Hotel Gritti Palace History

The Gritti Palace goes back to 1525; the Doge of Venice, Andrea Gritti, commissioned it and construction begun in the same year. Archives record that frescoes originally adorned the facade, though today they no longer survive. At first the official residence of the Gritti family, the palace was later used as the residence of the Vatican ambassadors to Venice. Later still, it was home to successive noble families, as the Pisanis and again the Grittis in 1814. Over the centuries it has had illustrious guests, as it was the habit for noble palaces. Some years later it was sold to the Baroness Susanna d'Eyb, widow to the Baron Vetzlar. It was during this period that John Ruskin and his young wife Ettie spent a long period at Palazzo Gritti where he wrote his famous book The Stones of Venice.

At the beginning of the XIX century, The Gritti Palace was turned into a hotel and annexed to the Grand Hotel, the adjacent Palazzo Ferro Fini.

After the Second World War, C.I.G.A. (Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi) purchased the Gritti, and on June 5th, 1948 it was officially opened as an independent hotel with the today's name: Hotel Gritti Palace.

Since 1994 the Hotel Gritti Palace is part of The Luxury Collection, the prestigious Starwood Hotels & Resorts' brand.

After meticulous restorations throughout the years, the Hotel Gritti Palace can offer his guests the sight of precious architectural features, the original wooden ceilings, the original entrance flooring, dressing-table mirrors and 18^th century wall lamps, hand-made in Murano, and more. Artisans and decorators very keen on the arts and crafts of Venice set to work with the aim of bringing the Gritti alive again as a patrician residence of the past. We are pleased to say they have accomplished this difficult task.