Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Unveils Relaunch for 2026 Season
News
Venice's only luxury beachfront hotel and host to the Venice Film Festival since its very first edition in 1932, will revive its original Palm Court, welcome restaurant and pool bar Amù Venice, and a refreshed room palette.
23 March 2026 - Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido - Venice's only luxury beachfront hotel and one of the most storied addresses in European hospitality is set to unveil its most significant transformation in recent history. Reopening on 5 May 2026, the landmark Moorish-inspired property on Lido Island will introduce a restored Palm Court, a new signature terrace restaurant, and the first wave of redesigned guest rooms, marking a defining new chapter for a hotel that has welcomed kings, world leaders and Hollywood royalty to its Adriatic shores since 1908.
A Living Legend: Over a Century of History
The Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido has been synonymous with glamour and cultural prestige since its opening in 1908, when its striking Moorish silhouette and sweeping views of the Adriatic instantly set a new benchmark for European destination hotels. A haven for royalty, statesmen and literary greats - from Winston Churchill to John Steinbeck - it offered the rare combination of beachside freedom and effortless access to Venice. Its arrival by boat, gliding through the lagoon towards its iconic domes and archways, became a defining ritual for generations of distinguished guests.
Mediterranean Luxury: Redesigned Guestrooms
As part of its multi-year refurbishment programme, the hotel will introduce a selection of newly transformed guest rooms and suites. Building on the design direction unveiled at the end of 2025, the refreshed rooms reflect a modern interpretation of Mediterranean luxury: softened palettes, artisanal detailing, and an elegant balance of heritage and contemporary styling. Many rooms offer sweeping views across either the Adriatic Sea or the Venetian lagoon.
Palm Court: Restoring the Social Heart of the Excelsior
Nowhere is the spirit of the relaunch more powerfully felt than in the newly restored Palm Court. The former communal lobby has been transformed into a sophisticated gathering space that reinstates the area's original architectural intent and its original purpose as the social and cultural epicentre of the property.
The Palm Court will be adorned with archival imagery of the actors, directors, royalty and cultural icons who have passed through the hotel's doors across more than a century, offering every arriving guest an immersive welcome steeped in the Excelsior's cinematic legacy. It is at once a living archive and an invitation: to step into a story that began in 1908 and continues still.
Introducing Amù Venice
Central to the property's relaunch is the arrival of Amù Venice, the hotel's new signature terrace restaurant, pool bar and beach club with 299 cabanas, opening in 2026. Amù was born on the Côte d'Azur at the rooftop of the Fairmont Monte Carlo before travelling to the Costa del Sol at Gran Marbella Resort & Beach Club, earning its reputation across two of Europe's most iconic coastlines for sun-drenched beachfront dining, Riviera elegance and a culinary philosophy rooted in fresh coastal ingredients and Mediterranean soul. Its arrival in Venice feels entirely natural: set against the Adriatic at the Excelsior's legendary beachfront, Amù Venice will bring that same refined yet relaxed spirit to the Lido, with a menu that weaves the brand's Riviera roots together with the rich culinary traditions of the Veneto.
"We are proud to relaunch Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido with such meaningful transformations across our key spaces," said Shan Kanasingham, Chief Operating Officer . "Our team has worked with great care to preserve the soul of this historic hotel whilst elevating the experience for today's guests. With the introduction of Amù Venice, the revival of Palm Court, and the first wave of redesigned rooms, this relaunch marks an exciting new era for the Excelsior, one that honours everything that has made it extraordinary for over a century."
The Home of Venice Film Festival
The Excelsior’s enduring bond with world cinema was sealed on 6 August 1932, when its terrace hosted the inauguration of the Venice International Film Festival, welcoming stars such as Greta Garbo, Clark Gable and Joan Crawford. In the decades that followed, the hotel became the Festival’s most celebrated address, graced by legends from Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn to Elizabeth Taylor, Marcello Mastroianni and Ingrid Bergman, and even serving as a film location for Sergio Leone. Today, the tradition remains unbroken, with contemporary icons including George Clooney, Sandra Bullock, Johnny Depp and Nicole Kidman continuing to call the Excelsior home each August - affirming its unmatched, ninedecade legacy as the spiritual heart of the world’s oldest film festival.
With the private beach stretching beyond its doors and Piazza San Marco just 15 minutes away by the hotel's exclusive shuttle boat, the 2026 relaunch reaffirms the Excelsior's position as the only place in Venice where guests can have everything - the sea, the city, and over a century of glamour.
Rooms begin from 385/535 EUR per night in low/high season, inclusive of breakfast. For more information or to book, visit hotelexcelsiorvenezia.com.
About Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido
Hotel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort is a historic, Moorishinspired landmark set on the Lido di Venezia (Lido Island), offering an elegant beachfront retreat just a 15minute private boat ride from Piazza San Marco. Since opening in 1908, it has welcomed international travellers, artists and film industry leaders, and remains an icon steeped in cinematic heritage and Venetian glamour. The property comprises 198 guestrooms and suites, a private beach with 299 signature cabanas, and destination restaurant Amù, brought together through the hotel’s hallmark Italian hospitality.