5 Things You Need To Know About The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice

The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice, is one of the most ornate hotels I have ever stayed in. Right on the Grand Canal in the heart of Venice, Italy, the hotel boasts an impressive history (and price point).

I had a chance to stay at this hotel in December 2024, during the off-season, and thoroughly enjoyed my stay. Not only did it exceed my expectations, but it likely will become my go-to hotel when visiting Venice again. I enjoyed it that much! Because of the hotel’s unique location, there are a few things you should know when staying here, so let’s dive right in.

1. Take the Public Water Bus or Splurge for a Private Water Taxi

If you’re coming from Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE), transportation to The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice, can be tricky.

If you’re up for splurging (and, considering the price tag of this hotel is over $1,200 a night, it might seem normal!), take a private water taxi, which costs about €140 ($145). These water taxis can take up to 6 people and depart from the airport boat docks to take you straight to the hotel in about 30 minutes. Once you’re at the hotel, there is a private dock directly in front of the hotel, right on the Grand Canal.

As you pull up and after your boat driver docks, a bell person assists you with any bags that may need to be offloaded. You simply step onto the dock and into the hotel, and it’s an incredibly painless process with minimal walking, though the price of this luxury certainly isn’t cheap.

Alternatively, you can take the more affordable €15 ($15.50) Alileguna public water bus, but it takes about 1.5 hours to reach the hotel, and the boat doesn’t stop directly in front of the hotel. Instead, it stops a few blocks down at S. Maria del Giglio, and you need to walk the remaining distance to the hotel. If you’re taking the line that stops at Piazza San Marco, this is an even longer walk. It’ll take you an additional 10 to 15 minutes to reach the hotel, a task that could prove challenging with bridges and luggage. There is a ticket counter at the airport right in front of the boat dock for purchasing tickets. This is the best place to purchase your ticket since you can buy it and then immediately hop on the boat.

Whichever method you use to arrive, consider using one of our recommended best credit cards for travel purchases. I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve^®, and I earned 3 points per $1 spent on travel purchases for the ticket.

Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

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A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

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Chase Sapphire Reserve^®

A top player in the high-end premium travel credit card space that earns 3x points on travel and dining while offering top luxury perks.

Welcome Offer

Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.

60,000 points

UP's Offer Valuation*:

$1,200

Annual Fee

$550

APR

21.49% - 28.49% Variable

Credit Recommended

Upgraded Points credit ranges are a variation of FICO^®Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit cardapplication.

Excellent (740-850)

Why We Like This Card

If you’re looking for an all-around excellent travel rewards card, the Chase Sapphire Reserve^® is one of the best options out there.

The card combines elite travel benefits and perks like airport lounge access, with excellent point earning and redemption options.  Plus it offers top-notch travel insurance protections to keep you covered whether you’re at home or on the road.

Don’t forget the $300 annual travel credit which really helps to reduce the annual fee!

Pros & Cons

Pros

• 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase TravelSM immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually
• 10x points on Lyft purchases through March 31, 2025
• 10x points on Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $250 through March 31, 2025

Cons

• $550 annual fee
• Does not offer any sort of hotel elite status

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Card Highlights

• Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
• $300 Annual Travel Credit as reimbursement for travel purchases charged to your card each account anniversary year.
• Earn 5x total points on flights and 10x total points on hotels and car rentals when you purchase travel through Chase Travel℠ immediately after the first $300 is spent on travel purchases annually. Earn 3x points on other travel and dining & 1 point per $1 spent on all other purchases
• Get 50% more value when you redeem your points for travel through Chase Travel℠. For example, 60,000 points are worth $900 toward travel.
• 1:1 point transfer to leading airline and hotel loyalty programs
• Access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide after an easy, one-time enrollment in Priority Pass™ Select and up to $120 application fee credit every four years for Global Entry, NEXUS, or TSA PreCheck^®
• Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Coverage, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
• Member FDIC

Financial Snapshot

• APR: 21.49% - 28.49% Variable
• Foreign Transaction Fees: None

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2. Breakfast Is Out of This World

When I visited the hotel in early December, it was at the height of the rainy season and chilly. If you’re lucky enough to visit during a warmer month, there is an outdoor terrace on the Grand Canal with simply stunning views in either direction.

The hotel has a wonderful buffet and made-to-order items. When I checked in, I was offered a welcome amenity of 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points or breakfast each day, and, boy, was I glad that I chose the breakfast. Valued at over €55 ($57) a day, the breakfast at this hotel is definitely the better value! (We value Marriott Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents apiece, so the points would’ve been worth $7.)

As I entered the restaurant, I passed through the cold buffet area. Here, I could select from several freshly made pastries or cakes, all of which I thought were to die for. I tried each style during my stay and fell in love with the croissant with the raspberries on top!

On the outskirts of the buffet was a variety of fresh fruit that you could tell was cut that morning (nothing canned). Everything tasted crisp and ripe, and I loaded up on fruit every morning to balance out the guilt from the croissants.

There was also a variety of cheeses, meats, and freshly baked bread. One morning, an attendant was on hand cutting a leg of ham. Off to the side, there was a carafe of freshly squeezed orange and pineapple juice, Champagne, and sparking and still water.

If you wanted something hot to eat, you could order from a menu. On offer was a selection of scrambled eggs, omelets, toast, pancakes, eggs Benedict, and more. You could even order a freshly made smoothie!

While I certainly wouldn’t pay for this breakfast out of pocket, I was happy this was my Bonvoy welcome amenity.

3. Upgrades Are Plentiful

Many hotels try to pack in as many rooms as possible, but because Gritti Palace is historic, many of its rooms haven’t been renovated. Instead, it preserves rooms with high ceilings and spacious parlors and has a higher percentage of suites than many other hotels.

If you’re a Marriott Bonvoy elite member, securing a suite upgrade at this hotel is relatively easy, especially with shorter stays. While I was visiting in December during the off-season, I was upgraded to a junior suite (known as a Sestiere suite) for all 5 nights of my stay. While your experience may not be similar if you stay during the higher-occupancy months of the year, upgrades are still highly likely because the hotel has more suites than regular rooms.

Repeat guests to this hotel sometimes decline suite upgrades in favor of smaller rooms that face the Grand Canal. If a prime view is important to you, discuss your options with the front desk staff. Many of the suites, such as the one I had, face one of the side canals, which, while typically Venetian, have a limited view.

4. Luxury Is Top of Mind

At this hotel, you’re truly staying in 5-star luxury, certainly living up to the “palace” in the hotel’s name. While the hotel is luxurious, you also have to keep in mind that it is relatively small, as are many hotels in Venice, so the service received reflects this. I think there are several things that stood out to me about this hotel that truly set it in the luxury category.

• While overpriced, the hotel does have a 24-hour-a-day room service menu, which is atypical for a hotel in Venice. Having a menu available all day is appreciated, especially for someone experiencing jet lag, though you will be charged quite a bit for it.
• Every time housekeeping visited my room, they did a full cleaning. A housekeeper came during the day but also visited in the evening and fully changed all of the towels, fluffed the pillows, straightened the sheets, and more. It was really nice to always come back to a fully made-up room.
• Keys at this hotel are on giant, old-school fobs, which are really cumbersome to carry around. While you don’t need to do this, you’re encouraged to leave the key with the concierge on your way out. What they don’t tell you is that doing this immediately alerts the housekeeping staff that you’re stepping out and that they should quickly make up your room, which I thought was a very thoughtful touch.

Luxury doesn’t come cheap, though. Using Marriott’s fifth-night free policy when redeeming points, I spent 350,000 Marriott points on this 5-night stay. Had I spent cash, a base room would have cost over $1,200 a night, so this hotel is one of the most expensive Marriott hotels around.

If you’re willing to pay cash, consider booking through the American Express Fine Hotels + Resorts program for exclusive benefits such as early check-in, late checkout, breakfast, a room upgrade, and more.

5. Location Is Everything

The Gritti Palace is in a really great part of Venice. It’s about a 10-minute walk to Piazza San Marco. Even though it’s a relatively short walk away, the distance is enough to put the hotel in a spot where not many tourists venture, and it’s in a relatively quiet nook rather than in an area with hustle and bustle.

If you’re into higher-end shopping, there’s no better place to be, as a short stroll away are some of the finest stores around, from name brands to local boutiques. It’s a shopper’s paradise, for sure.

For those looking for a gondola ride, a gondola station is just steps away from the front door, where you can line up and wait for an available boat. The hotel is right on the Grand Canal, so when you’re having breakfast or enjoying an evening cocktail, you’ll be able to sit and watch all the boats pass.

As with anything in Venice, there’s a lot of walking to be expected, but the hotel is relatively close to most major attractions.

Final Thoughts

The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice, is now one of my all-time favorite Marriott hotels. It’s considered one of the nicest hotels in Venice and is the epitome of luxury on what’s already a very expensive island.

Because rates are so high at the hotel, your best bet to stay here is redeeming Marriott Bonvoy points, which can save you quite a bit. Regardless of how you book, your stay here will be very typically Venetian and high-end.