ptpinit

Ah ha, so looks like I was quick on the draw then! William, care to comment on whether I'll have any problems upon check-in in Venice with the points discrepancy? Seems to me that since I've got a confirmed reservation and the 12k pts/night have been deducted from my account that they should honor that rate, as echoed by beachfan's experiences.

Starwood Lurker

You shouldn't have any problems. The hotel is going to be reimbursed accordingly.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]

plastic_canuck

We recently stayed at the E&R at the start of October-found it surprisingly easy to get to-if you look at the ACTV website before you leave for your trip, which is the transit site for Venice, you'll find the vaporetto maps fairly easy to follow-they also have them at the stations. We got on at the Ferrovia stop, which is right beside the St. Lucia train station. The route to the hotel is fairly well marked-on the south side of Calle XXII Marzo there is a sign that says "Europa" with a guiding arrow, if you've gone too far down that road and missed the turnoff. Just follow the SPG site's directions to a T and you'll get there in under 5 minutes from landing at Vallaresso.

Had a great stay-we were upgraded to either a suite or junior suite in the older half of the hotel-it had a foyer, sitting room, and bedroom-bathroom was kind of smallish but still did the trick. Partial canal view from the deck was a nice touch. Staff were a little less friendly than other Starwoods we visited on our trip but maybe they're just more reserved here. We did the brunch for 1500 SPG points each, you can have pretty much one of anything you would want for breakfast, including sparkling wine for mimosas, so that was a real nice way to start the day. Before we headed out we stopped by the concierge and they had some pretty good maps of the city for just wandering around, so that was helpful. On a sunny day it's not that hard to navigate-if you're ever lost near San Marco, just head either south or west until you hit the Grand Canal!

One tip on gondolas at this time of year-around 7pm, when they jack up their prices, it starts getting a bit cold as the sun is down. We figured this out and saved about 20 euro on our ride by going around 4:30-5ish, as the sun was starting to get a bit lower in the sky. Wander off the beaten path a bit and find smaller clusters of gondoliers or you may end up paying a lot more, if you head east on the grand canal over the bridge of sighs, then head north a few blocks after that, there are some quieter spots there. Hope this is helpful!

Life_Platinum

We stayed at this hotel from Oct 14-Oct 15 and were very pleased. We spent the two previous nights at the Gritti and on the second day of our stay, walked over to check the hotel out. When I talked with the Front Desk staff, I was told that the hotel was fully booked and that they would not be able to upgrade us as Platinum guests.
Not expecting to be upgraded, we moved our suitcases over the next morning prior to going on tour, and tried to check in to the hotel. The front desk person, Elisa spent considerable time with her computer checking availability, and then told us our room would not be ready until the PM, and that they would store our luggage. She did give us the room number which I think was 205. Upon return, we were lead to our room just over the front entrance to the hotel. Expecting the worst, we were pleasantly surprised by the Junior Suite we were given, which had steps to an upper balcony. At that time, our room was one of the rooms pictured on the hotel's web site (it is still there but the picture was taken from another view-the balcony).
We were impressed by the Concierge who worked hard to try to get us into some fine restaurants, and the front desk staff who did all they could to get us the best room available. Later I had discussions with Elisa and told her we favored the E & R over the Gritti where we had a Grand Canal view, and the Danielli where we peeked into the lobby. One of her comments was that the Danielli was in desperate need of an update.
From my wife's perspective, the room we had in the E & R was the best we had as Platinum SPG members. I was surprised she rated it better than the "Museum Suite" we had at the Rome St. Regis last year, as it was the 3rd largest room in that hotel. She especially like the furniture, the bathroom and the furnishings on the walls.
We would love to stay there again, but Starwood has so many other places in Venice and the Lido, that the next time we go back, we will probably try another hotel, only because it will give us another view of Venice.
All in all, spectacular room and extraordinary staff made us feel at home.

damon88

We just returned from 10 nights in Venice where we had a chance to experience all 3 hotels (we had prior visits to E&R and Danieli but it was our first stay at the Gritti Palace)

On our last visit to Venice my husband and I stayed at the Danieli and our son and his girlfriend stayed at E&R. They had fun the whole visit teasing us because their room at the E&R was nicer and had a better view than ours at the Danieli.

This time my husband and I split our time at the Danieli and Gritti Palace, and I booked 3 nights for my cousin at the E&R.

The Danieli upgraded us to a Royal Suite-- with stunning views of the lagoon. Gritti Palace gave us a choice of a double room with no views, or a single room with great views, and E&R gave my cousin a corner room with a "peek view."

I think the moral is-- each visit may be different. It was our 4th stay at the Danieli, so that may have had some influence on the upgrade.

The bottom line is that all of the Starwood Venice properties are wonderful. It's hard to lose.

mareh

Since this hotel is now category six, does anyone know if the points required for the breakfast "instant reward" has also gone up?

Also, we are staying on points, and had to book a smoking room even though we're non-smokers. Are there very many non-smoking rooms at this hotel?

MikeyC

I really enjoyed my stay here this March. Apart from the very slow (and tiny) elevator everything was amazing. We really enjoyed the location and the view from the rooms was magnificent. We wound up staying in a suite with four windows overlooking the canal. My in-laws also got upgraded to a similar suite across the hall and it was one of the highlights of their trip.

SanDiego1K

We, too, will be dropping off our Hertz car on arrival in Venice. So the Piazzale Roma is a closer drop than the airport or Mestre?

How much is a water taxi from there to the hotel? Folks have reported that it is 100 euros from the airport for the taxi. We are on a lengthy trip, and have bulkier luggage than normal, so suspect that a water taxi is the way to go.

Rom Sac

Yes, Piazzale Roma is much closer to the hotel. Neither Mestre nor the airport are on Venice proper.

Water taxis are always very pricey. I don't know exactly how much for your route, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's close to the fee from the airport. I remember paying 60 euros for a very short water taxi ride a few years ago.

Incidentally, the hotel is very nice, but be sure that you take any gift they give you and hide it. They gave us a bottle of wine which we did not drink, and the next day they removed it. Too bad, I was planning to give it to a friend.

milemonkey

I didn't travel your route, but in March 2008 the water taxi rates to/from the E&R were:

From Train Station to E&R - 65 euro

From E&R to Airport - 90 euro

Hope this helps

SanDiego1K

milemonkey, that was very helpful.

We returned our Hertz car at Piazzale Roma today. There is a line of rental car offices immediately on the right as you come off the bridge. If you blink, you will miss them. You pull up on the street below the offices, and walk up to them. The staff comes out and checks the car.

We then needed to take our luggage across 4 lanes of traffic to the other side (not quite as bad as it sounds). There was a sign to the water taxi, just down the hill.

We were afraid we'd need to do some tough negotiating, but it was very easy. Since I had the number in mind milemonkey gave, I was content when we were quoted 60 euros. They set the bags in the boat, and off we went to the hotel.

We pulled up at the hotel deck in just 10 minutes or so. The bellmen came out, got the bags, and in we went. It was all very easy.

A 24 hour ticket on the vapouretto is 16 euros per person, and each bag costs 6.5 euros. The vapouretto stop is only a few blocks walk from the hotel, but with a small bridge and its steps to navigate, we were glad we paid for the water taxi.

We've gone to the train station to buy our onward tickets. We'll likely take a water taxi there as well. There are steps in front of the station, but there is an arrow to the right for handicapped folks. I'm assuming that's the entrance we will want to use with our roller suitcases.

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Thanks.

SanDiego1K

We arrived at 1pm at the hotel, and we only settled into a room after 5pm. The hotel had blocked a suite for us. It had two bathrooms, a living room (albeit with just 2 chairs and the TV), and the bedroom. However, it was on the sixth floor in the back, with only a view of roof tops.

We asked for something with a view. The front desk manager told us there are no suites in this hotel with a canal view. This is at odds with what others have reported in this thread. We asked specifically about 206 and 306 as FTers have recommended them. Neither are available either night of our stay (and he pointed out neither are suites.)

We were shown a room with a spectacular canal view, but very tiny. We asked if anything better would open up later in the afternoon. We were told yes, so we went for lunch and sightseeing. On our return, we saw a third room. It is a corner room on the canal, so with stunning views to two directions. It is a few feet longer than the 2nd room, and we took it. We felt a view in Venice trumped a suite. Our windows are open, and we can hear the sound of water lapping against the hotel as the boats move up and down the canal.

On an aside, internet is 12 euros/day, the cheapest of the 4 Starwood hotels where we have stayed in Italy. It is an odd setup, with the cable at the TV. Thus, there is no desk nor outlet for the computer.

The hotel gave us a bottle of water and a Westin bottle opener as an amenity.

mario33

....... and the gondoliers serenating below. magical

RTWSTARALLIANCE

Thank you. A view in Venice always works!