The 4 Top Hotels Where Celebrities Stay During the Venice Film Festival
Leave it to Hollywood to do Venice in style. The Venice Film Festival, which kicked off earlier this week, welcomed a swarm of the industry’s biggest and brightest to its shores to kick off the annual fancy fête. In addition to red carpet screenings and mix-and-mingle events, celebs were able to let down their hair at the end of each night at one of Venice’s many storied resorts.
Perhaps the most famous of all the places to stay in Venice is the Hotel Cipriani, a palatial resort known in part for its Olympic-sized pool, where guests can cool off in the water or people-watch from lounge chairs dotting the premises. The hotel is located on the island of Guidecca and can be reached via private motorboat, making it ideal for stars hoping to stay out of the prying public’s eyes; there, celebs can relax at the spa, on the tennis courts, or at its Michelin-starred restaurant, Oro. If the name sounds familiar, perhaps that's because it was the location of the 2009 nuptials of Salma Hayek and her husband François-Henri Pinault, or because guests like Angelina Jolie and Jack Nicholson have stayed at the hotel, which is credited for creating the Bellini, in the past.
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The historic Gritti Palace is also a top choice for Hollywood stars looking for a little more old-school glamour. This 15th-century building sits in a prime location, on the water just across from the Salute church, and its elegant Venetian Gothic aesthetic is consistent throughout, from lobby to guest rooms. The hotel’s original wooden ceilings and flooring have been restored since it first opened its doors, and each of its guest rooms still retains a number of priceless antiques and paintings. Everyone from Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton to Brad Pitt have taken up residence at the Gritti, making it one for the Hollywood history books.
Tourists at poolside with a hotel in the background, Hotel Excelsior, Venice Lido, Venice, Veneto, Italy
The seafront Excelsior Hotel is the hub of activity every year at the Venice Film Festival, and this makes it both a perfect and imperfect place for celebrities to stay. A beautiful hotel with an unbeatable terrace to enjoy a drink, many of the festival's best events take place in the building, which means staying there makes things easy on anyone's schedule. However, for celebrities looking for more privacy, other alternatives may be better. The Excelsior does have its own private moorings and a free boat shuttle service, however, and has been a favorite of director Quentin Tarantino (who has served as a jury president for the festival) in the past.
Gondolas in front of Danieli Hotel and Riva degli Schiavoni, Venice (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1987), Veneto, Italy
The Hotel Danieli, which was created from merging a 14th-century palace and incorporates 19th- and 20th-century elements as well, is another popular accommodation choice for celebrities. Not only do stars flock there during the festival, but they opt to stay there during filming: Moonraker, Casino Royale and The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, were all shot in this gorgeous gilded masterpiece, which is best reached by gondola. The Restaurant Terrazza Danieli is almost impossible to get into not only during the festival but any other time of the year, due to the fact that it is one of the most romantic restaurants in all of Venice. The hotel's terrace has played host to a number of Venice Film Festival parties over the years as well.
