Palazzo Pianca

After reading countless reviews, I decided on Palazzo Pianca — and I’m so happy I did. The location is absolutely perfect, situated right next to the Gritti Hotel, making it an ideal base for exploring Venice. However, what truly sets this place apart is the care and thoughtfulness behind every detail. It’s clear that a talented team of architects designed this space, giving it so much more than just functionality — they created a place with soul. Francesca upgraded our room, and it was nothing short of spectacular. The beautiful terrace offered breathtaking views, and the entire design felt refined, intentional, and wonderfully curated. The gentlemen at reception were incredibly professional and genuinely went out of their way to assist with anything we needed. Their hospitality made us feel welcomed at every moment. The mini bar was always stocked with refreshing items, including water, Bellini, and Prosecco. Every morning, we had fresh coffee from the coffee machine, and the thoughtful luxury touches, like Marvis toothpaste and Culti products, truly demonstrated the hotel’s dedication to detail and guest comfort. Thank you, Palazzo Pianca, for making our stay in Venice absolutely unforgettable. I’m certain that if we had stayed anywhere else, our experience would have been far different — and not nearly as exceptional.

Extremely Disappointing — Avoid This Hotel I had a very disappointing experience at this hotel and would not recommend it to anyone. Upon arrival in Venice, I had arranged a water taxi through the hotel. No one showed up at the scheduled time even tho they had our train number. We waited, called the taxi ourselves, and were told someone would arrive shortly — but no one ever did. We were forced to find our own water taxi and pay out of pocket just to get to the hotel. When we checked in, the receptionist, Lillian, insisted we still had to pay €70 for the taxi that never picked us up. I refused — no one should be charged for a service that was never delivered and lacked any communication. Instead of trying to resolve the issue respectfully, Lillian was rude, argumentative, and condescending. I have never felt so disrespected in my life. At check-in I asked to cancel our reservation because of the awful service, but was told that wasn’t allowed. I felt like a hostage. To make matters worse, he suddenly added a €70 per night surcharge for having two people in the room and tax that I already paid for — despite admitting this fee is usually waived as a courtesy. This brought our total room rate up by €140, which felt like retaliation and a scam. The next day, we received a message saying, “Don’t worry, I paid for the taxi” — conveniently after already charging us the extra €140. So insanely rude knowing that would piss us off. This hotel has no regard for hospitality, transparency, or customer experience. There are many wonderful places to stay in Venice — this is not one of them. Stay far away.

I don’t usually write reviews, but this place was so bad I had to warn others. Yes, the unit looked nice—but that’s where the positives end. Our room was unbearably hot (28°C / 82°F) because the AC was broken. We contacted the front desk, and someone came up, pressed a few buttons, told us to “crack a window,” and walked out with an attitude. No fan, no solution, no care. The next day, still sweating, we asked for an update. The response? “I don’t know.” They offered to move us, but the new unit was a disaster—damaged walls, no hot water, and no visible room number. When we asked them to fix the water, they had no clue where we were because they didn’t even log our new room correctly. We had to record and send a video just to get them to acknowledge it. To make things worse, the staff treated us like we were the problem—yelling at us and showing zero accountability or professionalism. We checked out early, asked for a refund, and got nothing—not even an apology. Bottom line: The staff doesn’t care, the service is terrible, and in hot weather this place is a total nightmare. Save yourself the stress and stay somewhere else. EDIT: there was no hot water or working AC and happy to share my back and forth messages and recording if need be. But when you gave me another unit the photos are what you gave me instead of the we were suppose to have. Hopefully people read this message and stay away! Rather than saying I’m rude, why not understand my frustration and fix the problem