The Palazzina Grassi, Philippe Starck's first Italian hotel, has opened in Venice. The five-star hotel has 26 guestrooms and no reception desk - instead a 'personalised check in service' is promised.

It also has a private jetty on the Grand Canal, a restaurant and bar, and a members' club.

The opulent design mixes the old and new. The hotel has a classical 16th century façade and a restored central colonade in the reception area, but the guestrooms feature geometric lines, transparent glass wardrobes and LCD screens.