Partner Hotels
Direct no-prepayment bookings, transparent commission, editorial independence. For Venice hotels that would rather own the guest relationship than rent it from an OTA.
What a partnership is
A partner hotel is one we already consider worth recommending on editorial grounds, that also offers readers a direct booking path without prepayment. The reader confirms the room on the hotel’s own reservation system (or via our enquiry form which hands the booking straight to the hotel), the hotel holds the card but charges nothing until arrival, and the reader pays at reception. Free cancellation up to 48 hours before check-in on most partner rates.
In return, the hotel pays a commission on realised stays (a booking the guest actually turned up for). No commission on cancellations, no commission on no-shows. The commission rate is lower than Booking.com and Expedia and is fixed in writing on the partnership letter.
What a partnership is not
- Not a paid placement on a sestiere shortlist. Partner hotels are only partners if they would be listed anyway; we turn down applicants who do not make the editorial cut
- Not a sponsored article or advertorial. All editorial content is written independently by the editorial team
- Not a banner ad or display slot. We do not sell display advertising
- Not exclusive by sestiere. Several hotels in each sestiere can be partners, picked on merit
For hoteliers
If you run a small hotel, locanda, or bed-and-breakfast in any of the six sestieri, Giudecca, the Lido, or Mestre, and the editorial fit is right, the partnership typically pays for itself within a season. Email [email protected] to start the conversation.
What to send when you apply
- The hotel name, address, sestiere, and nearest vaporetto stop
- Room count, room types, and a current rack rate sheet for high and shoulder season
- A minimum of eight to ten room photos taken in the past twelve months, plus three or four public-space photos (entrance, breakfast room, canal or campo frontage)
- The URL of the direct booking page on the hotel’s own site, or a note that you are happy to receive enquiries via our form until one is built
- Any current offers: early-booking, shoulder-season, seven-night rate, honeymoon package
- The year the hotel was founded and a short note on ownership (family-run, independent, group)
How we reply
An editor reads every application. If the fit is right, we send a two-page partnership letter: commission rate, payment terms, the reader-facing partner label, the no-prepayment booking path, and the corrections and delisting process. If the fit is not right, you get a one-paragraph note saying why; often it is sestiere saturation or a recent review pattern, and sometimes reapplying in six to twelve months works.
Reply time is usually one to two weeks. High-season replies (May to September) can take longer.
Ready to apply?
Email [email protected] with the hotel name in the subject line and the materials listed above. We will reply within two weeks.