bhrubin

rogo

Yes, the Gritti was long lauded, and was a major factor in why we booked it for a stay last year. And it delivers. The StR Florence also delivered, but perhaps not with the same spectacle and wonder of the Gritti. Both will make my all-time favorites list as well (my list is laughable compared to @bhrubin )

MrM2016

We have just concluded a short stay here and we found it magnificent. My comments below are in line with what other posters have said, so below is a condensed summary. Happy to share some photos of the suite if people are interested.

Pros:
- The property is truly exceptional, with stunning decor.
- My SNA was accepted and we were upgraded to the highest category suite listed as eligible.
- The suite itself was stunning. With over 700 nights with Starriott, no other suite I have stayed in comes close. The rooms looked visually incredible with a real period feel, the bed was very comfortable and the marble bathroom was a delight. Although Asian suites I've stayed in have been larger, none had the sheer quality of the Gritti.
- General titanium recognition was very solid: My girlfriend was celebrating her birthday and they told me because of my status a cake would be sent to my room free of charge. This was greatly appreciated.
- The concierges were incredibly helpful and some of the best I have seen. Every interaction was flawless.
- The breakfast spread was very high quality and service was great. The restaurant outdoor space gives a truly superb view onto the canal.
- We much preferred the location to the Danieli (which we visited the lobby), the Gritti was in a quieter area and everything felt much more relaxed.

Cons:
- We had dinner in the restaurant. It felt overpriced for the quality we got. The 'formal' dress code wasn't also enforced as someone next to me rocked up in a hooded sweater. Not a big deal, but annoying as we'd dressed up for it. Finally, the 10% member discount still exists, but I had to chase twice for it.
- The checkout experience was weak. They are struggling with Marriott's IT (shock, I know) and had a few problems with switching my credit card pre-auth to actually posting and making the payment. They also couldn't provide me a folio with my rewards number on it (even masked), which is frustrating since I am often having to chase for stays to post.

Those are very minor issues though. Simply skip dinner in the restaurant to resolve and hope Marriott IT gets better when you get to your stay.

Bottom Line: This is the kind of property you need to find an excuse to visit, one of the very best in the program. It is a truly special place and I cannot recommend it enough.

CLEguy

AbuCordoba

Thank you for this excellent write up, did you see many kids at the hotel? Is it kid friendly? and also would 2 days or 5 days be better at the property?

I have a 5 day booking in June and 2 night booking in December and will cancel one but cant decide at the moment which!

MrM2016

We got the Serenissima Suite which looked out on the back of the property to the courtyard and the Santa Maria del Giglio church. I believe this is the second lowest suite category, there was one below it in the SNA options. There are something like 4 or 5 suites above this category, which are kept out of the upgrade pool. I assume these have canal views and balconies. The suite we were in was 'sold out' (or full from upgrades) for the weekend we were staying, but I checked the next weekend and the cash rate was about €2500 per night. I prepaid €650 per night for our room so I felt very, very satisfied with the value I achieved from the SNA.

On the topic of children: I saw a few families with teenagers, which the property was fine for. I don't recall seeing any children under the age of 10, although when we checked in the person adjacent mentioned he had brought his two young children. If you've got kids aged between 2 and 12, I wouldn't recommend this as the environment to bring them, more for their sake than anything else. They will likely find it very boring and stuffy. For dining in the hotel, you need to judge how well behaved your children are. Even at the buffet breakfast, it's quite a formal experience with table after table of romantic couples wanting a serene dining experience. You don't want to be that person who introduces screaming children into the experience - this isn't the Bahamas Atlantis resort.

Regarding length of stay: We did 3 days/2 nights, which was a perfect weekend getaway. We always utilise the platinum/titanium 4pm late checkout to get the most out of these short stays and then fly in the evening. This was offered without any issue by the Gritti. My partner and I felt that we had seen and done everything we had wanted to by this point, but probably would have preferred a third night if time had allowed. I feel 5 nights is too long, with the possible exception if you want to honeymoon and prefer Venice to somewhere like the Maldives or Al Maha.

spellbound2

We are heading here in June and haven't been to this property for about 10-15 years. Has anyone been upgraded to a canal view? We are Titanium and we can use suite upgrades so I'm not sure if it's better to try here or Prince de Galles. We've stayed at Europa many times and had canal views with some beautiful suites but it's not open as St. Regis when we go. I'm not sure if it's worth trying to use SNA since it's the same time as the Vogalonga which is lots of fun but very busy. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

EuropeanPete

Lookoutitzsean

Lookoutitzsean

spellbound2

Thanks for the advice. We're really excited to give it a go! The Gritti sounds like one of the exceptional properties in the Marriott world and it's going to be a lot of fun. We head back to the Dolomites afterwards since we really like that area too and had a great experience at Cristallo a couple of years ago.

cawhite

As expressed by others, it's a wonderful property and we had a phenomenal stay at the Gritti Palace a few years ago. I'm anxious to get back to Venice later this year and that visit will most certainly (barring the unforeseen) include a stay at the Gritti Palace. I'm sure you won't be disappointed in your stay.

btonkid12345

Yes. On my last stay, as a 1 night Ambassador Elite, was upgraded to the John Ruskin Suite - one of the 4 patron suites - and it was directly overlooking the canal. It was in the front right side of the building and it was beautiful.

monsieurcumulus

SanDiego1K

I have been getting overnight responses. i just updated the wiki. The email for the concierge was the Starwood one. One would hope it would forward automatically but I updated it to the one from which I am receiving responses.