Luxury Italian hotel where George Clooney got married enters a new era

A pantheon of names is associated with the famed glamour of Venice, Italy, from writers such as Ernest Hemingway, who haunted her alleyways searching for inspiration, to the modern celebrities photographed riding sleek water taxis on her canals.

Hotel Cipriani, a Belmond hotel, is an enduring and stylish haven in Venice.

But few are as synonymous with La Serenissima’s allure as hospitality legend Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of the famed Harry’s Bar, creator of the Bellini cocktail and the man behind a legendary hotel bearing his name.

On the island of Giudecca, just across the way from San Marco, is the Hotel Cipriani, a Belmond hotel that has been loved since the mid-20th century for its privacy, unwavering dedication to impeccable style and service, and of course, the biggest saltwater swimming pool in Venice. It’s also been a haven for the truly famous, including George and Amal Clooney, who held their star-studded wedding at the hotel.

The hotel’s saltwater pool, the biggest in Venice.

Now it enters a new era. Under the auspices of Belmond and American starchitect Peter Marino, the hotel is undergoing a renovation, with the first phase unveiled in May.

Marino’s assignment was to preserve what made the hotel such an attractive sophisticate, while meeting the needs of modern luxury travellers. As chairman of the Venetian Heritage Foundation, Marino used his understanding of Venice to create a new arrival experience with a light-filled double-height lobby while maintaining Cipriani’s original and beloved reception area.

The redesigned Serenissima suite with Venetian antique bureau.Credit: Matthieu Salvaing

This arrival is coupled with 13 redesigned rooms including two master suites, Serenissima and Laguna, designed as Venetian apartments featuring a dining room, library and salon apiece.

He’s also created a new look for 11 suites and junior suites with private balconies overlooking the Casanova Gardens.

The renovation marks a significant milestone for the Venetian icon, Hotel Cipriani’s general manager Thomas Schwall says: “We look forward to this exciting new chapter that will set the tone for decades to come.”