Belmond Hotel Cipriani

Belmond Hotel Cipriani

The Belmond Hotel Cipriani is a hotel on the island of Giudecca in Venice, northern Italy. It is reached by hotel launch from St. Mark's Square, a five-minute journey across the lagoon. [1] Long considered one of the leading luxury hotels of the world, its room rates begin at USD $1,400 per night.

The hotel was opened in 1958 by Giuseppe Cipriani, founder of Harry’s Bar in Venice and inventor of the Bellini cocktail. As well as Giuseppi Cipriani, the partners in the joint company were the three daughters of the 2nd Earl of Iveagh, who provided the finance. The three sisters—Viscountess Boyd of Merton, Lady Honor Svedar and Lady Brigid Guinness—each had a suite designed for themselves and their families. Rooms were decorated with Venetian furnishings including Murano glass chandeliers, Fortuny fabrics and Venetian artworks. The hotel achieved instant acclaim. In 1968 some adjoining land was purchased and a 600-meter Olympic-sized swimming pool (the only pool in central Venice) [2] added among gardens. (In 1962 the Earl asked Guiseppi Cipriani to rebuild and manage the Hotel Belvedere on his property in Asolo. This was reopened as the Hotel Villa Cipriani.)[3]

In 1976 the Hotel Cipriani was purchased for £900,000 [4] by Sea Containers Ltd, which established a leisure division, Orient-Express Hotels Ltd.[5]

The hotel subsequently expanded into adjacent Palazzo Vendramin, a 15th-century palace facing the lagoon [6] and St. Mark's Square. A restaurant, Cip's Club, [7] was built on a floating pontoon in the lagoon. In 1990 the adjacent Granaries of the Republic were opened as an event space. [8]

In 2014, the Hotel Cipriani was renamed the Belmond Hotel Cipriani as part of the new rebranding of Orient-Express Hotels as Belmond Ltd.[9][10]

In April 2014 the hotel opened Oro restaurant, designed by Adam Tihany, which in December 2015 was awarded a Michelin star. [11]

References

  1. "telegraph.co.uk".
  2. "britishairways.com".
  3. Cipriani, Arrigo (2011). Harry's Bar: The Life and Times of the Legendary Venice Landmark. New York: Arcade Publishing.
  4. "books.google.co.uk".
  5. "Orient-Express Hotels Ltd". Hospitality Online. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  6. "thatsvenice.com".
  7. "elleuk.com".
  8. "books.google.co.uk".
  9. "Orient-Express Hotels Ltd. to launch Belmond brand". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  10. "Company Overview". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  11. "viamichelin.co.uk".

External links

Coordinates: 45°25′34″N 12°20′28″E / 45.4261°N 12.3411°E / 45.4261; 12.3411

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