Review: The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection, Venice (Patron Suite)

Nightly rate	Free (Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant AMEX 85k free night cert)
Length of stay	1 night
Date of stay	April 2022
Membership level	Titanium Elite (Marriott Bonvoy)

What benefits to expect when you stay at The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection, Venice as a Marriott Bonvoy Titanium or Platinum Elite member?

The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection, Venice was built over 500 years ago in 1475. The property was a private residence until 1895 when it was converted into a luxury hotel.

The hotel now has a total of just 82 rooms and usually requires 80,000 to 120,000 points per night for award stays.

We see this property as a Marriott Bonvoy sweet spot and a fantastic use of your points.

Location

The hotel is located in the San Marco area, overlooking the Grand Canal and Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute.

• 2 mins walk to Giglio waterbus stop
• 7 mins walk to St. Mark’s Square
• 40 mins by waterbus to Santa Lucia train station
• 1 hr 10 mins by public transport to Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE)

Arrival

Upon arrival, we were assisted with our luggages before being directed to the reception.

I booked with a Marriott Bonvoy 85k free night cert and also applied a Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award for the Heritage Suite, which was cleared 2 days prior to arrival! This was outstanding value as the Heritage Suite usually sells for over EUR 5,000 and is over 3 times more expensive than the base room.

To my surprise, on the morning of my stay, I saw on my Marriott Bonvoy app that the hotel had further upgraded me to the Patron Suite, which usually sells for about EUR 9,000!

I did an online check-in that morning and received an alert at 11am that my room was ready. I was even granted a 4pm late check out upon request.

Fantastic first impressions; this hotel really knows how to treat loyalty members.

Patron Suite

Room 216 is 82sqm / 882sqft in size.

All rooms in this hotel have Venetian decor and are unique. The Patron Suite that I stayed in is located at the corner of the building and includes antique furnishings, paintings, beautiful marbled walls and a fantastic view of the Grand Canal from the balcony!

Check out the video tour of this room on our Instagram page.

Breakfast

Breakfast is complimentary for Platinum members and above. It was held as a buffet at Club del Doge restaurant. Guests could sit outdoors, by the canal, in warmer months (I’m guessing April to October).

The breakfast buffet lacked variety but food quality was great. I could also request for made-to-order eggs.

Other facilities

The hotel has a very small gym with no view and does not have a swimming pool. This was the weakest area of my stay.

My ratings

This is how I am rating my stay, after considering the hotel’s usual nightly rate (in points):

Breakfast	10/10
Service	10/10
Location	10/10
Room furnishing	10/10
View (from the room)	10/10
Peace & quiet	10/10
Facilities	8/10
Elite member recognition	10/10
Value	10/10

Bottom line

It was a memorable stay in a historical Venetian hotel and a mind-blowing way to use a Marriott Bonvoy Suite Night Award.