Hotel Danieli

Photo #1 of 9 . Swipe for more photos. Hotel Danieli Combining convenience, supreme comfort and a magnificent atmosphere, Hotel Danieli occupies an excellent location on Riva degli Schiavoni, with easy access to Piazza San Marco, cultural attractions, La Biennale di Venezia, shopping, and outdoor cafès and restaurants. Hotel Danieli, Venice named to Travel + Leisure's 2011 T+L 500 list of top-rated hotels around the globe. Photo copyright Hotel Danieli.

Video #1 of 1

Time-lapse video

Overview

It was the end of the 14th century, when a magnificent building was raised in Venice, in calle delle Rasse overlooking the Riva degli Schiavoni. The owner was a noble Venetian family, the Dandolos, there were four Dogi in the family. From the historical chronicle, Palazzo Dandolo was one of the most pompous and richly decorated buildings where there were always social events.

As early as in the XVI century the building was split between family members and in the XVII century the Mocenigos and the Bernardos are the new owners, and the luxuries, as well as the social events, continue. In 1629 the Proserpina Rapita by Giulio Strozzi with music by Monteverdi was performed for the wedding of Giustiniana Mocenigo with Lorenzo Giustinian. The building still belonged to these two families when the Venetian Republic fell in 1797.

Time left obvious marks on the building even if it managed to keep its grandeur. The 24th October 1822 Mr Giuseppe Dal Niel, an hotel-keeper from Friuli nicknamed "Danieli", rented the second floor of the Palazzo Dandolo, turning it into a hotel. Soon enough, the 25th February 1824, thank to his commercial success, Giuseppe Dal Niel managed to purchase it. Mr Dal Niel immediately realized the importance of the building as a meeting place, the core of the town's cosmopolitan splendour; therefore he spent a lot of money and with great love he started some radical and accurate restoration.

There had always been several shops on the ground floor along both Calle delle Rasse and along Riva degli Schiavoni, from a picture taken in 1857, a certain Caffe' Brigiacco is visible. It was opened by two brothers from Greece that loved wearing oriental clothes, after years of success the owners changed and the café was restored and widened changed its name in "Caffè Orientale".

In 1895 the new owners of the Hotel Royal Danieli start some expensive restoration works to introduce some modern innovations: electric power, vapour radiators, lifts and everything that could add luxury and comfort for the distinguished tourists of that time. Before the end of the century the Hotel is connected with a nearby palace with a bridge between the two first floors.

The 17th March 1906 in Venice, the Count Giuseppe Volpi establishes the Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi and becomes the owner of the Hotel Royal Danieli, through the acquisition of the Venice Hotel Limited, an hotel company with 4 more hotels in town: the Grand Hotel, The Roma & Suisse, the Vittoria and the Beau Rivage.

The last shops ruining the front of the building are removed, the Architect responsible for the works was Francesco Marsich. Between 1946 and 1948 the last structural works took place: all the buildings between palazzo Dandolo and Palazzo delle Prigioni were demolished and a new building designed by the Architect Virgilio Vallot and named since then Danielino, is raised with front in marble.