Source: The Venice Venice Hotel in Venice, Italy

This week I'm celebrating 25 years together with my husband. It's been quite a journey as two gay men raising two children at a time when none of that was discussed or accepted yet alone embraced as it is in some parts of our culture. Our kids are now adults and thriving, thankfully. The greatest happiness a person can know.

There have been a lot of struggles and triumphs and celebrations and disappointments and ups and downs. This week we acknowledge them all during what feels like an "up" for us as we travel through Venice, Italy. Especially at a time when the world is in such turmoil, we relish this time together to reflect on our lives and talk about our future.

But, alas, my marketing brain just can’t turn off!

I just have to talk about the hotel where we are staying - The Venice Venice Hotel. It's a new boutique hotel recently renovated after decades of abandonment sitting right on The Grand Canal by The Rialto Bridge. It sits in what used to be a great commercial center of Venice back in the day and the (what the hotel calls) ancient structure used to be a quite popular hotel for those in the arts and fashion.

Today The Venice Venice Hotel is all about art, fashion, passion, and imagination. Just my kind of hotel! There's a restaurant and small shop called M'Art … an amazing restaurant that sits you right on The Grand Canal with curated merchandise from the hotel and other iconic brands like Yeti. Yes Yeti. It's a wow!

The entire hotel experience is a brand experience from the minute the water taxi drops you off, the staff in hotel-branded uniform greets you, the concierge offers Prosecco, and of course we roller our way to our very moody room.

The hotel symbol is a melting rose. The rose is the Venetian symbol of true love, how appropriate. The melting rose is meant to characterize the future of Venice and its continued creativity.

The hotel even has a signature fragrance “The ERose” - and it's everywhere. Candles, body wash and shampoo, and it's in the linens. My husband and I are now engulfed in this fragrance as we walk the city. Amazing.

If a brand is an experience then The Venice Venice Hotel is a brand. A brand I love for time with my true love.

What's your experience? JIM