. For me, the stars are the Gothic atrium, the great see-and-be-seen room in Venice, and Terrazza Danieli on the roof, looking over the Salute, the Doge’s Palace and the lagoon. The rooms are understated and very classic. And the location is hard to beat: you are steps from St. Mark’s, with all of Venice on your doorstep.
Keith’s notes
The lobby and the rooftop. Worth a drink or dinner even if you stay elsewhere.
Lagoon views. Lagoon-facing rooms look straight across to San Giorgio Maggiore. Book one.
Upgrade odds. At about 120 rooms, there are more rooms to upgrade you into.
A new spa, but no pool. The spa has opened with the relaunch. For a pool, look at Airelles across the water.
The verdict
The lobby is a showstopper and the rooftop restaurant has one of the great views in Venice. A classic, grand Venice stay, right at the heart of the city.
| Airelles Palladio | Orient Express | the Danieli | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where | Giudecca, five minutes by boat to St. Mark’s | Cannaregio, close to Santa Lucia station | The Riva degli Schiavoni, next to the Doge’s Palace |
| Size | 45 rooms and suites | About 47 rooms and suites | About 120 rooms, growing in 2027 |
| The showpiece | The arrival and the gardens | The marble and the ceilings | The Gothic lobby and the rooftop |
| Pools | Outdoor and indoor | None | None |
| Spa | Three floors, by Guerlain | — | Open, new with the relaunch |
| Dining & bars | Four restaurants, four bars | — | Terrazza Danieli on the roof, plus the lobby bar |
| Feels like | A private resort | A restored palace | A grand hotel at the center of it all |
| Best for | Families, groups, couples who want calm | Design lovers, couples, train arrivals | First-timers, Four Seasons loyalists |
The three I’d single out are Airelles Palladio on Giudecca, Orient Express Palazzo Donà Giovannelli in Cannaregio, and the Danieli, which reopened as a Four Seasons in July 2026.
Airelles Palladio. It has pools, a three-story spa, gardens and four restaurants, five minutes by boat from St. Mark’s, and it is my number one hotel in Italy.
Airelles Palladio, without question: pools, a kids club, gardens and a private three-bedroom suite with its own pool. Neither Orient Express nor the Danieli has a pool.
Orient Express. The eight-year restoration, around seventy kinds of marble and the restored ceilings make it the most striking interior of the three.
The Danieli, if you want St. Mark’s at your door. Book a lagoon-view room.
Aman Venice is still the choice for privacy and the Grand Canal, with 24 rooms and classic Aman service. I prefer Airelles overall; my Aman vs Airelles head-to-head has the detail.
Tell me your dates and who is coming, and I will tell you which one fits and which room to ask for.
Airelles Palladio review → Orient Express review → The Danieli review → Aman Venice review → My full Venice guide →