Hotel Indigo Venice

Originally a 1930's Venetian convent, Hotel Indigo Venice - Sant’Elena is now a sophisticated and modern boutique hotel immersed in the peaceful oasis of the Biennale Gardens, which joins past and present and now boasts a radical renovation.

The brand Hotel Indigo® of IHG Intercontinental Hotels Group was embraced for the restyling of the Hotel Sant’Elena in Venice: the attention focused on the historical and cultural context the hotel is set in and the strong personality that marks the Hotel Indigo® brand determined this choice. In fact, the Hotel Indigo brand is closely tied to the cultural contexts of hotels that espouse it and stands out for its strong, eclectic and unique style, just like that of the Hotel Indigo Venice – Sant’Elena.

The transformation project, developed in collaboration with the architect Manuela Mannino and her firm THDP, joins the lively and detail-rich design, local experiences and a well-defined identity in order to offer Guests an elegant and sophisticated product. The restyling was inspired by history, particularly the strong tie between Venice, considered the western gate to the Orient, and Byzantine culture. In fact, plates and cushions recall the decorations and colour palettes of this ancient civilization, creating a truly eclectic look.

In 2019, the great job carried out and the attention to detail put in the project in order to complete the works earned the hotel the Gold Key Award for the Best Lobby Upper Midscale, a prestigious recognition in the field of interior design for the hotel industry promoted by the Boutique Design magazine.

Instead, local arts and crafts join the modern interior design with hand-blown glass lighting fixtures in the lobby, as well as lanterns in the shades of grey, green and okra that recreate the atmosphere of walking down the calli at night. Glass is also featured by the handmade glass pins won by the staff, which depict the famous Rosette of Murano, created for the first time by Marietta Barovier, the daughter of the famous master Angelo, who associated the design of the glass cane with a rose with twelve points, similar to petals. The hotel is made unique and peculiar, not only by design, but also by the art of unique pieces such as the print by Alberto Valese, a Venetian artisan who was the first to import the Ebru technique from Istanbul to Venice.

The location
The hotel is immersed in the peaceful Sant’Elena neighbourhood, one of the few authentic areas left in Venice, and is a short walk from St. Mark’s Square, easily reached on foot through the Memorial Park, considered a rare public garden in the city, and the charming Riva degli Schiavoni. The hotel is also in a strategic location for visiting the Venice Biennale, a must for art and architecture lovers and a cultural avant-garde pole that attracts Guests from around the world each year.

The Biennale Gardens, the site of thirty exhibition pavilions, is only 10 minutes on foot, while the Arsenale exhibition area is a 20-minute walk. Hotel Indigo Venice – Sant’Elena, thanks to its location, allows Guests to take part in the daily life along the calli where Venetians still reside, far from the hustle and bustle of the beaten tourist paths, and where you can still breathe the atmosphere of the city’s true soul.

Exploring the neighbourhood, you come onto Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, animated by local shops and traditional bacari, Venetian bars where you can enjoy a typical cocktail – spritz – and cicchetti – appetizers -, and then continue toward San Pietro di Castello, where time seems to have stopped and considered one of the first settlements in the Venetian Lagoon. From the nearby Sant'Elena waterbus stop, it is just a short ride to the Venice Lido, heart of the International Film Festival and famous for its beaches and Liberty architecture. The islands of Murano and Burano, famous for glass and lace respectively, are just as accessible for a visit to the interesting glass factories or the Lace Museum, a cradle of this ancient art.

The island where the hotel stands took its name from an ancient legend tied to the Empress Saint Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. Her relics are still preserved in the parish church of the same name. According to the legend, while the urn containing her relics was being transported from Constantinople, the ship ran aground a sandbank as soon as it entered the Venetian lagoon, in the area of S. Pietro di Castello.

Every effort to refloat the ship proved futile; only once the urn containing Saint Helena’s relics was unloaded on the island did the ship start to float again. The crew interpreted this strange phenomenon as a sign of the Saint’s desire to remain on that uninhabited island. This led to the construction of the Church of Sant’Elena, which can still be admired today. However, only in 1920 was the surrounding area reclaimed and urbanized, giving life to the current configuration of the island. In the same period, the Mantellate Sisters, Servants of Mary, acquired the convent where the hotel is, and created a private school that subsequently became accommodation for pilgrims in Venice. The distinctive traits related to the history and character of the building, as well as the façade, the interior portico and the garden of the former cloister have remained unaltered over the years and still today, with the arrival of IHG and its Hotel Indigo brand, preserve the peculiar characteristics of an era.

The Hotel
The Hotel Indigo Venice – Sant’Elena has five floors and has recently been renovated, offering Guests a classic yet elegant style, where each tiny detail becomes key décor element. Warm shades mixed with golden touches can be traced back to Byzantine colour palettes and determine the unique and refined style of the rooms.

The ground floor hosts the lobby, where splendid lamps and Murano glasswork decorate the reception that harmoniously opens to the restaurant area with large glass windows looking out onto the lovely internal garden, the perfect location for a cocktail after a day spent among the calli and campielli (small squares).

The reception directly leads to the Savor Restaurant Bar & Garden, whose name joins international and traditional cuisine with a play on words. From the local term saor – ancient Venetian culinary technique to preserve sardines and shrimps – we find the international ‘flavour’ in English: savor.

It is a place where tourists and residents alike can come together for a delicious breakfast or a sophisticated drink or even dinner with typical Venetian dishes.

Completing the services offered is a venue room, which faces the internal garden and is the perfect place to host business meetings and private events.

The rooms
The Hotel Indigo Venice – Sant’Elena offers 75 elegant rooms in different typologies: 11 Standard, 35 Superior, 18 Superior Premium, 7 Junior Suites with Garden View, 3 King Suites and a Duplex Suite with Terrace. The unique design and stylish details are joined by high-tech amenities, such as the 40’’ LCD TV with Chromecast, in order to offer a pleasant stay in the city without giving up comfort.

The new bathrooms are decorated with tiles inspired by the Venetian Terrazzo technique, which create a vibrant and decorative look through a mix of patterns and colours; the prints depict parks and gardens while the shiny black recalls gondolas, creating a narrative of subtle details that make up the city.

The Standard rooms are equipped with a comfortable Queen size bed, ideal for those seeking essential solutions for a cosy and comfortable stay in Venice.

They are all very bright, have a view of the internal garden or the quiet streets of the island.

The Superior rooms come in various dimensions and can be equipped with a King-size bed or two single beds. They all offer magnificent glimpses of the streets or the ancient internal cloister, today transformed into a surprising garden where you can enjoy the peace and quiet of the original convent.

The Superior Premium rooms offer Guests more comfort as they are equipped with a living area and can have two separate beds or a double bed, depending on preference. Characterized by a fresh and minimal design, they have the added value of ample space and give a charming view of the internal garden of the Sant’Elena neighbourhood streets, thanks to the original convent windows.

The prestigious Junior Suites Garden View are characterized by a pleasant space with a lounge area elegantly furnished with a sofa and able for a charming stay. Spacious and bright, they offer beautiful views of the garden or the streets. This typology is ideal for a family or a group of four people, thanks to the comfortable sofa that turns into a 200x140-cm double bed.

The King Suites guarantee a unique stay with a comfortable King-size bed, ideal for those seeking a comfortable solution with an unmistakeable style. The Suites, all elegantly furnished in cool shades, recall the sea, the element that has always marked Venice. The design of these rooms is inspired by gondolas: the furnishings recall the shiny black of these typical boats and the wood is a wink to the oar used by the gondoliers. The focal element of the Suite is the velvet headboard that recreates the characteristic style of the gondola seats.

Bright and elegant, the Duplex Suite is on two floors and offers Guests complete intimacy, both inside and outside on the romantic private terrace furnished with lounge chairs. Seventy square feet flooded with natural light, furnished stylishly with a touch of design, it welcomes Guests into a spacious living room with a large sofa. On the upper floor is a 43-sq.m bedroom with a large wardrobe.

A large glass door leads to the private terrace: cosy like a solarium, enchanting to enjoy a sea breeze, a space that maintains the privacy of even the most demanding guest.

THDP