I Qs

Style

Modern Italian Gothic

Setting

Beyond the Bridge of Sighs

This intimate Venetian boutique hotel offers plush and private living in the heart of the island city. Little sister to DD724, its individually designed rooms blend comfort with impeccably executed contemporary tastes. Sprinkled with modern art, photography and sculpture, and flavoured with architectural hints of its Gothic past, I Qs does ‘urban hideaway’ with style-savvy panache.

Facilities

Rooms

Three apartment-style suites.

Checkout

Noon, but flexible subject to availability. Check-in is between 3pm and 6pm. Reception isn't always staffed so you will need to let the hotel know your check-in time ahead of arrival.

More Details

Rates do not include breakfast. Buy ingredients locally and the hotel kitchen has everything you need to whip up a feast in the morning.

Also

I Qs can arrange water taxis to take you around the city from its private pier.

Free Internet Access

At the Hotel

Private pier, library of books, music and films to borrow, free WiFi throughout, laundry. In rooms: fully equipped kitchen, flatscreen TV, CD/DVD player, Nespresso machine, La Bottega dell’Albergo fig essence bath products.

Our Favourite Rooms

Each apartment has been designed in a different modern style, but all preserve a twinkle of their Gothic architecture. Larger suites Q3 and Q1 overlook the canal: Q1’s seven windows and fireplace make it the lighter of the two, but we like the tatami flooring in Q3 – a thoughtful oriental touch that dovetails nicely with the bright white hues and high-gloss Corian bathroom. Q, the studio, can be annexed to Q2 to form a bigger two-bedroom suite.

Packing Tips

A map of Venice’s quirky, labyrinthine streets, otherwise you may never make it back to the hotel. (Make sure you leave behind all memories of Don’t Look Now.)

Also

I Qs can arrange helicopter trips over Venice and water taxis to take you around the city from the hotel’s private pier. In-room massages can also be arranged on request.

Children

If you’d like to bring the nippers, cots and extra beds are available for €80 and the suites have sofa beds. Babysitting with staff can be arranged in advance, at €30 an hour (€50 after 11pm).

Gallery

Food & Drink

Top Table

There are no communal areas – stick to your apartment’s dining table and listen to the water lapping outside.

Dress Code

Clean-cut Armani with a touch of Venetian exoticism.

Hotel Restaurant

This is more like staying in a serviced apartment than a hotel: every room is equipped with a kitchen containing an oven and all the pots, pans and plates needed to whip up a meal. If you don’t ‘do’ cooking on holiday, the area around the hotel is blessed with plenty of eating-out options

Hotel Bar

There’s isn’t one in the hotel, but you can stash drinks in the fridge in your room, and staff will bring ice if you ask. Ask the concierge to point you towards the nicest nearest watering holes.

Room Service

None, but you can have groceries delivered to your door.

Planes

From Venice's Marco Polo airport, approach the city by crossing the lagoon on the Alilaguna (www.alilaguna.it) to San Zaccaria, which takes roughly an hour. It costs around €30 for the express and €13 for the other routes. From there it's a five-minute walk to Campiello Querini Stampalia, via Fondamenta Rimedio and Calle Sacrestia. You can also get a water taxi all the way from the airport to Campiello Querini Stampalia (around €150 for four people) or from Piazzale Roma (€80 for four people); both can be organised by the hotel. Alternatively, Trieste, Verona and Treviso airports are all possibilities. The first two have bus links to their main train stations, and are then a one-hour or three-hour train journey respectively; Treviso has a direct bus (www.atvo.it) link to Piazzale Roma in Venice, from where a 20-minute journey on Route 1 or 2 of the vaporetto will take you to the Rialto stop.

Trains

Venice’s main station is Venezia Santa Lucia; see Trenitalia (www.trenitalia.com) for information on trains in Italy. Take the vaporetto down the Grand Canal from Santa Lucia to Rialto (roughly 15 minutes on Route 1 or 2). Transfers can be organised by the hotel (€80 for four, and an additional €10 per extra person).

Automobiles

Venice is not made for cars and does not allow them into the city, so if you have driven from another part of Italy or the airport, you will need to leave your vehicle either on the mainland, which is easier, cheaper and avoids the sometimes colossal traffic jams, or at the edge of the city centre. If you park on the mainland in Mestre, you can choose between the rail station (and then proceed by trainl) or the San Giuliano parking lot (and proceed by boat). Reception is manned from 8am to 3pm and 6pm to 8pm. Let them know in advance if you'll be arriving outside reception hours and staff will arrange to meet and greet you.

Worth Getting Out of Bed For

I Qs’ suites have views of the Palazzo Querini Stampalia, whose 16th-century exterior gives way to a striking and celebrated modern interior by 1960s architect Carlo Scarpa. In the art gallery upstairs, you’ll find vedutista cityscapes, paintings by Tiepolo, Pietro Longhi and other members of the Venetian school, as well as drawings by Titian and Tintoretto and a selection of 19th-century furniture. The café’s not bad, either.

Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt

This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .