Hotel Cipriani

Above: Book this suite, and you might spot Joan Collins or Roman Polanski lounging by the heated and filtered saltwater pool.

Celebrity guests

The Hotel Cipriani protects its famous guests from paparazzi and autograph-seekers, but it isn't above a bit of namedropping--unless, of course, a guest wishes to remain incognito after his, her, or a companion's departure.

Even a short list of the Cipriani's celebrity guests reads like a Who's Who of entertainment, fashion, literature, politics, and the nobility. But don't be intimidated if you lack a household name; your fellow guests are more likely to be orthodontists, cardiologists, lawyers, and business executives than movie stars or heads of state.

(Interested in census trivia? About 35% of the Cipriani's guests come from the United Kingdom, another 35% are from the U.S., and many of the remaining 30% are from France, Germany, or Switzerland.)

Next page: Getting to the hotel

About the author:

Durant Imboden has written about Venice, Italy since 1996. He covered Venice and European travel at About.com for 4-1/2 years before launching Europe for Visitors (including Venice for Visitors) with Cheryl Imboden in 2001.

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Photo: Hotel Cipriani