Danieli Hotel in Venice Reopens After Three-Year Restoration by Pierre-Yves Rochon

Key facts

• The Danieli hotel in Venice reopened following a three-year restoration led by architect Pierre-Yves Rochon for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, which announced the renovation in 2022.
• The gothic Palazzo Dandolo was completed at the end of the 15th century; in 1822 Italian entrepreneur Giuseppe Dal Niel converted it into the Danieli, one of Venice's first grand hotels.
• Past guests of the Danieli include Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Lord Byron, Marcel Proust, Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly.
• Every mattress, reupholstered chair and air-conditioning duct was transported by water and lifted through gothic window frames by a floating crane.
• Classic damasks lining guest room walls were woven by Venetian firm Rubelli.
• General manager Christian Zandonella said the hotel had to be updated while respecting its history and remaining timeless.
• Rome-born chef Adriano Rausa, who previously cooked with Sicilian chef Ciccio Sultano, leads the top-floor restaurant Terrazza Danieli.
• A full spa, canal-facing sauna and an indoor pool, the first in Venice's centre, are due later this year, and the hotel's 1950 Excelsior palazzo is scheduled to reopen in 2027, bringing the total to 168 rooms.