Hotels 24 Sep 2026 read
Once home to Venice’s historically significant Dandolo family, the centuries-old palazzo on the Riva degli Schiavoni has been restored under interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon, blending Venetian heritage with contemporary design
More than five centuries ago, the Dandolo family — part of Venice's patrician class, the hereditary nobility that helped govern the city — made their home in a palazzo on the Riva degli Schiavoni, overlooking the San Marco basin. The family had already given Venice several doges, and their name was woven deeply into the city’s history. The palazzo is still standing today. Only the name has changed. Once a family home, it has spent the last several decades welcoming guests as the Danieli.
This summer, after months of scaffolding and careful restoration, the doors opened once again, this time under Four Seasons. And, fittingly for Venice, the transformation is anything but modest: three connected palazzos, interiors reworked room by room and a landmark address being given a fresh lease of life.
Across two of the three palazzos, the restoration has brought some of the Danieli’s defining details back into focus — from the historic plasterwork and stonework to the soaring pink marble columns and grand staircase of Palazzo Dandolo. In the lobby, hand-painted gilding has been restored across the ceiling, while Venetian Gothic details throughout the palazzo have been carefully brought back to life by skilled artisans. The result is less a reinvention than a careful revival of what made the Danieli so distinctive in the first place. As General Manager Christian Zandonella puts it, “We are delighted to welcome guests back to one of Venice’s most iconic addresses, where the hotel’s extraordinary heritage is reimagined through the legendary hospitality of Four Seasons.”
A palette lifted from the Lagoon
Wander further in and designer Pierre-Yves Rochon's signature becomes easy to spot — a colour palette pulled straight from the Lagoon itself, celadon green, soft blue, terracotta, ochre, a whisper of powder pink, repeating across plaster, textile and stone until the whole interior starts to feel less decorated than grown. Light becomes a character in its own right. Venetian mirrors and reflective surfaces are angled just so, catching daylight and passing it along from room to room, so that even a space with no canal in sight somehow still feels like it's facing water. Underfoot, terrazzo floors carry on a Venetian tradition older than the building itself. On the walls, Rubelli textiles woven a few streets away tie the whole scheme back to a city that never stopped making its own materials.
Wherever the eye lands next, there's usually a piece of art waiting — intaglios, Venetian engravings, antique mirrors, the kind of curated objects that once filled the trunks of travellers falling in love with this city for the first time. Upstairs, the grandeur softens into something more personal. Each room offers a distinct but breathtaking view of either the Lagoon, a quiet canal or a sweep of Venetian rooftops.
Dining above Venice
Up on the roof, Terrazza Danieli offers a quieter take on the palazzo’s story. The architecture and floor plan remain unchanged, while the interiors have been refreshed with soft pastels, azure accents and warm gold details. Mirrored surfaces catch the light and reflect views of San Giorgio Maggiore back into the room. Outside, the terrace picks up the terracotta tones of the historic façade, drawing the eye towards the water. Elsewhere on the property, a Danieli Spa is taking shape, set to open later in the year.
Palazzo Danieli Excelsior will complete its restoration in 2027, bringing all three buildings together as one. But for now, the Danieli is already beginning its next chapter, with its old details restored and its rooms once again opening onto the same Venetian views that have defined this address for centuries. In the end, very little about the setting has changed. The Lagoon is still there, the palazzo still stands on the Riva degli Schiavoni, and Venice carries on beyond its windows. The Danieli simply has a new way of looking at it.
