Venice airport to hotel

Very close to Piazzale Roma, easy walking distance in fact. Take the ACTV bus (either the 'express' or the no. 5) from the airport to Piazzale Roma.
Walk to the hotel in 5 min from Piazzale Roma.

Best way can be interpreted differently. I took Rick's suggestion and felt that Venice being such a unique city we arrived via water like they did for centuries. It cost the 3 of us extra money with alilaguna I think, but it was nice after travelling for 20 hours to take a slow relaxing boat ride into Venice.

I think what Roberto may have been saying is that the hotel is close to the train station, and it is a relatively short walk. A boat ride may not be required to this hotel.
There will be time for nice romantic rides on the Grand Canal.

Roberto, Will the bus driver at the airport load our luggage? Are their steps to climb at the hotel? I have emailed the hotel, but they have not answered. Thanks.

If you take the ATVO Express bus the luggage goes under the belly. The driver loads it and unloads it. The hotel has stairs and also elevators. If you have mobility issues I want to warn you that Venice is full of steps, in particular nearly all (if not all) bridges that cross the various canals have steps. Also getting on board of vaporetto (water boats/buses) requires leaping on steps of some sort.

Have you considered a water taxi? We arrived at the airport after a long flight from O'Hare through Rome. The best advice I ever read about Venice suggested we take a water taxi from the airport and arrive like Marco Polo did - by water. You exit the terminal, walk a down a side walk a few steps and - literally - there are wooden boats (kind of the classic 40's wooden cabin craft) that speed you into the canals of Venice. Plenty of room for luggage. A wonderful way to wake up and see the beauty of the city by water. We will never forget it. You can google the Venice airport but here is the quote from our hotel, Locanda Orseolo in their confirming e-mail - it sets it out. Immediately after collecting your luggage, you find in the arrivals hall the desk of the VENEZIA TAXI company. They organize transfers from the terminal to the docks of the airport by car or small buses and from there to our Locanda by water taxi (if the level of the water is not too high, a water taxi can deliver you directly to our hotel after a 25 minutes ride). The total cost amounts to around 110 Euro, up to 4 people and 4 bags. The desk is open from 8am to 12pm (midnight);

"I think what Roberto may have been saying is that the hotel is close to the train station" The hotel Papadopoli is adjacent to the Piazzale Roma via one footbridge and about 500'. It is near the train station but the train station is in another direction. The two airport bus companies (ATVO and ACTV) both run from the airport to the Piazzale Roma. Exit the bus and easily walk to the hotel. If you go to Google maps and type in Hotel Papadopoli Venice, you will see how close it is. Click on this link and you can see what I see. http://gyazo.com/9ee68d100f2e6c27073bb4bc6276de71

In Venice, anytime you cross a bridge you will be confronted with steps. The bridge between the piazzale and the train station is especially steep. This may not present a problem for most people, but if you are hauling luggage you may find the bridge a real challenge. There was a man stationed at the bridge (last year) who offered to carry my luggage over the bridge. I should have taken him up on his offer.

Go to Bing.com and go to the map section. EXCELLENT aerial and birds eye views of the P. Roma area so you can get the lay of the land. If you take the ACTV bus # 5 you will take you bags on with you as it has a low floor. Be SURE to validate the bus pass when you get on board.
TC