Intertwined with the rich history of Venice, the Danieli hotel is located in three palaces built in the 14th, 19th, and 20th centuries.

The oldest of the three palaces – Palazzo Dandolo in Venetian Gothic style – was the former home of the noble Dandolo family. Enrico Dandolo was the first of four members of the Dandolo family to become Doges of Venice, becoming most famous after the conquest of Constantinople in 1204 and returning to the city with gold, marble, and Byzantine artworks, most of which were displayed in Palazzo Dandolo, located near St. Mark’s Square. Its rear facade faces the Riva degli Schiavoni waterfront with views of St. Mark’s. It adjoins a series of buildings dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.

The second oldest is Palazzo Casa Nuova in 19th-century Baroque style, which was formerly the city treasury, and the most modern is Palazzo Danieli Excelsior from the 20th century (renovated by Jacques Garcia in 2008). The central location and grandeur of the Danieli hotel have made it popular among famous guests, from the Prince of Salerno in the 15th century to Charles Dickens in the 19th century.

In the 17th century, the property belonged to the Mocenigo and Bernardo families, who continued to hold grand celebrations. At the wedding celebration of Giustiniana Mocenigo and Lorenzo Giustinian in 1629, "Proserpina Rapita" by Giulio Strozzi to music by Monteverdi was performed. These two families were still owners of the building at the time of the fall of the Venetian Republic in 1797. After the building suffered from the city’s decline, Venetian Giuseppe Dal Niel from Friuli, known as Danieli, rented the first floor of the building from October 24, 1822, for his own use and to accommodate his guests. In 1824, recognizing its potential as a centrally located meeting place, he bought the entire building, generously restored it, and turned it into a hotel, which he appropriately renamed "Danieli." Electricity and elevators were first added under the new owner in 1895, before the final structural changes were completed in 1948 with the addition of Palazzo Danieli Excelsior.

Here are some of the films shot at the Danieli hotel and famous people who have stayed there:

In 2010, the hotel was the filming location for the movie The Tourist, starring Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. In one scene of The Tourist, Depp climbs across the tiled roof of the hotel in his pajamas.

The suite featured in the film was once home to such figures as King Wilhelm of Prussia, Charles Dickens (the famous British writer stayed at the hotel in 1844 and wrote about his impressions in his book Pictures from Italy), Henry James (American writer and critic who stayed at the hotel in the late 19th century and wrote about it in his book Italian Hours), Honoré de Balzac, Marcel Proust, Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, and was the scene of the passionate relationship between George Sand and Alfred de Musset.

Steven Spielberg stayed at this hotel several times and even filmed scenes there for his movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This adventure film starring Harrison Ford and Sean Connery includes a scene shot in the grand ballroom of the Danieli hotel, which was transformed into a Venetian palace for the film.

The romantic drama Summertime (1955) with Katharine Hepburn and Rossano Brazzi features several scenes shot at the Danieli hotel, including one where Hepburn’s character enjoys a drink at the hotel’s rooftop bar.

The classic heist film The Italian Job (1969) starring Michael Caine and Noël Coward includes a scene filmed near the Danieli hotel, which serves as the backdrop for a high-speed chase through the streets of Venice.

The psychological thriller Comfort of Strangers (1990) starring Christopher Walken and Rupert Everett includes several scenes filmed at the Danieli hotel, which serves as a luxurious and mysterious setting for much of the film.

The hotel was also used by Vittorio De Sica in his last film Journey (1974) starring Sophia Loren and Richard Burton. It appears in the film Moonraker (1979), as it was the hotel of Holly Goodhead. It is also the hotel where Raniero Cotti Borroni (Carlo Verdone) and Fosca (Veronica Pivetti) spend their first tragicomic wedding night in the film Viaggi di nozze (1995), and features in parts of the James Bond film Casino Royale (2006).

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotel_Danieli

https://www.hoteldanieli.com/en.html

https://www.tourleadervenice.com/the-story-of-the-hotel-danieli-in-venice/