Hotel Danieli, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Venice

This is a review of the afternoon tea experience not the hotel itself. As fans of afternoon tea we couldn't pass up the opportunity to try the experience in one of the world's great hotels. No booking was required. We enjoyed drinks in the bar and when ready our waiters bought a selection of sandwiches, biscuits and a scone. The setting and the service were both exceptional. The tea itself less so, at least in comparison to others we have had around the world. The sandwiches were small squares made with not particularly fresh white bread. The top of each sandwich was dry and had begun to curl up. The fillings were bland and uninventive - smoked salmon and cream cheese, and tuna mayonnaise. There were no cakes (usually a highlight of any afternoon tea). Instead, there were macarons and a selection of Venetian biscuits which are widely available. There were also some mini pastry shells filled with cream and with a single piece of fresh fruit on top. They were pleasant but nothing special. Rather bizarrely all the sweet goods were served on broken biscuit crumbs. We couldn't work out why since they added little to the experience, but I guess that's just they way they do it there. The scones were large but dry and served cold rather than warm. They certainly were not freshly baked. They were however served with excellent jams and honey and whipped rather than clotted cream. At 55 euros the afternoon tea in the Danieli is good value and certainly cheaper than say the Ritz in London. Go with this in mind and you will have, as we did, an enjoyable and memorable experience.

This kind of restaurant should have the level of service that goes with prices. It’s written 5* hotel at the entrance and the restaurant just uses the name of Danieli to make people believe they’re worth it. But this is far from the reality… My fiancé booked a table in this fancy restaurant for my 30th birthday, one month in advance, so we can celebrate this in a proper way and it ended up being the most disappointing experience ever. When the confirmation (and deposit) were made, the hostess contacted us to know if there was any food restrictions or allergies which we communicated to her by email directly. Even though I suffer from severe allergies (14 different ingredients), she noted all that down and confirm that the menu and dishes will be adapted to my restrictions. We were reassured and know as well that this is standard procedures in this kind of establishment. Surprise when we arrived for my birthday dinner : there is only one starter and one main dish I could eat and none of them were something I wanted to eat (beef tartar and veal liver…). The manager seemed pissed when we talked to him about my allergies, saying that he’s not responsible for my allergies and there’s no way they can adapt the menu for me. N.B. : the menu on their website doesn’t mention ANY allergens, NO WHERE. Even though my fiancé organized all that a month in advance, here we were, up against it : either I had to chose the only starter and dish that wouldn’t send me to the hospital (but wasn’t something I was craving for at all…) or leave the restaurant with no plan B and have them charge us €100 of deposit we did to confirm the booking (so basically just give them €100 for free). We would have accepted to go somewhere else if from the very beginning they told us that it’s not possible to adapt the menu or any dishes according to my allergies. And it would have been completely fine. But this is not what has been said at all! The dishes we chose and HAD to eat (because there was NO OTHER CHOICE or I would’ve ended up at the hospital) were not even good. The manager didn’t find any solution, no discount was offered, or even just a drink, nothing! He didn’t even offered a solution! This is just unacceptable for this kind of establishment and honestly, we will never come back here. Don’t bother waste your money over there, you can’t even have the standard service a fancy restaurant normally has to offer…

Return stay at the Danieli. The hotel delivers an experience that is unmatched. Take a step back into time upon entry into this landmark. History becomes experience as you walk through this once palace. To appreciate Venice is to understand its history for which the Danieli acts as mentor. Become enriched through this immersion into the past.

“Delightful Dinner at the Danieli “60 th birthday Dinner”the Danieli is a amazing beautiful old Venetian palazzo,as soon as you enter it’s like stepping back into the 14th century,it’s ornate atrium & marble columns ,it’s old world Venetian glamour,I previously stayed in this beautiful hotel,the staff are amazing ,they are very caring helpful with their vulnerable disabled guests,& friendly,as I had many problems with my motorized wheelchair,but the staff calmed me &dealt with all the problems,& they remembered me with hugs & kisses ,which was lovely,the rooms are ornate Venetian style,unfortunately there were no rooms available stay in the danieli on my 60th birthday but I spent all day in the beautiful bar &had a wonderful 60 birthday diner on the amazing rooftop terrace ,restaurant then a surprise 60th birthday “BUON COMPLEANN0”plate, the Danieli is wheelchair accessible the can put a ramp at their revolving outside door entrance ,the lifts are big enough for a motorized wheelchair,the accessible rooms are big they also have a charming side entrance private landing dock ,please visit this stunning palazzo ,& make lasting memories as I have “,well done danieli management “for creating a amazing team “TANTO AMORE ,”ANGELINA,X

Wow in every regard! We were celebrating our wedding anniversary and decided to shift our travel plans from Lake Como after a couple of nights to Venice. We couldn’t have been more delighted with our decision to stay at this hotel. The entire property, the rooms, the service, the restaurant, and even the live Entertainment in the lounge were memorable and top class, even In comparison to other pier, hotels across Europe, where we have stayed.