St. Regis Venice review – The Points Guy

What is The St. Regis Venice?

The St. Regis Venice is a luxury hotel on the Grand Canal with 169 rooms and suites. Originally opened as the Grand Hotel Britannia in 1895, today’s hotel spans five Venetian palaces dating back as far as the 17th century. Before it transformed into one of the crown properties in The St. Regis collection, the hotel hosted dignitaries, celebrities and even the artist Claude Monet, who came to paint in Venice in 1908. According to Philippe Piguet’s book “Monet in Venice,” the painter’s wife, Alice, once wrote in a letter: “The views from our hotel room are the most magnificent of all Venice, and it’s all for Monet!”

You also might recognize the hotel in the 1999 film “The Talented Mr Ripley.”

How to book The St. Regis Venice

Hotels in Venice can be rather expensive, and The St. Regis is no exception. Cash rates start from $965 during off-peak dates but easily reach upward of $1,600 during the tourist-heavy summer months. Marriott Bonvoy rates are all over the place, with some offseason dates hovering in the low 60,000s and peak dates typically surpassing 100,000 points per night. But don’t fret, a little flexibility and a dash of luck might get you an 80,000-point-night in the summertime.

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The location of The St. Regis Venice

The water-facing side of The St. Regis Venice sits on the eastern end of the Grand Canal. It’s easy to arrange a water taxi from the hotel’s dock that can sail you to many spots in Venice, including islands like Murano and even to the airport. On foot, guests are steps away from the luxury shops of Calle Larga XXII Marzo, a six-minute walk to the iconic Piazza San Marco and about a 12-minute walk to Ponte di Rialto, the famous bridge dating back to the 16th century.

In my experience, Venice is meant to be explored both from a distance on a boat (book yourself some type of tour) and on foot (just pick a direction and get lost).

Rooms come in every shape and size

Considering that The St. Regis Venice is made up of a series of former Venetian palaces (and thus spread across several buildings), guests can expect a range of room types, from entry-level Deluxe rooms to a variety of suites; this includes suites with terraces and gardens overlooking the Grand Canal, a suite dedicated to Monet and even an opulent three-bedroom penthouse.

For my two-night visit, I stayed in a massive Grand Canal View suite. The spacious suite featured a large living room with a wall of shelves holding books and local Murano glass vases, a blue velvet armchair, a long chaise-style couch and a coffee table tucked by the window.

In the corner opposite the wall of shelves was a round table with two chairs, surrounded by windows that opened up and faced into the Grand Canal and the towering Basilica Santa Maria. During my stay, I spent a good chunk of time watching expert gondoliers shuttle tourists past the sights while hoping to spot a celebrity cruising by in one of the fancy boats.

The Juliet-style windows made for great photos.

Hidden among the art and literature on the shelf-lined wall were some small but important in-room amenities, including a Nespresso machine, an electric kettle, bottled water and a pull-out fridge with sodas, juices, spirits, wine and Champagne for purchase.

Off to the side of the long entry hallway was our cozy bedroom, which had a king-size bed, a TV with streaming capabilities, a sitting chair and a tall mirror.

I woke up to this view from bed each morning.

The bedroom had a large walk-in closet, allowing for plenty of storage space, plus plush robes, slippers and all the other luxury goodies you’ll find in a St. Regis hotel room. Don’t forget, your butler can help you get a limited number of items pressed each night for free — and can help you get pretty much anything else you can think to request.

And then there was the enormous mirror-clad bathroom featuring matching vanities on either wall, with Italian-based Acqua di Parma goodies, plenty of bright lighting and ample space to spread out.

One glass door concealed the toilet, while a rainfall shower with a marble bench was tucked away behind another glass door. A massive soaking tub sat between the two.

No matter your room type, the St. Regis Venice won’t disappoint. I would advise you to book a canal-facing room if you can, though. During my short stay, I found myself perched by the windows of my room, watching the boats come and go, especially the ones that arrived at the hotel’s dock.

What to eat and drink at The St. Regis Venice

The St. Regis Venice has three bars and restaurants for visitors to enjoy. Gio’s is a Venetian-style seafood restaurant that doubles as the breakfast buffet in the morning. The St. Regis Bar is the hotel’s signature bar, where you’ll find the exclusive Venetian take on the St. Regis bloody mary. Lastly, Arts Bar is a luxurious cocktail bar where each drink — and the glass it’s served in — is inspired by a famous work of art.

Gio’s

We anticipated enjoying a beautiful dinner outside facing the water and basilica, so we were bummed when a rain shower forced us to move inside for the evening — but life happens! To ease our sorrow with food, we opted for the pre-fixe tasting menu consisting of five courses for 150 euros ($154). Additionally, diners can add three- or six-glass wine pairing options for 60 or 100 euros, respectively ($62, $103).

The courses were inventive and original. There was an amuse bouche assortment that included what can only be described as a potato chip in the shape of a fish skeleton, ravioli filled with sweet and sour pheasant, charcoal-grilled octopus and Guinea fowl terrine. We topped the meal off with a dessert that, frankly, looked like a pile of twigs stacked together but was actually crispy chocolate puff pastry.

Though the food at Gio’s was creative and served on gorgeous Ginori 1735 dishware, the rotating group of servers struggled to explain about half of the dishes to us, making it a bit difficult to really understand what we were eating. Still, the food was delicious and broadening my knowledge of Italian food was a treat in itself.

The St. Regis Bar

Though dinner was washed out, I did spend a lovely hour basking in the sun outside at The St. Regis Bar. There, I tried the Ventian take on the signature St. Regis bloody mary, this one called The Santa Maria. Inspired by local grapes and the Red Snapper cocktail (basically a bloody mary made with gin), this drink consists of tomato juice, horseradish-infused vodka and a grape-based elixir with an interesting mix of cayenne, spicy tincture, a salt concoction and black pepper served in a beautiful Murano glass (30 euros, $31). The drink tasted foreign and simultaneously familiar, like a distant cousin of my favorite bloody mary and very much inspired by Venice.

We also snacked on a rather bland cobb salad with bacon and chicken (32 euro, $33), a mouthwatering burrata with cherry tomatoes (26 euro, $27) and a heaping bowl of calamari and lemon mayonnaise that I couldn’t get enough of (44 euro, $45). Be sure to make reservations early for tables closest to the water — the view is the main dish.

Arts Bar

The hotel doubles as an art museum

Walking throughout the St. Regis Venice, you’ll feel like you checked into an art museum. Thanks to a partnership with Berengo Studios and many artists from around the world, you can walk around the hotel’s public spaces to find pieces in many different forms — especially glass created by artists in Berengo and part of the studio’s project Glasstress.

The property’s centerpiece, figuratively and literally, is a glass chandelier designed by legendary Chinese artist Ai Weiwei titled “White Glass.” If the glass inspires you, then you can arrange the “Berengo Experience.” A boat will take you to the studio for a private tour of the facility, so you can see where and how these beautiful works of art are created — and enjoy dozens and dozens of other pieces. I had the opportunity to visit the studio, and seeing the artists at work was one of the highlights of my time in Venice.

Other amenities

If you want to look and feel as beautiful as the hotel’s extensive art collection, check out the hotel’s new Valmont Spa from the science-backed Swiss skincare company with a specialization in cellular cosmetics. Though I didn’t have the chance to experience it myself, Valmont’s Hydration of the Bisses treatment is legendary. The team there can also offer consultation to create personalized treatments tailored to your exact skincare needs.

A small gym is available for guests to use. Although the space itself was small, there was a good mix of equipment for cardio and weight lifting.

Accessibility

The St. Regis Venice offers a variety of accessible room types across the hotel, from entry-level rooms to suites. They feature roll-in showers and other accessibility features for those with special mobility needs.

As always, though, TPG recommends calling the hotel directly before booking accessible rooms to confirm what exactly is available and how the hotel can best accommodate each guest’s individual needs.

Checking out

As dramatic as the arrival was, leaving the St. Regis and heading to the airport on a boat was equally as amazing. But what was different was the sadness that comes with leaving a city and hotel that are both so magical. For me, it’s hard to believe that you can book a hotel as grand as the St. Regis Venice with points. It’s almost as wild as the fact that a city like Venice, built on a lagoon, can exist in the first place.

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