Venice is in the middle of a big comeback after the pandemic shut it down and gave the city a well-deserved break from wandering tourists with their cell phone sticks crowding the streets and ferries. It has become fashion’s favorite fortress of late with Rick Owens showing his Mad Max creations on the Lido, Saint Laurent came to town for a men’s spectacle, Valentino took over the Arsenale for its Haute Couture in 2021 or Dolce & Gabbana brought their typical Viva Italia extravaganzas to the lagoon. Of course, many fashionable weddings took place like LVMH scion and Tiffany CEO Alexandre Arnault who had live performances by no less than Jay-Z and Ye and brought along a seriously fashionable gang last summer. Let’s not forget, it’s the art world’s favorite destination as well as this year’s conceptual Biennale plus blockbuster shows from Marlene Dumas at Palazzo Grassi or all the Germans from Anselm Kiefer to Markus Lüpertz all over Venice, prove.

During the lockdown Golden Goose founders Francesca and Alessandro Gallo and a group of their closest friends decided to start an audacious new project with an ambitious aim: To reinvent the luxury hospitality industry and replace the grand or boutique hotel with an exiting new hybrid, the artisanal hotel. They like to call it Post Venetian. Just what they did with sneakers but now for hotels. They decided to answer our questions as a group.

The private dining room

Founder Alessandro Gallo

ACHTUNG: What is the Venice Venice Hotel in your words?

Venice Venice: The Venice Venice Hotel is a breath of fresh air blowing strongly along the Grand Canal, signaling the start of something new, of change. Or in other words, it is the hotel that Venice has been missing.

A: Tell us the history of the building and how long have you worked on this before opening? 

VV: The hotel is situated in Palazzo Ca’ da Mosto, a magnificent Venetian-Byzantine mansion on the Grand Canal facing the Rialto Bridge. One of the most ancient of its kind in the area, the palace has a long and rich history of hospitality. From the 16th to the 18th century, it hosted Venetian nobles, visiting sovereigns, czars, artists, writers, and aristocrats. Exploration is also in its DNA, being the birthplace of Alvise Cadamosto, the discoverer of the Cape Verdean islands. Our extensive restoration project leading up to the opening of The Venice Venice Hotel in February 2022 took nearly five years.

A: What kind of experience do you want clients to have?

VV: A dive into Post Venetianness. The experience of an ancient and evocative place suspended between eras, and an original and contemporary Venetian lifestyle involving architecture, art, design, but also cuisine, fashion, and fun.

A: How many rooms in total and suites?

VV: So far we have made 20 rooms available for booking. By year’s end, another 25 will be opened for a total of 45. Many of these are suites or junior suites with spectacular views of the Rialto Bridge or the Grand Canal. Each room is a project unto itself and conveys a variation of the hotel’s post Venetian style.

A: Tell me about your recruiting process for your staff?

VV: Those who are part of the staff at The Venice Venice Hotel staff are referred to as “Dream Builders” within our organization. They are encouraged to contribute actively with dedication and passion, to make the guests’ stay a true dream. Regardless of the job description, the ability to work as a team (even under stress), the appropriate emotional involvement, hence enthusiasm, and a deep understanding of the innovation inherent in the project, such as in the service and design, are indispensable qualities that we look for in the selection process.

A: What is the next frontier in hospitality? 

VV: If we are talking about hospitality in the so-called luxury hotel sector in Venice, for us the new frontier is represented by a level of luxury that does not need to declare itself. A kind of luxury that is sober, not ostentatious, closely and authentically connected with the world of art. A connection that permeates the property and is not limited to a piece of furniture. Finally, the ability to make the concept of exclusivity coexist with openness towards the city through the study of spaces that are not necessarily limited to hotel guests.

A: What are your plans after Venice?

VV: The Venice Venice Hotel has an international scope. It is designed to be an exportable concept, a model that can be reproduced for example in Tokyo, New York, Paris, of course with Venice at its core.

A: Describe to me the group of friends who are involved and what aspects they cover?

VV: Around Francesca and Alessandro Gallo, also known as the Golden Goose fashion brand founders, a group of professional figures who were already close to the family, bound by friendship, came together for this project. The team that was formed, named New Work City, was directly involved in the restoration and is now directly involved in the management. Thanks to the cohesion and the cross-section of skills, the team was able to conceive the project in a free and bold way. There is no single General Manager but rather a management team in which each member personally oversees one or more critical aspects of management.

A: What hotels do you personally like?

VV: We have always looked with interest at those properties that become such attractive elements in their own right that they eventually become the real motivation for travel. Properties that express a lifestyle concept and make you enter into a world.