Off-limits hotels, hidden entrances, and fenced-off areas: Disappointing photos show how locked down Jeff Bezos’ wedding was

Among the Hollywood power players in Venice during the last weekend of June for the wedding were Oprah, Orlando Bloom, and members of the Kardashian-Jenner family.

Several titans of business were in attendance too, including Bill Gates, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy.

Five properties were said to be hosting wedding guests.

But getting anywhere near them, let alone inside, was nearly impossible thanks to heightened security.

And in Venice on the weekend of Bezos and Sánchez’s wedding, even if you do ask, you sometimes get a door to a five-star hotel closed on you slowly and told, “Not a chance.”

That’s what happened to me when I tried to enter the Gritti Palace Hotel. The Gritti Palace Hotel has hosted big names over the years: Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Winston Churchill. This weekend, it was one of several hotels believed to be hosting celebrity guests.

I walked tentatively into the hotel’s vestibule, flashed my press pass at a manager and a bellboy, and asked if I could have a look around or interview the manager. I expected a “no,” and, sure enough, I got one.

“Not possible,” said the smiling manager. “No, sorry. Not a chance.” I was gently ushered out. The door closed politely, but firmly, behind me.

I had a similar experience at four other luxury hotels.

The revolving doors at the front were locked, and as I tried to enter a side door, also locked, hotel staff inside watched as I jiggled the handles. When I waved to get their attention, they turned away.

“Could I have a quick look around?” I asked. A firm “No.”

“Is the hotel fully booked?” A firm “Yes.”

“For a wedding?” I asked, trying my luck. I got a polite smile and no response.

I tried the dock nearby, hoping to get a glimpse of the hotel’s grand water entrance, but a security guard told me to leave. These luxury hotels are most fashionably entered by water taxi, not on foot.

The Belmond Cipriani is best known as the birthplace of the Bellini — the peach-and-Prosecco cocktail invented at the iconic Harry’s Bar.

I had the most luck here. I confidently strode down a long passageway, past a security guard, and for a moment thought I was in. Then I hit a locked gate requiring a keycard.

I knew it was a long shot. On a normal weekend, without a celebrity wedding, getting into these hotels without a keycard would likely be no easy feat. But this weekend, with heightened security, a city under NDAs, and billions of dollars’ worth of guests staying, I stood less chance than ever.

The main entrance is by the water, and with police patrols and high security, it was a non-starter.

Even seeing the guests leave the hotel was a difficult task. A gazebo was set up, in advance of the wedding, presumably to prevent the guests from being photographed.

I peeked through the fence and politely tried to get their attention. I asked one of them I could go inside.

“Impossible,” he said. “No.”

Paparazzi and journalists were left scrambling for vantage points, and tourists also raised their phones high, hoping to see what was going on.

That fleeting glimpse came with layers of distance and security.

Journalists and members of the public could reach a workers’ entrance, where security stood watch by a fence, checking lanyards and allowing through only those with authorized access.

It was impossible to see, hear, or get any real sense of what was being prepared for the ceremony and party.

Everyone was left disappointed. Wedding guests entered through a hidden entrance on the far side of the island, shielded by security and completely out of view from where anyone else could stand.

Aside from a handful of distant celebrity sightings, all that could be seen were security patrols and paparazzi zipping by in boats.

I came to Venice for the wedding of the century — but mostly, I saw security guards, fences, and hotel doors closing in my face.