Il Palazzo Experimental

The Experimental Group has blossomed quickly from a word-of-mouth Parisian cocktail phenomenon to a full-fledged hospitality concern, with hotels in Paris, London, the Alps, and now Venice — and if there ever were a city whose hotel scene needed an infusion of youthful cool, it’s this one, whose bridges and canals are so thick with tourists you could be forgiven for wondering if there’s any nightlife culture here at all. That’s where Il Palazzo Experimental comes in, of course — not only does its bar, the Experimental Cocktail Club, answer that question in the affirmative, but as a hotel it turns the classic gestures of Venetian design into something fresh, contemporary, even sexy.

As with all the Experimental hotels the lion’s share of the credit has to go to Dorothée Meilichzon, the architect and designer responsible for the hotel — though in this case the bar, no less memorable a space, was designed by Cristina Celestino, as a tribute to the late Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa. The rooms are compact, space being rather at a premium in this precariously situated island city, but they’re comfortable, even a bit decadent, and some come with views of the Giudecca Canal. And the restaurant serves sustainable and locally sourced Venetian fare, and is a fixture on the nightlife scene for locals and travelers alike.