HotelChatter

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Twitpic of the Week: Spying On St Mark's Basilica From the Cipriani

Where: GIUDECCA 10, VENICE, Italy, 30133

In the ever-expanding universe of Twitter, there is one particular trend @HotelChatter happens to quite enjoy: candid hotel photos. These Twitpics range from stunning views to anti-views to celebrity tomfoolery and everything in between. And we can't get enough of 'em! Every Monday, we feature one "Twitpic of the Week" to commemorate our favorite hotel-themed snapshot. Got a favorite of your own? Want to show off your sweet suite? Send it in!

This week, we're dreaming of tiny arched bridges and cups of espresso by Piazza San Marco. Venice, seen here from the Hotel Cipriani, may be an over-exposed tourist trap, but she's also a classic.

This shot comes courtesy of @MattPenrose, who shared the pic, via Twitter, on The Fancy, the online shopping-social media hybrid site we discovered last October.

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HotelChatter Questions / Rome Hotels / Venice Hotels / Four Seasons Hotels / → All Tags

Ask HotelChatter: Where Should a Four Seasons Lover Stay in Venice and Rome?

The other day, a HotelChatter Twitter follower asked us for some upscale hotel recommendations in Venice and Rome. More specifically, Jcjteeth wants hotels of the same caliber as Four Seasons:

@HotelChatter Any recs on 5Star/upscale hotels in Venice and Rome? Usually stay at @FourSeasons but alas no FS properties in those cities.

That's pretty weird now that we think about it. No Four Seasons in Rome or Venice? They should really get on that!

But onto our hotel picks.

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Hotel Openings / Venice Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

Grazie! A New Affordable Hotel Opens Near Venice and With Free WiFi Too

Where: Via Bonfadini, 1, Mogliano Venet, Italy, 31021

One of the biggest gripes about Venice, (aside from the smell) is that the hotels are often crazy expensive. So imagine our relief when we hears of a new four-star hotel that's actually affordable.

The Move Hotel, located in Mogliano Veneto, just outside of Venice, opened yesterday with 203 rooms including 18 suites all with their own balconies, spa with pool and get this, a pizzeria!

There are three different types of rooms--the MOVE Sport, MOVE Maxi and MOVE King. The interiors were designed by renowned Italian designers Studio Marco Piva and BAM design. From the look of this picture we have to say we’re liking the rooms, they look very bright and spacious with a nice holiday feel.

The hotel also has its own artificial lake and bikes for guests to rent. And if you want to get hitched there you can, with facilities to accommodate up to 500 people.

If you fancy moving into the MOVE HOTEL rates start at approx 100 euros although if book during its soft launch between now and May 14th you can nab a room for 88 euros including free WiFi. Now that's amore!

Movie Set Hotels / Angelina Jolie / Johnny Depp / Venice Hotels / → All Tags

Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp Check into Hotel Danieli in 'The Tourist'

Where: 4196 Riva Degli Schiavoni, Venice, Italy

Everyone's buzzing about The Tourist, the soon-to-open flick starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp. People are wondering if the pair will have some good on-camera chemistry and whether Jolie will kick some ass in the movie. We were dying to find out about the hotel that provided the setting for some of the film, Hotel Danieli in Venice.

In The Tourist, Elise (Jolie) meets Frank (Depp) aboard a Paris train bound to Venice and sparks fly. They hop on a water taxi to get to the island and then check into the luxe legendary hotel.

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Hotel Lawsuits / Orient-Express Hotels / Venice Hotels / Hotel News / → All Tags

Crisis in Cipriani Land! Hotel Cipriani Wins Lawsuit Against Cipriani Restaurants

So here's a funny story: Apparently Orient-Express Hotels, which owns the famous Hotel Cipriani in Venice, just won around 7.5 Million GBP ($11.4 million) in a lawsuit they brought against Cipriani restaurants.

The terms are a bit confusing, since one would assume that the Hotel Cipriani was associated with the similarly well-known chain of Harry Cipriani's Bars and ritzy Cipriani restaurants in locations like New York, London and Hong Kong. But that's not the case. The Hotel Cipriani sued the Cipriani restaurants for the obvious: using the Cipriani name.

The brief press release on the court decision also mentions that the company behind the Cipriani restaurants has had their worldwide assets frozen. That's a huge deal—are we on the verge of either a major Cipriano re-naming and re-branding, or will the restaurant company come down altogether? Of course the Venice hotel will continue to exist, rolling in their winnings.

[Photo: Hotel Cipriani]

Hotel Restaurants / JDV Hotels / Venice Hotels / → All Tags

What They’re Slinging Over At Hotel Erwin’s Hash

Where: 1697 Pacific Ave. [map], Venice, CA, United States, 90291

Last month, we told you about the opening of Hash at JDV’s Hotel Erwin in Venice Beach. Now that we’ve had a chance to go in for a meal there, we wanted to let you in on all the delish menu items you can expect to help stave off the munchies.

True to its name, the restaurant serves up four different kinds of hash for breakfast (including one daily special like the one with apples and house-smoked turkey bacon) from Monday-Friday 7:00am-11:00am, and Saturday-Sunday 8:00am-1:00pm. You can also get your standard egg and pancake dishes along with some house specialties like the artery-clogging "Chicken Fried Steak ’n Eggs ’n Biscuits" ($13.95), or the colorful “Green Eggs & Ham" smothered in tomatillo salsa ($10.95).

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Hotel Deals / Hotel Packages / Venice Hotels / Italy Hotels / → All Tags

Fairy-Tale Destination, Fairy-Tale Deal for Italian Getaway

It's no one-cent weekend, but this travel package, which includes stays in both Tuscany and Venice, is one of the most reasonable, all-inclusive deals we've seen in a while. We concede that the base price of $799 (airfare included) is slightly unbelievable—and, if you get into the nitty-gritty fine print, it truly is, depending on where you're flying from and when you travel. Yet it's still a solid deal, and there are ways to stay within a bargain basement range if you're willing to be a little flexible (and isn't that the caveat of similar deals, anyway?).

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Hotel News / Venice Hotels / Intercontinental Hotels / → All Tags

Booking Error Results in Venice Getaway Deal for One Cent

Where: Viale Della Resistenza 18/20 , Quarto D'Altino, Italy

There's nothing we love more than a good booking mistake—when it falls in our favor, of course. Lucky travelers and locals who caught Italy's Crowne Plaza Quarto D'Altino's major, accidental price cut scored a weekend at the four-star resort for a mere one cent. Rooms at the hotel normally run for up to $214 per night, and its location is an accessible 20-minute train ride away from Venice.

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Killer View / Snapshot / Venice Hotels / → All Tags

A View That Makes Braving Piazza San Marco's Pigeons Totally Worth It

Where: Riva Degli Schiavoni, Venice, Italy

Can we please just take a hot minute to "oooh" and "ahhh" at this view from The Hotel Danieli in Venice? Seriously.

This is actually a shot taken from the terrace of the hotel's restaurant (where the photographer, DerekLakin, took tea, if you're interested) — and doesn't this sort of make that dangerous trek through the very, very nearby Piazza San Marco worth it? And when we say "dangerous," we mean "risky due to falling pigeon poo everywhere."

This hotel is part of the Starwood Luxury Collection and is "made up of three beautiful Venetian palazzi dating back to the 14th, 19th, and 20th Centuries, featuring hand-made Murano glass chandeliers, precious rugs, hand-carved marble columns, and many original antique pieces." The whole place got a big ol' renovation in '08, and the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel (where this shot was taken, we assume) was once "the viewpoint from which Venetian noblemen would once watch the arrival of merchant ships from the Orient with their wares."

Rooms here will cost you, though: they start around 510 Euros — or $710.

[Photo: Derek Lakin]

Sneak Peek / JDV Hotels / Venice Hotels / Beachfront Hotels / → All Tags

A Sneak Peek Inside Venice Beach's New Hotel Erwin

Where: 1697 Pacific Avenue [map], Venice Beach, CA, United States, 90291

For a long time, Venice Beach has been lacking in providing a hip but upscale beachfront stay. The only choices were hostels or those luxe beachfront hotels in Santa Monica at $400+ a night. Sadly, some of us just don't have that kind of cash. Nor do we want that stuffy, big-box hotel experience. And you can forget about having us spend a night in a hostel.

Thankfully, JDV Hotels have taken over the old Marina Pacific Hotel in Venice at the intersection of Pacific Avenue and Windward, giving us a hipper, happier, cleaner and more affordable place to stay on the beach. It's also got a new name: The Hotel Erwin.

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Fashion Hotels / Venice Hotels / Italy Hotels / Hotel Video Tours / Westin Hotels / → All Tags

Chanel Commandeers the Westins of Venice for a Fashion Show

Where: San Marco 2159, Venice, Italy, 30124

Yesterday in Venice, on the sands of the beach at the Lido Westin Excelsior Hotel to be more exact, Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld debuted his Cruise collection for the French fashion house.

For something so elaborate as a location-specific runway show, Chanel flies in the most important magazine editors, stylist and international press, and puts them up in the best hotel rooms in the city as part of the whole spectacle. Although they took over the Excelsior's beach for the actual show, we learned from Grazia's blog that the guests were instead bedding down back on San Marco, in the Westin Europa & Regina.

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Cubicle Dreamin' / Venice Hotels / Carnevale Hotels / → All Tags

Drifting to Venice for Carnevale

Where: Cannaregio , Venice, Italy, 1045

Cubicle Dreamin' is a feature in which we ask the hotel mavens to take some time out of their busy work day, surf the Internet, and tell us what hotel they wish they could beam themselves to right that very second--all on the slave driving companies dime, of course. Oh, like these people aren't surfing aimlessly anyway--at least now their purposeless clicking will be cobbled together into useful hotel stories--we hope. Have a destination hotel you are just dying to leave your cube for? Send the story our way.

In this episode, Hotel Maven Katie K celebrates Carnevale...in her mind. Enjoy.

When I drift into hotel fantasy mode, I tend to have a few requirements, depending on my mood. Sometimes paradise weather trumps all, but today I’m craving an exclusive, unrealistic adventure. You know, the sort of escapade I would have needed to plan months and months and months ago. And with that, allow me to be whisked off to Venice for Carnevale, which runs through Feb. 24. (After all, don’t you think “sinking city” pretty much defines exclusivity?)

Wedged shoulder-to-shoulder among Carnevale revelers, I’ll lose myself in Venice’s seductive mystique as I marvel at the masqueraded mobs. And when I need a break from the fray, I’ll retire to Domus Orsoni, a quaint B&B lodged in the city’s only mosaic tile-making factory.

Steps from the Jewish Ghetto in the authentic neighborhood of Cannareggio, Domus Orsoni features five rooms, each bedazzled with mosaic work (handcrafted at the on-site factory) by a different Italian artist. Maybe I’ll even sign up for a workshop to learn the traditional art of mosaic at the Orsoni studio, as I pluck from its color library (including 2,000 gorgeous hues, with 12 gold leaf varieties) to create a masterpiece to remind me of my Venetian daydream.

Prices start at 80 Euros a night for a single room.