Review: Airelles Palladio Venice, Italy (What A Gorgeous City Resort!)

For the next portion of my Four Seasons Yacht via Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia adventure, Ford and I spent a night at the 45-key Airelles Palladio Venice, which is one of the city’s newest luxury hotels, having just opened in April 2026.

For those not familiar, Airelles is a French luxury hotel brand, and I rank it among my favorite hotel groups in the world. I’ve reviewed Airelles Château de Versailles, Airelles La Bastide de Gordes, Airelles Saint-Tropez Chateau de la Messardiere, and Airelles Val d’Isère. While Airelles properties are (very) expensive, they truly deliver an amazing experience, with exceptional design, dining, service, and even inclusions.

What’s interesting about the new Venice property is that it’s Airelles’ first hotel outside of France. I must say, the brand absolutely knocked it out of the park. Airelles Palladio Venice is a stunning property, and it feels more like a resort than a city hotel.

Now, Venice has some solid points hotels, like the St. Regis and Gritti Palace, so I’m not sure this is necessarily the market where I’d ordinarily “splurge” by spending this much cash on a property. But my goodness, this is an amazing hotel, and if you can stomach the price, I can’t recommend it enough.

Booking Airelles Venice

As you’d expect, Venice is a seasonal hotel market, and currently I see rates for base rooms at this hotel ranging from €1,400 to €3,200 per night, give or take. Luxury hotel rates have gone up massively over the years, and the pricing here reflects that.

We stayed at the hotel for one night, and reserved right when the hotel opened for bookings, and the rate for our July stay was €1,900. Obviously that’s a ton to spend, but I’m a bit of a completionist, and wanted to continue my trend of checking out each Airelles property. For what it’s worth, I found it interesting that both the St. Regis and Gritti Palace actually had higher cash rates for our night than this hotel.

Rates available directly with Airelles are bookable through Virtuoso, so that’s how Ford booked us. This offers additional perks, including an upgrade subject to availability, a $100 property credit, and more. If you’d like any help with a Virtuoso booking here, you can reach out to Ford and his team at [email protected].

For what it’s worth, all rates at the hotel include breakfast, minibar drinks and snacks, access to the spa and kids club, shuttle service to and from Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square), and more.

Airelles Venice location & history

Airelles Venice is located on Giudecca Island, which is a long island in the Venetian Lagoon, located just south of the historic center of Venice. The hotel offers a complimentary shuttle service between the hotel and Piazza San Marco (the center of Venice, by many accounts), and that takes all of five minutes, and is available on demand. For that matter, getting to ride one of the beautiful, traditional boats of Venice is a fun activity in and of itself.

If you want to just be able to walk out of your hotel and be in the center of Venice, this property maybe isn’t for you. But personally I’d consider the location to be an advantage:

• You get easy access to the main part of Venice, but can also enjoy strolling around Giudecca Island, which tends to be quieter, so it gives you a different perspective on the area
• Unlike hotels in the main part of Venice, the land this is on is absolutely massive, and this feels more like a spacious resort than a space constrained city hotel; the property has well over two acres just of gardens, which is pretty cool

As you’d expect in Venice, the hotel isn’t housed in some newly constructed buildings. Instead, the property is located across three 16th century buildings, including the Santa Maria della Presentazione church. Airelles properties in general do an amazing job with restoring interiors.

In this case, Airelles acquired the buildings back in 2018, and then spent years restoring them to make them what they are today. When you consider that the hotel only opened in 2026, that’s quite an investment!

As you arrive at the hotel, you enter a gate and then walk through a garden, so you almost feel like you’re walking into a very fancy home, rather than a hotel.

Airelles Venice lobby & check-in

Our arrivals experience was seamless, as we were escorted straight from the boat to reception, and our bags were taken care of. The reception area is absolutely gorgeous — there are two desks with front desk staff and the concierge, plus plenty of seating.

On one side of reception is a seating area that feels a bit like a library.

On the other side of reception is another room with even more seating, and also with a piano. Seriously, lobby seating doesn’t get much nicer than this, eh?

Check-in was a relaxed experience, as we were invited to have a seat and enjoy a glass of champagne (or other beverage of choice) while formalities were taken of.

Airelles Venice guest room

While we had booked a base room (a superior room), we were upgraded to a deluxe room with a partial view on account of our Virtuoso booking. Specifically, we were assigned room 123, which we were escorted to after check-in was complete.

How cool is this hotel hallway, along with the courtyard?!

Our room could be accessed either via the staircase or elevators.

Again, how nice are these hallways?!

Rooms at Airelles Venice blend old world charm and all the modern technology you’d expect. As you’d expect, the size of rooms can vary considerably, given how historic this property is. Deluxe rooms vary in size from 440 to 570 square feet (41 to 53 square meters).

As we entered the room, there was some closet space right there, with the main part of the room straight ahead, and the huge bathroom area to the left.

Let’s start in the main part of the room. It had a very comfortable king size bed, two chairs at the foot of the bed, and a desk at the far end of the room. You might notice the lack of a TV… it’s not actually missing, but instead, it’s concealed behind the mirror. Hah.

The way that historic touches in the room were preserved was incredibly well done. Perhaps my biggest complaint about the hotel is that I didn’t find the room furnishings very practical. The only place to sit was on the two chairs by the foot of the bed, and presumably the idea is that you can pull one of those chairs over to the desk, if you want to.

But there was actually quite a bit of space past the bed, so I feel like they should’ve had more of a proper table setup, or something.

There was a welcome amenity waiting on the desk, including a freshly baked cookie, some fruit, and some tea.

The minibar was also in the bedroom area. One of the awesome things about Airelles is how the full minibar is included, and they certainly don’t skimp. We’re talking everything from full bottles of wine, to delicious bottled cocktails, to endless snacks. There was also a Nespresso coffee machine, a selection of tea, and even a glass container full of candy.

They even refilled everything with turndown service. Obviously this hotel is expensive, but it’s also nice to feel like you’re not being nickel-and-dimed, and also feeling like the hotel is “generous.”

Airelles properties are also known for their in-room gifts, intended to take home. Upon arrival in our room there were two pairs of substantial Airelles branded slippers, which I’ve been wearing at home, as they’re awesome.

With turndown service, we were offered Airelles branded pajamas, eyeshades, and even soap.

In terms of views, we had a side view of the canal, and the room otherwise looked a the immediate area, which was serene.

The bathroom was back toward the entrance, and down a hall, and it must’ve been nearly as big as the main part of the room.

The bathroom had double sinks, a soaking tub, heated towel racks, and a walk-in shower with two shower heads.

Bath products were from French brand Jardins Baulieu, in reusable containers.

There was also a massive kit with all kinds of bath products, ranging from a hair brush, to a nail care kit, and more. Airelles sure is generous with amenities!

The bathroom was back toward the entrance, separate from the rest of the bathroom, and had a bidet-style toilet.

All-in-all, what a lovely room, with endless amenities. As mentioned above, personally I wish there were a bit more furniture in the main part of the room, but other than that, this was great.

Airelles Venice pools & garden

One of the main benefits of Airelles Venice being on Giudecca Island is how expansive the property is, with well over two acres of gardens and outdoor spaces. When it comes to outdoor pools, the hotel has a 25-meter (82-foot) heated rectangular pool. You’d never assume that you’d find something like this in Venice.

Immediately next to this is the kids pool, which is also a nice amenity to have. Airelles properties are incredibly kid friendly, so when traveling with little ones, amenities like this can make all the difference.

Beyond the two outdoor pools, the hotel has endless gardens that guests can enjoy. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Airelles Venice spa & wellness area

Airelles Venice has a spa by Guerlain, which is also the largest spa you’ll find at any hotel in Venice, as it spans three floors, and covers around 18,300 square feet (1,700 square meters).

Airelles properties consistently have very cool indoor pools, and this property is no exception. There’s an impressive two-story indoor area with a pool that measures 690 square feet (64 square meters). The design is so cool, with Roman-style columns, brick walls, and a chandelier.

Beyond the pool, the spa also has a variety of amenities guests can use, including a sauna, steam room, cold plunge, and more.

We didn’t get any spa treatments during our short stay, but of course there are plenty of options available, and you can find the treatment menu here.

Airelles Venice gym & pilates studio

Airelles Venice has a solid gym and pilates studio, accessible by guests 24/7. These are pretty hidden, as they’re located down one of the paths in the garden, with no obvious signage.

I’d say the gym is good for a boutique property, but nothing amazing. It has all the basics, though some of the free weights could’ve been a bit heavier.

Many will appreciate that there’s also a pilates studio, and of course guests have the option of booking classes, either private or group.

Airelles Venice kids club

Airelles properties are always very kids friendly, and are known for their incredible kids clubs. Airelles Venice does have a kids club, though I found it to be quite underwhelming, as it was just a small room.

The property is still partly under development (not in a way that majorly impacts the guest experience), so my guess is that this might just be a temporary facility, until the permanent kids club is complete? Either way, something is better than nothing! This just didn’t feel to the standard of the typical Airelles kids club concept.

Airelles Venice restaurant & bar

Given its low room count, Airelles Venice is an absolute food & beverage powerhouse, though you’d expect no less from the brand. During my stay, there were three dining outlets that were open:

• abc kitchens is the hotel’s signature all-day restaurant, open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner
• Matsuihasa is of course a familiar name, and is open for dinner
• Palladio Bar is the hotel’s standard lobby bar, open throughout the day

On top of the outlets that were open during our stay, there are a few more, which opened since our stay, or will be opening shortly:

• Villa Frollo by Norbert Niederkofler is described as having a “Cook the Lagoon” philosophy, and is open for dinner
• Elton’s Club will open in the coming weeks, and will be the hotel’s signature bar, created in collaboration with Sir Elton John, who has a home nearby, also on Giudecca Island
• Zitelle Bacaro will open soon as well, and will be a traditional Venetian cicchetti bar located along the water

Let’s start with abc kitchens, which is the latest offshoot of Chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The restaurant serves breakfast from 7AM until 11AM, lunch from 12PM until 2:30PM, and dinner from 7PM until 10PM, and you can find all the menus here.

The restaurant has plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, and weather permitting, most guests definitely tend to prefer the outdoor area.

Breakfast here was an absolute delight, and consisted of a combination of a buffet and a la carte selection, with guests being able to order whatever they’d like. The buffet was gorgeously set up, and had freshly baked pastries, lots of fresh fruit, cold cuts and cheese, etc.

That could then be complemented by the a la carte selection.

To drink, I had a cappuccino, and then later had a filter coffee and some juice.

Ford ordered an avocado toast, while I just had some smoked salmon, as I really went to town on the buffet.

What an excellent meal! We also had lunch here, and we split the tuna tartare, the tomato, mozzarella, basil, and chili flakes pizza, and the branzino with green olive dressing, crispy shallots, and sautéed spinach. The dishes were all delicious.

It’s worth pointing out that Airelles properties also always have amazing lunch dessert buffets, but we resisted that temptation.

Next up in the Airelles Venice dining circuit is Matsuhisa, which serves dinner from 7PM until 10:30PM. Look, I’m not the world’s biggest Matsuhisa fan (it’s good, it’s just very predictable), and typically if I only had one night in Venice, this isn’t where I’d eat. However, in the interest of reviewing the hotel, we decided to dine here, and you can find the menu here.

The restaurant is located immediately next to ABC Kitchens, with both indoor and outdoor seating.

To drink, we had lychee martinis, which were tasty, of course.

To eat, we ordered the sea salt edamame, tuna tacos, yellowtail jalapeno, and the sashimi salad. The meal was very good, and exactly what you’d expect from Matsuhisa — the restaurant group is consistent to a fault.

We also had drinks in the evening at Palladio Bar, located just off the lobby. It’s open daily from 9AM until 1AM, and you can find the menu here.

They have a really inventive cocktail list, including a huge selection of negronis, so we ordered a couple of drinks to try. As you’d expect in Italy, they were served with a filling variety of tasty snacks.

Airelles Venice fireworks

This was a total coincidence, but the night that we stayed in Venice also happened to be Festa del Redentore, one of the city’s most famous annual events. The hotel let us know about this before our stay, telling us the following:

For Venetians, Redentore is more than just a festival, it is a centuries-old tradition that turns the entire lagoon into an extraordinary open-air celebration. Throughout the night, the island comes alive with festivities, culminating at approximately 11:30 PM in a breathtaking fireworks display over St. Mark’s Basin and the Giudecca Canal. Thousands of beautifully decorated boats gather on the water, creating an atmosphere unlike any other in the world.

Thanks to our privileged waterfront location, we are pleased to invite you to enjoy this incredible show from one of the most exclusive viewpoints in the city. As our valued guests, you will be welcomed with a complimentary bottle of Ca’ del Bosco to accompany the evening.

They weren’t kidding — the hotel really has the ideal location for viewing the fireworks, since you want to be looking in the direction the hotel faces. Two things…

First of all, how generous that the hotel sets up something for free for guests, and even offers them a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine. I’m sure most other hotels would charge for something like this, as they set up very comfortable seating along the waterfront.

It was almost awkward, because the area for hotel guests was roped off right on the waterfront, and then there were hundreds of people standing behind the ropes to watch (many camped out for hours before it started).

Second of all, this was the wildest fireworks show I’ve seen in my life. It went on for nearly 40 minutes, and I’ve just never seen a show go on for so long.

Below is a video I found online showing the fireworks, taken from very close to our hotel.

Airelles Venice service

Airelles properties are known for their incredible service, and this location was no exception. Across the board, the staff we interacted with were absolutely lovely — they were engaging, had great attention to detail, and genuinely seemed to want to ensure that guests had a great time.

What’s interesting is that most Airelles properties in France are staffed by many of the same people, since they’ll work at some properties in summer, and others in winter. Of course Venice is a different story, so even though most staff were Italian, they still very much understood the Airelles “ethos.”

Let me give one minor example, which personally I appreciate. As you can tell above, I take a lot of pictures at hotels, while trying to respect the privacy of guests. So I’ll often try to pop into restaurants when they’re still closed, and ask if it’s okay to take a picture.

I typically don’t get rejected, but sometimes they’ll maybe slightly roll their eyes, or just say “sure.” In this case when I popped into abc kitchens, the response was “please… and you should take more than one picture!” I know this is minor, but it’s just nice when staff try to make guests feel good with every interaction.

As another minor example of the great service, we even received housekeeping on the morning of our departure. When we went to breakfast, we returned to a fully made room.

Bottom line

Airelles Venice opened earlier in 2026, as the first foreign property for the boutique luxury hotel group. Fortunately this property is incredible. Not only does it have what you’d expect from Airelles — amazing design, great service, and excellent facilities — but it’s also an expansive resort that will make you forget that you’re in space constrained Venice.

Look, to be honest, I think properties like the St. Regis Venice are also solid, so it’s a city where I’m very happy redeeming points. however, if paying cash, I’d absolutely book Airelles over the St. Regis, and for our night, the former was charging less than the latter.

What’s your take on Airelles Venice?