Every September, the Venice Lido briefly becomes the centre of the film world for the International Film Festival. But this year, the narrow island of beaches, campsites and pine forests is making headlines for a different reason: a wave of hotel investment that suggests its quiet-luxury era is back.
The big story is the Hotel Excelsior, the festival's most prestigious address and the venue for the very first edition in 1932, held on its sea-facing terrace. Opened in 1908 with its domes, arches and Moorish detailing, it has hosted everyone from Greta Garbo and Audrey Hepburn to today's Clooneys and Kidmans. Its May reopening revealed a thorough refresh: the Palm Court lobby restored as the hotel's social heart, complete with archival photos of a century of famous guests, more than half of the 198 rooms and suites redone in soft Mediterranean tones with custom Murano glass, and a new terrace restaurant, pool bar and beach club called Amù Venice — 299 cabanas and a menu blending Côte d'Azur flair with Venetian cooking.
If that's beyond the budget, the Meliá Venezia Lido opened last year in a revived 1920s building as a four-star superior resort. Its 60 rooms are lighter on the wallet, several with lagoon views back towards Venice's historic centre, and the Art Deco-inspired AcquaRiva restaurant serves Mediterranean-Venetian fusion dishes.
The most ambitious project is still to come. The Grand Hôtel des Bains — where Thomas Mann stayed in 1911, inspiring Death in Venice — has been shut since 2010. A €200 million restoration backed by Abu Dhabi developer Eagle Hills and COIMA's ESG fund will bring the Liberty-style landmark back as a high-end beachfront resort.
For travellers, the Lido is one of Venice's best-kept secrets: a short water bus from San Marco, yet a world away from the crowds, with proper beaches, Belle Époque facades and quiet pine forest. With three landmark properties either refurbished, reopened or under restoration, there's finally a reason to base yourself there rather than just day-trip in — especially if you can time a visit outside the festival fortnight, when rooms and cabanas are easier to snag.