For the Venice leg of my recent trip to Europe, the Hilton Molino Stucky was the obvious choice of accommodation. It’s the only Hilton property located on the Venetian islands. I’d also heard some good reviews of the property, thus I was quite keen to give it a try.
It turned out to be a great choice. Almost every aspect of the hotel matched or exceeded my expectations. The room upgrade we got was fantastic, and the overall Diamond treatment and service were very good. Breakfast was good, as was the Executive Lounge (for a non-Asian property). While the location might put off some people – the Hilton being away from the two main islands – it was not too inconvenient either. There were some very minor quibbles, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable stay experience.
Read on to see what we enjoyed about the Hilton Molino Stucky, Venice!
Booking and pre-arrival
I booked 3 nights in a King Molino Superior Room for a total of EUR766 (approx SGD1,116). This was the second or third-lowest category of room in the hotel. I monitored rates for awhile before booking, and I did notice the hotel’s inventory fluctuate quite a bit in terms of lowest available category. I did end up paying a bit more than necessary compared to the lowest rate I saw for the period.
A few weeks before arrival, I reached out to the hotel to discuss transport options to and from the hotel. We had a couple of large suitcases and I was concerned vaporetto (water bus) size limits and extra charges. We were also arriving around 7pm, so I didn’t want to waste too much time getting to the hotel. The concierge was very helpful, and gave very detailed information on the available options. They also recommended a water taxi company, which was one of the cheaper companies based on my research, not that there was much difference across the different providers. Around 3 days before arrival, a separate pre-arrival email came in with information on hotel facilities.
The pre-arrival experience in general was excellent, responsive to emails and very helpful in answering all my questions.
Location
The Hilton Molino Stucky Venice is located on the island of Giudecca. This is away from the historic centre of Venice which surrounds the Grand Canal. To get to the historic main districts, a ride on a vaporetti or the hotel’s shuttle boat is necessary. While this might feel like a hassle to some, we did enjoy the quietness away from the busy tourist districts. The wide open paths between the hotel and vaporetto stops made for an easier walk with luggage too. Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s Square) was only a 15min or so boat ride away. The only issue we encountered was when there was a public transport strike one morning during our stay, which reduced the frequency of vaporetto.
For our journey from Marco Polo Airport to the hotel, we opted for a water taxi at EUR150. It was a 30min ride from the airport, and certainly an interesting, albeit expensive experience. It was a pity we arrived after sunset, so couldn’t open the roof on the taxi and enjoy the sights along the route.
For departure, we took a vaporetti to Santa Lucia railway station. This was around 25min ride on No.2 line. One tip I have is if pulling luggage, the Sacca Fisola vaporetto stop may be slightly easier navigate. While it’s a couple of minutes longer walk compared to the nearest stop Palanca, the latter requires crossing a couple of stepped bridges. In contrast, Sacca Fisola has one long bridge, but it’s sloped entirely. Another tip: while both the No.2 and 4.2 lines both go to Santa Lucia (and Piazzale Roma), the No.2 uses bigger boats with a single flat deck and hence much more luggage-friendly.
If like us you arrived without taking a vaporetto and subsequently need a ticket for Actv vaporetto, the Palanca stop has a ticket machine which accepts both cash and cards. The hotel has a shuttle which runs to Piazza San Marco and Zattere on the opposite side of the Giudecca Canal. The Hilton charges EUR15 per person per stay for this, which is reasonable. However since we planned to visit Burano and needed to take an Actv vaporetto anyway, we opted for a 72h pass and didn’t use the hotel shuttle.
Check-in
The Hilton Molino Stucky is in a rather historic building which was once a flour mill. The hotel looks impressive form the outside, and inside the sense of history can be felt, particularly with columns dotted around the building and the wood beam ceilings. The main hallway of the hotel also served as a gallery of sorts showcasing the history of the hotel.
We arrived at the Hilton Molino Stucky a little past 8pm. A bellman saw our water taxi pull up at the pier beside the hotel and came out to help bring up the bags, which was greatly appreciated since getting up from the pier required climbing a few steps.
While there was only one guest at the front desk, there was only one staff too. I’m not sure what they were discussing, but the wait to check-in took a few minutes. There was a priority check-in for Hilton Honors Diamond and Gold, but with only one staff on duty it made no difference.
We were finally attended to by the lone front desk staff. He was extremely polite and took the time to explain the various hotel facilities, breakfast venue and timings, Executive Lounge opening times and the shuttle boat schedule. He informed us that we had been upgraded to a Molino Tower Suite, “one of the best rooms in the hotel”. I had noticed the upgrade in the Hilton app in the morning, and I consider this one of, if not the most generous upgrade I’ve received as a Hilton Diamond. Going by room size, the Tower Suite is the second-highest category in the hotel, behind only the Presidential Suite. This was definitely some upgrade.
I was also handed a welcome letter in an envelope marked “Hilton Honors VIP Member” in the corner. Between that small detail and the upgrade, the Hilton Molino Stucky sure know how to take care of their Diamond guests.
Once the check-in formalities were completed, we were directed to the lifts opposite the front desk, which would take us to our Tower Suite on the 2nd floor.
King Molino Tower Suite
Our suite was located not too far from the lifts, just after the threshold of where an unrenovated section meets what looks like a recently renovated area. The suite was thankfully part of that renovated section.
The Tower Suite measures 67sqm. Located at the corner of the original mill tower, it has views across the Giudecca Canal towards Dorsoduo and along Giudecca as well. Being a proper suite, it had a separate living room, and a guest bathroom as well. The decor of the suite was a mix of modernity, historic elements to fit the building, and some slightly outdated furnishings which seemed left over from pre-renovation.
Upon entering the suite, the entryway splits with the wardrobe and bedroom straight ahead, and a guest bathroom and living room to the right.
The guest bathroom had a single vanity and WC. Even though it was just 2 of us, an extra toilet is always welcome.
The living area had a separate round dining table, and a sitting area. The red dining table table chairs and living room armchairs looked like holdovers from pre-reno and jarred a little against the more dominant greyish colours
The minibar was located inside the TV console, together with the kettle. Rather annoyingly, the kettle heating base was mounted to the tray it sat on, which meant having to take out the entire tray including mugs, to use the kettle.
There was a Nespresso machine on the side table between the big armchairs.
The wardrobe was on the other side of the entryway, just before the bedroom. For a suite, it was a little on the small side. The usual room amenities – iron and ironing board, hairdryer and safe – were all found inside the wardrobe.
The bedroom was furnished with a king bed and a work table, with an ensuite bathroom. In the morning, it was nice to draw the curtains and across the Giudecca Canal.
The bed was comfortable and the sheets decent quality.
On the work table was a welcome amenity of 2 cans of San Pellegrino still water and a jar of tomato and basil cookies. I found it slightly annoying that the hotel doesn’t provide water daily. We resorted to buying our own and liberating some from the Executive Lounge. The power sockets at the desk were Type-C/E/F, plus some USB-A ports.
The ensuite bathroom had both a bathtub and shower. Pleasingly, it was a double sink vanity. As to be expected in Europe, there was a bidet too. The toiletries were the “new” Crabtree & Evelyn, which is the Hilton brand standard.
The only really minor annoyance with the room was the kettle, but at least it worked properly and didn’t cause me to set off the smoke alarm unlike what happened at another European Hilton earlier this year.
Overall, there wasn’t really anything to complain about the room. It was spacious, comfortable and an upgrade beyond expectations. Considering it was only the third suite upgrade I’d received all year, and the first I didn’t have to explicitly ask for, it immediately raises my opinion of the hotel. It was a room I looked forward to and enjoyed returning to at the end of the day, and a hotel room that invokes those kind of feelings is all that I can ask for.
Executive Lounge
The Executive Lounge is located on the ground floor. It’s a thin L-shape that runs down the side of building starting from the front desk and continues behind the Rialto Bar & Restaurant.
The Executive Lounge was open from 10am-7pm, with evening cocktails from 5-7pm. Outside of those evening hours, there was actually a decent selection of snacks, and not just the usual crisps and biscuits. I popped in one morning and saw croissants, cake, muffins and cheese. Coffee, tea and soft drinks were available throughout the day.
During evening cocktails, there was usually a couple of hot items, plus a wider selection of cheese, smoked salmon and sandwiches.
In terms of drinks, there was a red and white wine each, plus Prosecco. Being Venice, of course there was Aperol as well for guests to make their own Aperol Spritz. I was mildly aggravated by the fact that was only one type of wine glass available though.
We made it back for evening cocktails since we usually had dinner slightly later and there wasn’t much to see or do once the sun set. I thought the lounge food variety was quite good for a hotel not in Asia, though of course it would by no means be a dinner substitute. The quality of the liquor was fine for a hotel lounge. Overall a pretty decent offering.
Food & beverage
Breakfast
Breakfast was available daily from 7am-10.30am at Il Molino Restaurant. As a Honors Diamond, the full breakfast buffet was complimentary for both of us.
The dining room and buffet area were actually separate rooms, with only a narrow passageway between the two rooms. This could create a bit of jam when there was a crowd.
The dining area had the juices, and surprisingly, Prosecco. Great for those who want a splash of sparkling to start their day. It was the same one served in the Executive Lounge.
The buffet was quite large. There was an island in the middle with cereals, salads, fruits, yoghurt and smoked fish could be found.
To the left when entering the buffet was the bread and pastries corner. There were croissants, white bread, wholemeal bread, doughnuts, pretzel bread and focaccia.
Further along the left side were the hot dishes. There was the usual breakfast staples such as scrambled eggs, bacon, tomatoes and vegetables.
There was a pancake and waffle station. It was set up like a live station, but the chef had clearly produced enough waffles and pancakes for the time being when I took the photo.
At the back of the buffet room was a DIY Caesar salad station, and a wide selection of cured meats and cheeses.
Down the right side of the buffet room were a few more hot items and baked goods, mostly the cake and dessert type.
At the corner immediately to the right of the entrance to the buffet room, there was sugary corner. This had a Chupa Chups stand and chocolate fountain with dipping items.
Besides the buffet, egg dishes such as fried eggs or omelette could be ordered with the wait staff. Sadly the eggs were not at the same standard as the Conrad London we had just come from.
Hot drinks including cappuccino and hot chocolate could also be requested from the wait staff. The quality of coffee was quite disappointing to be honest, lacking body.
The food quality at breakfast was fine, if a little average. Perhaps the more main disappointment was that the selection was exactly the same for each of the 3 mornings we were there. It was quite boring by the third morning to be honest. Given we were in a country of culinary delights, it wasn’t a huge issue, but I would have liked to see at least one or two items changed up.
Other dining
The hotel has several other F&B venues, besides Il Molino which only opens for breakfast. We didn’t patronise any of the outlets during our stay.
The Rialto Bar & Restaurant just off from the lobby serves as the main all-day restaurant and lobby bar.
The other two restaurants are Aromi and Bacaromi. If I have to be honest, I had no idea where these venues were located. Aromi was and is closed for renovation, but I never saw a sign of either of these restaurants. We had been slightly tempted to dine in-house on the evening we arrived for convenience, but the menu at Bacaromi didn’t appeal for the price point.
Besides these restaurants, there’s also the Skyline Rooftop Bar. This remains open even the cold winter months.
Facilities and amenities
The hotel has a number of facilities, including a spa, fitness centre and rooftop pool. I didn’t use any of these facilities nor had the time to, while the rooftop pool was closed for the season.
As mentioned a few times in this review, the hotel runs a shuttle boat to Zattere and Piazza San Marco. We were provided a copy of the schedule during check-in. We didn’t use the shuttle during our stay. It was originally charged in the bill at checkout, but the staff happily removed it without question when we said we didn’t use the shuttle.
The hotel seems popular for meetings and conferences, and this was a slight negative in my opinion. There were conferences going on throughout our stay, and as a result there were occasions when the front desk area was jammed full of people. We were lucky that our arrival and departure times didn’t coincide with those occasions. It did make navigating our way from entrance to lifts a little annoying.
Conclusion
A really great experience at the Hilton Molino Stucky. Service was excellent in general, starting from the pre-arrival communication and the friendly staff throughout. The upgrade to the King Molino Tower Suite was generous and shows how much the hotel values its Diamond guests. Few hotels I’ve been to bother to print personalised envelopes for the welcome letter too, and they definitely don’t mark them “VIP”. Maybe I’m just a bit of a sucker, but these little touches boost the feel-good factor.
Some may not like the location, but I didn’t see it as a problem. In a way, it felt nice to be away from the main tourist areas (although most parts of Venice felt quiet at night). It’s not overly isolated either, with nearby amenities on Giudecca, and only a short boat ride from the sights and transport to the mainland. The only other minor complaints would be the unchanging breakfast and the conference crowd, but these were really not big deals.
The Hilton Molino Stucky is a hotel I’d love to return to, if Venice crops up in my travel plans. Lovely rooms, good service and a historic setting. All the ingredients for an excellent stay experience.