News

New Hilton property set to open in Venice

2 Nov 2006 by business traveller

Venice is set to gain its largest hotel to date when the Hilton Molino Stucky opens in June next year. The new 380-room hotel on the city's Giudecca Island is aimed at the spa and conference market.

The hotel is housed within a restored flour mill ("molino" being the Italian for "mill"), which was originally owned by Giovanni Stucky and dates back to 1895 – it had stood derelict since the mid-1950s until restoration began four years ago.

The project is on schedule, and Hilton is taking bookings for both rooms and conferences from the start of June (a date which also coincides with the city's Biennale festival of the arts from June 5-10).

The hotel is housed in 13 interconnecting buildings of the former mill, save for the newly built conference centre; planning permission was granted for the modern building only because it cannot be viewed from outside the complex.

Original features – such as wooden beams, steel pillars and, in one wing, huge flour vats – have been kept and restored, and rooms are decorated in a "modern classic" style with Venetian stripes and fabrics, and Murano-glass light fittings. The new Hilton has a much more traditional feel to it than recent Hilton "lifestyle" hotel openings in London and Manchester (see Online news, October 5, 2006), although features like wifi access throughout, a rooftop swimming pool and bar, and a 600sqm spa all give the hotel a modern touch. In Italy, the group also has the Hilton Rome Cavalieri which opened in 1973, and three hotels either already open or planned in Sicily.

The island of Giudecca is around 10 minutes by boat from St Mark's Square, and Hilton will offer a shuttle bus both to the square and the port area of San Basilio, where guests will arrive by taxi from Treviso Airport.Treviso is served by low-cost carrier Ryanair from London Stansted and is located around 45 minutes from the city. Those arriving at Venice Marco Polo Airport (served by Easyjet, BA and Bmi) can take a 40-minute boat ride directly to the hotel.

Giudecca Island is mainly residential, and is currently experiencing something of a renaissance after years in the doldrums following the decline of the flour-making and gold industries in the first half of the 20th century. It is also home to Hotel Cipriani, arguably Venice's most well-known hotel, as well as Harry's Dolci, a spin-off from the famous Harry's Bar and restaurant in San Marco. The Molino Stucky's own restaurant (which has a working title of Aromie), will offer classic Mediterranean cuisine under the direction of Franco Luise (previously of Cipriani), and has a terrace overlooking Giudecca Canal for alfresco dining.

The hotel offers excellent rooftop views across to San Marco and St Mark's Spire, and guests in "plus" rooms will enjoy canal views (other rooms have either laguna or garden views). Rooms will be split into 230 deluxe (minimum 26sqm), 100 executive (minimum 28sqm) and 50 suites, as well as seven relaxation rooms (a concept previously piloted at the Hilton Sydney) attached to the spa. Rates start at Euros 199 for a deluxe laguna/garden view room.