Volleyball and Soccer Field, JW Marriott Resort, Venice, Italy
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
*** In the beginning ***
Sacca Sessola was artificially created in 1870 with the sand and soil dug from the construction of the Santa Marta commercial port. The man-made 40 acre island is the youngest of the 118 islands in the Venetian Lagoon. It was first used as a fuel dump (General Repository Petroli) and later as a hospital, farming land, UNESCO research complex and last as a resort hotel destination. Loosely translated Sacca Sessola means "scoop bag". For marketing reasons the name now is "Isola delle Rose" or "Island of Roses". It is not a name recognized by the Venetians, or on topographical maps.
The city of Venice decommissioned Sacca Sessola as a fuel storage in 1892. Conversion for use as a hospital for contagious diseases was begun. The position of Sacca Sessola was thought a perfect setting (leafy, oxygen rich with onshore sea breezes) for a respiratory diseases clinic. In 1914 the St. Mark's Hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis lung on Sacca Sessola received its first patients. The clinic, closed during the First World War, was re-opened in 1920 with the addition of new buildings, including the church and the Dopolavoro, or working men’s club for the doctors working on the island. The island's microclimate is perfect for growing vines, pines, olive trees and roses. In 1980 the clinic closed down for good. When the sanatorium was closed the area was abandoned but the Capuchin-Franciscan Friars continued to look after the olive trees. The Capuchin Franciscan Order was founded in central Italy.
In 1992 the buildings on the island were chosen for a UNESCO project (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)- to study and conserve the Venetian lagoon ecosystem. The city of Venice sold the island in 2000 to an international firm for conversion to a private tourist complex.
The former and since dissolved Italian Tourism Company (Compagnia Italiana Turismo s.p.a. - CIT) along with the French hotel company Accor were involved with the Sofitel branded Sacca Sessola Island resort project. The resort was to be called "Sofitel in Isola" and was to open in February, 2003 with 324 rooms, spa, gym, Turkish bath and a 9-hole golf test. Philippe Trapp was the opening hotel director. CIT ran into financial troubles and sold in 2007 the unfinished project for over 85 million euros. In 2014 Accor appointed Philippe Trapp to be Director of Operations HotelServices for the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery and Grand Mercure hotels in South America.
*** J.W. Marriott Venice Resort & Spa ***
Sacca Sessola received a new start in 2011 as affiliates of Aareal Bank AG, Wiesbaden, Germany brought new investors to the island resort project. The developer entity is known as La Sessola Srl. A "società/responsabilità limitata" is similar to an American limited liability company. iIn 2011 La Sessola Srl contracted Marriott International, Inc. to manage and brand the hotel to its top tier JW Marriott. La Sessola Srl contracted with the Milan architect firm Matteo Thun & Partners and it's lead architect was Luca Colombo. Matteo Thun provided the architecture, masterplan, interior design, styling, and lighting design services.
Matteo Thun undertook a transformation of the whole island, including conversion of the main hospital building and 17 other smaller early-20th century brick buildings (mainly warehouses) into 266 hotel rooms, suites, restaurants, bars, plus the spa. The resort would cater to the high-end demographic and would be completed in April 2015. Lucca Colombo said the design and restoration concept was “shared and agreed with the City of Venice’s Cultural Heritage Office, which was essential since the island is designated as a protected historical area. A team of restoration specialists supported the architects in ensuring the project preserved the buildings’ historic value including the distinctive patina of the walls. The architect employed a “box in the box” concept - building new structures inside the old walls - as a solution to protect the historic character of the buildings and at the same time be fully compliant with current standards. The interiors are contemporary for Venice, which is historically dominated with a lot of velvet, gilt and brocade.
In February, 2016 Enrique Tasende was appointed General Manager at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa. Previously he was the General Manager at the Grand Cayman Marriott and prior to that the Resident Manager at Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort in the U.S Virgin Islands. The opening General Manager was Mario Ferraro who served from 2013 to May 2015. He moved to the CEO position for Sardegna Resorts SRL. Cristiano Cabutti has been the Director of Sales and Marketing at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa since 2013. Prior to joining Marriott, Cristiano was the Group Director of Sales & Marketing for San Domenico Hotels and golf resorts in Italy and England. Cristiano has a degree in tourism with a major in hotel activities from G. Magnaghi School in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy.
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
Isola delle Rose, Laguna di San Marco, P.O. Box 731
30133 Venezia, Italy
Compiled by Dick Johnson, May 2017
Volleyball and Soccer Field, JW Marriott Resort, Venice, Italy
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
*** In the beginning ***
Sacca Sessola was artificially created in 1870 with the sand and soil dug from the construction of the Santa Marta commercial port. The man-made 40 acre island is the youngest of the 118 islands in the Venetian Lagoon. It was first used as a fuel dump (General Repository Petroli) and later as a hospital, farming land, UNESCO research complex and last as a resort hotel destination. Loosely translated Sacca Sessola means "scoop bag". For marketing reasons the name now is "Isola delle Rose" or "Island of Roses". It is not a name recognized by the Venetians, or on topographical maps.
The city of Venice decommissioned Sacca Sessola as a fuel storage in 1892. Conversion for use as a hospital for contagious diseases was begun. The position of Sacca Sessola was thought a perfect setting (leafy, oxygen rich with onshore sea breezes) for a respiratory diseases clinic. In 1914 the St. Mark's Hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis lung on Sacca Sessola received its first patients. The clinic, closed during the First World War, was re-opened in 1920 with the addition of new buildings, including the church and the Dopolavoro, or working men’s club for the doctors working on the island. The island's microclimate is perfect for growing vines, pines, olive trees and roses. In 1980 the clinic closed down for good. When the sanatorium was closed the area was abandoned but the Capuchin-Franciscan Friars continued to look after the olive trees. The Capuchin Franciscan Order was founded in central Italy.
In 1992 the buildings on the island were chosen for a UNESCO project (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization)- to study and conserve the Venetian lagoon ecosystem. The city of Venice sold the island in 2000 to an international firm for conversion to a private tourist complex.
The former and since dissolved Italian Tourism Company (Compagnia Italiana Turismo s.p.a. - CIT) along with the French hotel company Accor were involved with the Sofitel branded Sacca Sessola Island resort project. The resort was to be called "Sofitel in Isola" and was to open in February, 2003 with 324 rooms, spa, gym, Turkish bath and a 9-hole golf test. Philippe Trapp was the opening hotel director. CIT ran into financial troubles and sold in 2007 the unfinished project for over 85 million euros. In 2014 Accor appointed Philippe Trapp to be Director of Operations HotelServices for the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery and Grand Mercure hotels in South America.
*** J.W. Marriott Venice Resort & Spa ***
Sacca Sessola received a new start in 2011 as affiliates of Aareal Bank AG, Wiesbaden, Germany brought new investors to the island resort project. The developer entity is known as La Sessola Srl. A "società/responsabilità limitata" is similar to an American limited liability company. iIn 2011 La Sessola Srl contracted Marriott International, Inc. to manage and brand the hotel to its top tier JW Marriott. La Sessola Srl contracted with the Milan architect firm Matteo Thun & Partners and it's lead architect was Luca Colombo. Matteo Thun provided the architecture, masterplan, interior design, styling, and lighting design services.
Matteo Thun undertook a transformation of the whole island, including conversion of the main hospital building and 17 other smaller early-20th century brick buildings (mainly warehouses) into 266 hotel rooms, suites, restaurants, bars, plus the spa. The resort would cater to the high-end demographic and would be completed in April 2015. Lucca Colombo said the design and restoration concept was “shared and agreed with the City of Venice’s Cultural Heritage Office, which was essential since the island is designated as a protected historical area. A team of restoration specialists supported the architects in ensuring the project preserved the buildings’ historic value including the distinctive patina of the walls. The architect employed a “box in the box” concept - building new structures inside the old walls - as a solution to protect the historic character of the buildings and at the same time be fully compliant with current standards. The interiors are contemporary for Venice, which is historically dominated with a lot of velvet, gilt and brocade.
In February, 2016 Enrique Tasende was appointed General Manager at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa. Previously he was the General Manager at the Grand Cayman Marriott and prior to that the Resident Manager at Marriott Frenchman’s Reef Resort in the U.S Virgin Islands. The opening General Manager was Mario Ferraro who served from 2013 to May 2015. He moved to the CEO position for Sardegna Resorts SRL. Cristiano Cabutti has been the Director of Sales and Marketing at the JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa since 2013. Prior to joining Marriott, Cristiano was the Group Director of Sales & Marketing for San Domenico Hotels and golf resorts in Italy and England. Cristiano has a degree in tourism with a major in hotel activities from G. Magnaghi School in Salsomaggiore Terme, Italy.
JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa
Isola delle Rose, Laguna di San Marco, P.O. Box 731
30133 Venezia, Italy
Compiled by Dick Johnson, May 2017