VENICE HOSPITALITY CHALLENGE 2018

This year the fascination of this yacht sailing regatta and hotel excellence, a real Grand Prix of the City of Venice, famous the world over, since it is the only one that takes place on the waterways with a city.

A winning formula that brings together sport, lifestyle and luxury in an extraordinary event that will see the participation of twelve Maxi Yachts that have written unforgettable pages in the history of sailing combined with as many famous exponents of Venetian haute hôtellerie. The teams, led by internationally renowned skippers, will compete along the race course for the coveted Doge's hat, created specifically for the Venice Hospitality Challenge 2018 by the historic Murano glassworks, F. B. Signoretti.

The hotels participating in this fifth edition are: The Gritti Palace, a Luxury Collection Hôtel, Venice; Ca’ Sagredo Hôtel; Hôtel Danieli, a Luxury Collection Hôtel, Venice; SINA Centurion Palace; Hilton Molino Stucky Venice; Belmond Hôtel Cipriani; Hôtel Excelsior Venice Lido Resort; Palazzina; The St. Regis Venice, JW Marriott Venice Resort & Spa and Hôtel Almar Jesolo Resort and Spa.

Regatta Programme

The event will open on Friday, 19 October with a standing buffet at 7:00 pm at Ca’ Sagredo Hôtel, whereas the crew briefing will be held on Saturday, 20 October at 11:00 am at the former- Sala Gardini of the Magazzini del Sale. The regatta is scheduled to start at 1:30 pm.  The base of the fleet will be Marina Santelena, while the basin of San Marco, a focal point of the route, will allow spectators to enjoy this spectacular challenge along the banks, in the setting of the world’s most beautiful city.  Prize-giving will take place at approximately 4:30 pm at the Zattere at the VYP Venice Yacht Pier in direct contact with the people of the city with the Doge’s hat and Pommery Champagne being awarded to the winners.

Venice Hospitality Challenge promotes One Ocean Foundation
“There is no PLANet B”
With this edition of the Venice Hospitality Challenge, Yacht Club Venezia, promoter of the regatta, will be promoting the One Ocean Foundation, an international project set up by Yacht Club Costa Smeralda to protect the seas and raise awareness of the urgent problems affecting the marine ecosystem. The first step was signing of the Charta Smeralda, by YCV. Charta Smeralda is a code of ethics to share principles and actions to protect the seas. Skipper, Mauro Pelaschier, at the helm of the 36-meter maxi yacht Viriella, will be the ambassador in Venice of the One Ocean Foundation and the Charta Smeralda, that everyone is invited to sign online - www.1ocean.org - and in turn, disseminate. The Venetian hotels competing in the regatta, who for some time now have been engaged in substantially reducing the use of plastic with the future aim of a more suitable and sustainable use of it, are particularly sensitive to the urgent need to protect the sea on a larger scale and intend to offer their own contribution by informing their guests and committing to implementing the best practices in managing the hôtellerie business.

The Venice Hospitality Challenge 2018 enjoys the High Patronage of the City of Venice and avails itself of the support of prestigious sponsors such as Generali Italia, Champagne Pommery, Colmar and the cooperation of Audi. The event’s Sustainability Partner is One Ocean Foundation whereas the Media Partners are Class Editori with Gentleman, AD Architectural Digest, Excellence Magazine Luxury, Wonder World, Wonder Cortina and Venezia Made in Veneto with the active cooperation of Alilaguna, CMV Panfido, Venezia Unica, Società Reale Bucintoro, Blitz, Pescanova and VYP Venice Yacht Pier.