For a short weekend break in May 2004, I was looking for a Starwood hotel with an economic rate in Venice. After reading the useful reviews at Flyertalk, concerning the different Starwood hotels I decided to stay in the Europa&Regina. The rate was relatively economic: � 272,-- for a single room.
I did send an email asking information considering this room, since it was described as �a cozy room�.
After a long time waiting, I received a response of

Claudia Esposito of the Reservations Department The Westin Europa & Regina.:

The room and rates were mentioned:
�We are delighted to confirm the reservation we are holding in your favour from the 1st of May 2004, for 2 nights for a renovated single room with inner view for single occupancy. Please consider our singles are furnished with 1 single bed for 1 person and are approx. 15 square metres. If this accomodation does not satisfy your demand, please consider booking an alternative typology of room in our property: we are pleased to offer you availability of Classic Double room for single occupancy at the promotional daily rate of EURO 403.00 or Deluxe Double room for single use with Grand Canal view at the promotioanl daily rate of EURO 629.00. Both rooms are approximately 25 square metres in area. Please also consider that
buffet breakfast has an additional cost at the daily rate of EURO 50.00 per person. �.�

Considering the transfer to the hotel:

�As far as the transfer from Marco Polo airport to the hotel is concerned, we suggest a private transfer at the rate of Euro 145.00 porterage included. The cost for this service will be charged to the hotel bill. For arrivals between 6pm to 8 am a 20% supplement will be applied. A hostess will be waiting for you just outside the luggage claim area with a sign bearing your name and will accompany you to the dock, where a private water taxi will be waiting to take you directly to the hotel.
Please reconfirm if suitable in order to reserve the service.
Kindly note that this service requires a minimum of 24 hours advance reservations; in case of delay exceeding 60 minutes, the service may not be able to be guaranteed in its entirety.

Alternatively, we are pleased to inform you that a service of reception assistance including transfer to the hotel is available from 09.00 hours until 17:30 hours from our Starwood Hotels & Resorts desk, located in the airport arrival section.
Upon arrival at Venice airport, please contact our representative there who will be delighted to assist you with one of the following alternatives:

� Private water taxi, available at all hours. The cost of the transfer is EURO 85.00 up to 2 persons, luggage
included, preferably to be paid in cash to the boat driver.

� The Starwood Hotels & Resorts launch service operating every day at 11.15, 13.30 and 15.45. The charge for the reception assistance service will be Euro 32.00, per way per person and may be charged to the hotel bill.
No advance reservations are required for either of these services.�

The rate for the single room, being a SET rate, appeared to me to be very high . The other prices did not fit in my budget for this weekend break. The price for a breakfast I thought was too high. When trying to find a solution via email, Claudia did not answer me back.

I did see more or less the same rate for a single room in the Westin Excelsior Lido. When I send an email to this hotel, I received an answer the same day. It was from Gabriele Gneri, Front Office Manager
The Westin Excelsior. The room appeared to be spacious and the breakfast was included. Mr. Gneri arranged for me the launch service via the Europa&Regina and the shuttle to the Lido. Considering my budget I was very satisfied with this service.
The service of mr. Gneri was very friendly, he confirmed even my preferences for the room .

Upon arrival at the Venice airport I walked to the Starwood Hotels & Resorts desk, at the left end of the arrival hall. I did have to wait one hour for the launch, but having a lunch at the small caf� in the airport, with very nice panini�s, I even had to hurry to be on time.
The service of the launch was terrific, Starwood will pick you up and transports you with a private van to the dock. Here the public boats and watertaxi wait for the passengers.
The launchservice was only available for the Europa&Regina hotel. I was the only passenger and when arriving in Venice there even was a small sightseeing through the Grand Canal. It was wonderful. Multo bella!

From the Europa & Regina there is a free shuttle service to the Lido. I decided make some questions at the reception considering my inquiries to mrs Claudia. The personnel of the reception was very friendly. At first they did not remember my emails, but then in a moment they did find it�..
They did their best to help me out and upon my request they showed me the single room.
Indeed, this room is very small , especially considering the high rate I had to pay for. They even offered me the double room for the same rate, but I did not like the room. I found it to be rather small and dark since it was on the backside. The public areas of the hotel are very nice, but in general I find this hotel more or less a 4* hotel, compared to f.i. the Danielli which I visited.
The Danielli hotel does have a very nice roofterrace with a beautiful view !

After a nice stroll on the beautiful St. Marco, I had my free shuttle to the Lido. The shuttle boat appeared to be rather luxury and comfortable. The brand name CIGA is marked on the boat, the brand name Starwood is not visible.

After arriving at the beautiful Westin Excelsior, the woman of the reception appeared to be very friendly and helpful :-: . She tried to help me to arrange my return transfer to the airport, only the man of the concierge had his own way of dealing with it and did not made reservations for me. I was happy to find that the next day another man of the concierge could give me this service, however with his own advice to take the private boat or water taxi ( connection times of the shuttle and launch were not optimal). However I did not want to pay so much money and sticked to my budget.
Then I was escorted to my room�� it appeared I was upgraded to a sort of junior suite with a huge terrace with a view of Venice! I was spoiled with a bottle of Italian champagne and some fruits! It was just great

The junior suite ( see the pics: http://www.e-traveller.net/pics/hotel.php, available from 23th of May) had a Moorish design like the architecture of the hotel, there were two separate heavenly beds which formed a King together, a small couch, a table and two chairs, a desk. On the desk was a vase with nice flowers. Besides the mirror two lights, which seemed to be made of Murano glass.

The bathroom was large, with a big tub and the Westin shower. A collection of Bvlgary amenities were available.

On the terrace was a table with four chairs. It was just wonderful to sit here and enjoy the view of Venice!

I did not make use of the restaurant, only one small restaurant was open, and liked to have my dinner on the terrace. Prices of food are very high , f.i. the pasta was �40, a clubsandwich appr. �25, a tiramisu �13 ( it was delicious!). Quality was high however!

The breakfast was located in an area near the beach. When the doors are open you can hear the sea. If the weather is warm enough you can have breakfast outside. There was enough variation to make a choice from. Service could range from indifference to very friendly. Especially one girl was very friendly and her service was with a smile.

On the backside of the hotel, behind the lounge, is a large terrace of the bar. The swimming pool was closed, but seemed to be very attractive and large.

There is a new fitness centre with a variation of new machines. I.m.o. it would be nice if there would be a health centre in this resort, f.i. next to the fitness a sauna and turkish bath.

The shuttle service is very convenient, it takes 15-20 minutes and it is scheduled every hour until late in the evening. The shuttle stops are very close to the St. Marco, in front of the Danielli hotel and the Europa&Regina.
I general the service in the hotel is very friendly and of a high quality. However, some personnel of the concierge seemed to have a mind of their own. Still I was more than satisfied with the arrangements made for my return transfer. The launch service is a very comfortable and economic way for a transfer, especially when travelling by yourself. The public boats seemed to be very, very crowded.

I was very happy to have my accommodation here instead of in the Europa & Regina, since I had a very nice and spacious room. Furthermore, having a walk on the beach after a day with the many impressions of beautiful Venezia is wonderful and relaxing.
Except for the high prices for food and drinks, this hotel is highly advisable i.m.h.o.

 

The system to pay for the taxi(safest) is to pay in the airport, at the taxi desk, and get a receipt.

The launch stops at all 3 Venice hotels to pick up and drop off passengers, upon request.

Breakfast at the E&R is and has been �50 for quite some time. All the luxury collection hotels seem to have a very high rate for breakfast.

The �272 rate at the E&R has been there for a long time and is well publicized.....rates from �272.... when you call the hotel up on the website.

The check in person is not a "girl" in the 21st century.

 

Thanks for you advice concerning the "girl"' .
It is quite possible that the rate for SET has been a long time �272, for a room of 15 square metres it is i.m.o. too expensive. The regular rate for this room is even more than �300, as published on the SPG site.
I know not all luxury collection hotels have a rate of �50 for breakfast, anyway I thought the E&R hotel was too expensive compared to what they had to offer me. I was glad to stay in the Westin Excelsior Lido!

 

The Gritti was asking Euro 50 for breakfast last time I was there!

 

I can imagine the Gritti, as well as the Danielli, are asking � 50 for breakfast, the E&R is i.m.o. not really comparable to these luxury hotels.
It seems to be more a 4* hotel. However ,the service here is very friendly, and I had a nice conversation with a man of the reception. concierge was very helpful too.
But still, the price for the breakfast did not fit in my budget!!

 

This is pretty standard for all Venice hotels with 4* or above. However, last time I was at the E&Y, they had a continental breakfast option for approximately �25.

It never ceases to amaze me how people complain about the price of breakfast at the Gritti or Danieli. I'm not quite sure why anyone thinks they might be able to have a McDonald's-priced breakfast at a five star hotel. The price of breakfast at the Danieli has been fairly constant through the years, if I remember correctly - when I was a kid, we always thought it was very cool to get sent upstairs to have breakfast without our parents. Even 10 years ago breakfast was approximately $40/person. Of course, there are many less expensive, nearly as good options nearby. You just have to leave the hotel.

 

That's simply not true; the E&R was renovated a few years back, and it looks fantastic. The Danieli and the Gritti Palace haven't been touched in years, and it shows. When I'm in Venice, I go out of my way to stay at the E&R; service is, at least in my opinion, light-years ahead of that at the other two.

A 4* hotel would be along the lines of the Excelsior or the Hotel des Bains on the Lido.

 

Perhaps the rooms they showed to me in the E&R, were not renovated? I did like the Danielli a lot at first view, the public spaces and restaurants. It is amazing, just like a museum. The service at the rooftop restaurant was very friendly.
I have stayed in many Starwood's in the world and I do know what I am talking about.
I think everyone has his own preferences and likes and dislikes. I did prefer the Excelsior compared to the E&R, i.m.h.o. and my review is the experience I had at that moment.

 

claes059,

You're totally right -- each person has their own opinions, and these are based on personal experience. Please don't think I was trying to discount your experiences. Of course, my preference for the E&R over the others is also based simply on my experiences.

I did want to highlight, though, that the E&R is definitely NOT classified as a 4* hotel, nor do I believe it should be.

Anyway, sounds like you had a nice time in Venice, and that's what counts.

 

Since you were a guest in the E&R, I guess your opinion counts more. I just happen to be there for the launch- and shuttle service.
My first choice was for the E&R. My experiences with the reservation agent were not very promising My first impression, the corridors to the rooms and the rooms itself, it was like a 4* property. Perhaps I was not lucky and only the "bad rooms" were left over when I visited. Again, service was very friendly here.

I have to stress that I have seen other rooms in the Westin Excelsior Lido
and those rooms were also wonderful, view on the sea, spacious, balcony. It is rather a famous hotel and I liked it very much. Can imagine it must be even more beautiful here in summer when the cabana's are open @:-) .

Grazie, I did have a wonderful time in Venezia, partly because of the great service of mr. Gneri of the Westin Excelsior Lido. who arranged this for me.
We all do have our experiences as a guest, and mine was just wonderful in this resort! :-:

 

I'd stay at the Lido as opposed to the Danielli etc for the following reasons:
1.Rooms are bigger
2.The beach outside is great
3. The shuttle to the centre is quite comfortable
4. And Mr. Gneri is extremely helpful and a mine of information

 

Finally the above mentioned pictures are ready: The Westin Excelsior, Venice Lido Resort
(Sorry for the delay)

edited to correct the hotel name.