173 Dorsoduro; +39 041 34281

Location Sitting pretty on one of the most photogenic stretches of the Grand Canal, this recently inaugurated five-star hotel inside a Gothic palace seems designed for full-on Venetian romance. But art world movers and shakers will also appreciate its strategic position, halfway between the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and François Pinault’s Punta della Dogana contemporary arts centre. A water taxi from Venice’s lagoon-side Marco Polo airport will take you direct to the hotel’s Grand Canal jetty and costs €88 for up to six people. Alternatively, for €25 one way, Alilaguna’s Linea Oro service (April–October) goes to the nearby San Marco waterbus stop and takes one hour; departures every hour from 09.30 to 17.30.

Style Inside the Pompeii-red Gothic palazzo is a striking contemporary interior courtesy of designer Guido Ciompi. There’s a verve and playfulness to set-pieces like the lobby-dominating gondola-keel chandelier, and an urbane assurance about the bar and restaurant areas, which take up Venetian suggestions (velvet-red hues, chairbacks that resemble Doge’s caps) and reconfigure them in a groovy post-Barbarella landscape. The welcoming atmosphere and attentive service is a refreshing change in a city whose hotels too often give themselves itself airs rather than making one feel at home. The white-on-white Antinco restaurant does a nicely unfussy gourmet menu based on local ingredients and dishes – rightly not trying to compete too much with the stunning waterside view. Guestrooms The 50 rooms and suites are a mixed bunch; some are done out in hot shades of vermilion, chocolate and orange, others (generally the smaller attic ones on the fourth floor) are palettes of creams and pastels. All bathrooms are covered in gold leaf like a Ferrero Rocher chocolate. If you’re in the mood for luxury, splash out on suite 401, with its original carved marble fireplace and views down the Grand Canal in both directions.

Can I work here? Most rooms have a desk or work table of sorts, and all have Wi-Fi, flat-screen satellite TV and decent-sized safes. There’s a sweet little gym tucked under the rafters on the top floor, and the Grand Canal-facing bar is a good place to meet up with colleagues or contacts. The hotel also has a small meeting room that can accommodate up to 40 people.

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