The Gritti on the Grand Canal, the Crillon on the Place de la Concorde, the Aman in a sixteenth-century palazzo. Over a thousand a night. One night is worth it; three usually are not.
Book the one night first and build the trip towards it.
worth importing is an independent magazine · About
When to skip it
A one-night stay that arrives at nine and leaves at seven. A family of four in a room meant for two. Anyone who will spend the evening somewhere else. The entry-level room, when the room one tier up is what you came for.
What a night costs
The word palace is an official distinction in France and a habit elsewhere. In both cases it means the top of the city.
How it works
Check-in is three, check-out is noon, and the rate card is for a room; the room with the canal, the garden or the square is one or two tiers up and that is the room the hotel is famous for. Breakfast is sometimes included in a rate and sometimes charged at a price that would buy lunch elsewhere. Rates on the hotel's own site and on the large booking sites are usually the same. The difference is in what comes with the room (an upgrade, a credit or a late check-out), and that is what the trade booking programmes exist for. A flexible rate is worth the small premium at this level.
What to watch for
- The entry room is small in Venice and dark in Paris, and the photographs were not of it. Name the room category you want and ask what it looks out on.
- The bar, the garden and the terrace are at their best before dinner. Arrive at check-in, at three.
- Dinner in the house restaurant can double the night. Walk to dinner and come back for the bar.
- The grand houses close floors for months. Ask whether any part of the building is being worked on during your dates.
- Nothing goes wrong on the fourth night; it just costs as much as the first.
One night against three
The same money buys three nights in a quiet four-star nearby. An expensive object is judged the other way round, by the years you will keep it.
If the trip is a honeymoon or a fortieth, book the night and put what is left towards the table at Harry's. If it is a week's work, the four-star wins every night but the last.
For your own date, look through the Gritti's rooms on Trip.com and choose one that looks onto the canal.
FAQ
- Is the Aman worth more than the Gritti?
- Different houses. The Aman is a private palazzo with a garden; the Gritti is a grand hotel with a terrace on the canal and a bar. Choose the house whose evening you want.
- Should I book on the hotel's site or a booking site?
- Same rate as a rule. Book where the cancellation terms are better and where a perk is attached.
- What should I tip?
- In Italy and France a small tip to whoever carries bags, and nothing else is expected.
- Can I just go for a drink?
- Ask whether the bar takes guests from outside. If it does, a drink is the least costly way into the room.
Prices change with the date and the party: read the current price on the booking page before you book.
Send this page · Copy the link
Checked 2 November 2026Photographs
- The Gritti Palace, Venice. “Palazzo Pisani Gritti (Venice)” by Didier Descouens, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, adapted, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}