Beyond the Red Carpet

At Hotel Excelsior, during the Venice Film Festival, every corridor becomes a strip of celluloid, every glance a stolen frame. But behind the spotlight, beyond the red carpets and poised expressions, lies a more private world—one of whispers, rituals, and details that never reach the stage.

That’s where this story begins.
An invitation to cross the invisible threshold between the spectacle and its soul.

Rooms that whisper stories

At the Excelsior, rooms do more than welcome—they observe, they wait, they remember. Each year, as the Festival returns, so do familiar faces, quiet habits, and small rituals that unfold with the ease of well-rehearsed gestures.
Some request the same suite. Others dine away from the main tables, always at the same hour, asking for silence and nothing more. A lucky charm might arrive in advance, placed just so, as if fortune prefers the familiar.

These are nuances, intimate traits that weave into the history of these rooms, as if the walls already knew who they were about to receive.
It’s said that handwritten notes are sometimes left for the staff. Or that certain flowers, always the same, are arranged in a precise corner. Nothing grand. Just details that, together, compose a silent screenplay—an untold chapter in the Hotel’s story.

At the Excelsior, the real show doesn’t only happen under the lights. It lingers behind sheer curtains, in hushed voices and gestures that speak louder than words.

Invisible direction: between velvet and silence

When the Festival lights up, the Excelsior becomes a vibrant crossroads of energy and anticipation. Corridors pulse with hurried footsteps, quick exchanges, and heels marking the tempo of an invisible score.
Stylists with suitcases of precious gowns, make-up artists refining the last detail, hairdressers shaping fleeting masterpieces under the spotlight’s glow.

Stars move through this setting in a flurry of emotions—flashes popping, journalists leaning in to catch a word, a glance. Paparazzi hover like silent shadows, ready to turn a passing moment into a lasting image.

It’s not just a blur of gestures and glances. It’s a charged, almost tangible energy that envelops every space. In this hidden whirlwind, the Excelsior breathes with intensity, turning apparent chaos into pure, cinematic magic.

Timeless curiosity: the hidden side of the Excelsior

Some details at the Excelsior aren’t revealed at first glance. They remain quiet, almost invisible, yet speak volumes of a place that has watched over time for more than a century—never ceasing to fascinate.
The beach cabanas, with their perfect white-and-taupe geometry, return each summer to those who see them as a second home. Always the same spot, always the same horizon. As if the season doesn’t truly begin until that curtain is drawn open.

he Sala Stucchi, with its original stucco decor, has seen generations of distinguished travellers pass through. And behind certain doors—among archives and service rooms—historic furnishings remain, softened by time rather than erased.

It’s whispered that members of the staff still carry in their memory, and in the fluid grace of their gestures, the habits of longtime guests. Nothing written, just attentiveness passed down like family traditions.
At the Excelsior, even what remains unseen is part of the scene. You simply need to know how to look.