In 1867-1868 Mr Genovesi , already managing another hotel , rents the new 3 storey building on Riva degli Schiavoni and opens the Albergo Bella Riva et Pension , with 32 rooms and comfortable bathrooms designed by Engineer G. Fuin in 19th Century Lombard style using white Istria marble Today known as the Hotel Londra Palace looks onto the splendid St.Mark's Basin , a few steps away from the Doges' Palace and the Bridge of Sights. The Riva waterfront, a good 500 metres long, goes from St Mark's basin to the district of Castello. The Londra Palace of Venice is privileged to have no fewer than a hundred windows on the lagoon of Venice that enable guests to enjoy a view that goes from the Salute Basilica to the island of Giudecca and the various islands dotted about in this part of the lagoon: San Giorgio Maggiore, San Servolo, San Lazzaro degli Armeni and Lido.
Later named Hotel Angleterre et Pension, a work by architect Rossini. The merger took place in 1900, when the hotel took the name of Hotel Londres et Beau Rivage. With the coming of Fascism, the name had to be italianised into Albergo Bella Riva; the hotel was given its present name, Londra Palace, in 1973.
Among the hotel's illustrious guests have been the great Russian composer, Petr Il'lc Tchaikovsky, who stayed in Room 106 in December 1877 and composed the first three movements of the Fourth Symphony, which he first called Do Leoni ("The Two Lions") in honour of the lion of St Mark and the rampant English lion; and Gabriele D'Annunzio, the famous Italian lyrical poet who attended the unveiling of the big bronze equestrian monument to King Vittorio Emanuele II in 1887. This statue is still standing near the hotel.
Culture and Venetian heritage create today an extraordinary lively hotel full of charme , where hospitality meets perfection with the most sophisticated ambiance , matching its legacy with the past and the modern comfort and colors. A unique style born from an extensive project of refurbishment and restoration, designed by architects of great experience, the façade , the restaurant , the bar enriched by Murano Glass, the walls in the Lobby in magnolia color , the floors with true Venetian decor based on mosaics and naturally 53 rooms tastefully decorated matching the uniqueness of their design and the Venetian touch , provided with all modern comforts.
This careful restoration has succeeded in keeping the history, personality and architecture of the hotel intact, but has also pervaded it with the modernity made up of light and contrast that is typical of the new millennium. The juxtaposition of different ages has proved to be very successful: on one hand there is a collection of Biedermeier furniture, paintings and antiques, on the other hand some of the latest communication technologies, which are so necessary to the contemporary traveller.