Palazzo Bauer
Palazzo Bauer is a historic five-star hotel on Venice's Grand Canal, near Piazza San Marco, undergoing redevelopment for a planned Rosewood reopening.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Palazzo Bauer, also known as the Bauer Hotel or Hotel Bauer Palazzo, is a historic luxury hotel in Venice's San Marco district. It occupies a prominent site on the north bank of the Grand Canal, close to Piazza San Marco and opposite the Dogana and the Basilica of Santa Maria della Salute. The property is known for combining a landmark early twentieth-century building in an eclectic neo-Gothic Venetian style with a later modernist extension facing Campo San Moisè. The hotel originated in 1880 as the Grand Hotel d'Italie Bauer-Grünwald. Its founders were Mr. Bauer, a director of Venice's Hotel de la Ville, and Julius, or Giulio, Grünwald, an Austrian who married Bauer's daughter. The principal canal-facing building was rebuilt between 1900 and 1902 to designs by Giovanni Sardi. The reconstruction incorporated elements from an earlier fifteenth-century structure that had occupied the site, and produced a building regarded as an important example of late nineteenth-century Venetian medievalist architecture. A prominent corner statue representing Italy, designed by Carlo Lorenzetti, and the Canal Bar terrace became distinctive elements of the property. In 1930, the heirs of the Grünwald family sold the hotel to Arnaldo Bennati, a Ligurian shipbuilder. The property was expanded in 1939 with an additional floor, including the high-level Settimo Cielo terrace. Following a period of closure during much of the 1940s, Bennati undertook extensive renovation and commissioned a rear extension facing Campo San Moisè. Designed by Marino Meo and completed in 1949, the extension created a striking architectural contrast with the older building and the adjacent façade of the Church of San Moisè. Francesca Bortolotto Possati, Bennati's granddaughter, became chairwoman and chief executive in 1999 and oversaw a major renovation. During the 2010s, the wider Bauer group also operated nearby or related Venetian properties, including Residenza Grunwald, Bauer Palladio, and Villa F. The principal hotel was at times presented through separate Bauer Palazzo and Hotel Bauer designations for different sections of the complex. The ownership structure changed substantially between 2017 and 2024. Elliott Management and Blue Skye acquired the hotel through debt-restructuring transactions between 2017 and 2019. Signa acquired it in 2020, but the group later became insolvent. A proposed 2024 sale to the Schoeller Group was halted by King Street Capital Management, Signa's primary financier. King Street subsequently took direct ownership and sold the property in November 2024 to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group for a reported €300 million. The hotel closed in November 2022 for a major renovation. The planned post-renovation identity is Rosewood Hotel Bauer, with Rosewood Hotels expected to manage the property when it reopens. The reopening was initially planned for 2025, although the current operating status and final schedule require confirmation. Before closure, the hotel was described as having 135 rooms and 56 suites, with De Pisis restaurant, the Canal Bar, the B Bar, and the Settimo Cielo terrace among its principal hospitality offerings. It has also been associated with The Leading Hotels of the World. The property has a literary connection through Anton Chekhov's 1893 novella An Anonymous Story, in which the Bauer-Grünwald appears as one of the settings.
History
Palazzo Bauer began in 1880 as the Grand Hotel d'Italie Bauer-Grünwald. The venture was established by Mr. Bauer, a director at Venice's Hotel de la Ville, together with Julius Grünwald, an Austrian who married Bauer's daughter. Its location on the Grand Canal, near Piazza San Marco, gave it an immediate role in Venice's international hotel economy. The main canal-facing building was rebuilt from 1900 to 1902 under architect Giovanni Sardi. The design used an eclectic neo-Gothic vocabulary associated with Venetian medievalism and incorporated fragments from an earlier fifteenth-century building that had stood on the site. The complex included the Canal Bar terrace and a tall statue representing Italy by Carlo Lorenzetti. The hotel stood beside the Rio San Moisè and the Church of San Moisè, with a boat landing and views toward the Dogana and Santa Maria della Salute. The Grünwald heirs sold the property in 1930 to Arnaldo Bennati, a Ligurian shipbuilder. An additional floor was added in 1939, and the upper Settimo Cielo terrace became one of the hotel's notable features. The hotel was closed for much of the 1940s while Bennati directed major works. A rear extension facing Campo San Moisè was designed by Marino Meo and completed in 1949. Its plain modernist treatment and pale stone materials contrasted sharply with the older building and the ornate neighboring church. In 1999, Bennati's granddaughter Francesca Bortolotto Possati became chairwoman and chief executive and supervised a significant renovation. The hotel later operated under related Bauer identities, including Hotel Bauer for the newer wing and Hotel Bauer Palazzo for the historic section. During the 2010s, the Bauer group also operated Residenza Grunwald, Bauer Palladio, and Villa F, all in Venice. Ownership changed through a series of financial transactions after 2017. Elliott Management and Blue Skye obtained the property through debt restructuring between 2017 and 2019. Signa bought the hotel in 2020. After Signa became insolvent, a planned sale to the Schoeller Group was blocked by King Street Capital Management, which then assumed direct ownership. In November 2024, King Street sold the hotel to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group for a reported €300 million. The property closed in November 2022 for renovation. The redevelopment is associated with a planned Rosewood operation under the name Rosewood Hotel Bauer. A 2025 reopening was announced in the reference material, but the actual reopening and final status remain unconfirmed. Before closure, the hotel had 135 rooms and 56 suites, and its hospitality facilities included De Pisis, the Settimo Cielo terrace, Canal Bar, and B Bar. The property is also connected to literature through its appearance as a setting in Anton Chekhov's 1893 novella An Anonymous Story.
- 2024
Property sold to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam
[1]After a proposed Schoeller transaction was stopped, King Street sold the property to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group.
- 2022
Hotel closes for redevelopment
[1]The property closed in November for a major renovation and planned conversion to Rosewood Hotel Bauer.
- 2020
Signa acquires the hotel
[1]Austrian real-estate investment group Signa bought the property.
- 2017
Debt-restructuring ownership transition begins
[1]Elliott Management and Blue Skye began acquiring the hotel through a series of debt-restructuring transactions that continued through 2019.
- 1999
Francesca Bortolotto Possati becomes chairwoman and CEO
[1]Bennati's granddaughter assumed leadership and oversaw a major renovation.
- 1949
San Moisè extension completed
[1]A rear extension designed by Marino Meo was completed facing Campo San Moisè.
- 1939
Upper floor added
[1]An additional floor was added, including the high-level Settimo Cielo terrace.
- 1930
Bennati ownership begins
[1]Arnaldo Bennati acquired the hotel from the heirs of the Grünwald family.
- 1900
Main building reconstructed
[1]Giovanni Sardi designed the rebuilding of the principal Grand Canal-facing hotel building, completed in 1902.
- 1880
Hotel founded
[1]The Grand Hotel d'Italie Bauer-Grünwald was established by Mr. Bauer and Julius Grünwald.
Products and positioning
Historic Venetian luxury hospitality combining a Grand Canal location, heritage architecture, high-end accommodation, destination dining, and panoramic terrace experiences. The planned Rosewood Hotel Bauer repositioning is intended to place the property within Rosewood's international luxury-hotel portfolio.
Luxury accommodation
Guest rooms and suites
The hotel historically offered 135 rooms and 56 suites in its historic Palazzo and later extension. Accommodation was positioned around the property's central Venice location, heritage architecture, canal setting, and proximity to Piazza San Marco. The inventory and configuration may change as part of the redevelopment.
Restaurant
De Pisis
De Pisis was the hotel's principal restaurant. It formed part of the property's destination-hospitality offer alongside its canal-side setting and accommodation. Its future format and operating status following the renovation have not been confirmed in the supplied material.
Terrace dining and bar · 1939
Settimo Cielo
Settimo Cielo is the hotel's elevated terrace, described as Venice's highest terrace. Breakfast was served there, while evening service included drinks and snacks, giving the property a panoramic social and dining venue above the historic city.
Bar and terrace
Canal Bar
The Canal Bar occupies the ground level at the southwest corner of the property. Its large outdoor terrace is enclosed by a stone fretwork fence and faces the hotel's prominent canal-side setting.
Entertainment bar
B Bar
B Bar was the hotel's indoor bar and an entertainment venue known for live jazz performances. It complemented the property's restaurant, terrace, and broader luxury-hospitality programming.
Brand decisions
2024
Sale completed to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment GroupM&ABackground
Signa became insolvent after arranging a proposed sale to the Schoeller Group. King Street Capital Management, Signa's primary financier, stopped that transaction and assumed direct ownership.
Action taken
King Street sold the shuttered hotel in November 2024 to Mohari Hospitality and Omnam Investment Group for a reported €300 million.
Aftermath
Renovation work continued, and the planned Rosewood operating arrangement remained in place in the supplied account.
Reported acquisition price. €300 million (November 2024)
2022
Close for comprehensive renovation and Rosewood repositioningStrategyBackground
The historic hotel required a major redevelopment, and the ownership planned to reopen it under the Rosewood Hotel Bauer identity.
Action taken
The property closed in November 2022 while renovation work proceeded, with Rosewood Hotels retained as the planned operator.
Aftermath
The hotel remained closed during the reported redevelopment period. A reopening in 2025 was planned but is not confirmed by the supplied material.
Sources2 sources
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