A new benchmark in luxury hospitality: the “Faloria Mountain Spa Resort” opens in the Dolomites
In Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy’s most glamorous mountain destination, a design hotel combines comfort, modernity and tradition defining a new model in hospitality.
Charming hospitality in the Pearl of the Dolomites
The Faloria Mountain Spa Resort, historical hotel in Cortina, reopens to the public. Expanded and renovated, it establishes a new benchmark in the hospitality of the entire Alpine region. New rooms, a spa covering over 1000 sqm, a gourmet restaurant and new common areas will allow guests to live an unforgettable experience in accordance to the highest international luxury standards.
The concept
The project is by architect Flaviano Capriotti, who has designed an environment in harmony with the surrounding landscape, where Alpine tradition meets contemporary accents. The guest of the Faloria Mountain Spa Resort finds himself immersed in the natural beauty of the setting, ready to enjoy an exclusive environment that offers the most advanced technologies for a functional comfort and unique atmosphere.
The rooms: charm & hospitality
The new rooms – divided into Classic Room, Deluxe, Room, Junior Suite, Comfort Suite and Faloria Suite – offer guests an exclusively refined environment, where the charm of mountain furnishings is combined with a contemporary touch. The rooms are wide, bright spaces, with huge windows to enjoy an enchanting view of the Dolomites. The parquet, boiserie and tasteful details – such as bed headboards designed with botanical drawings of the local alpine flora – lend a delightful domestic flavour, without forgoing refinement and exclusivity.
The flower of the Dolomites
One of the distinctive details that add personality to the hotel is the research undertaken on the local alpine botanical subject. Architect Capriotti selected 10 typical flowers of the Dolomites from the Florae Austriacae atlas, which was written in the 18th century by the botanist Nikolaus von Jacquin. These flowers have then been on the upholstered headboards of the beds and in many other elements of the hotel.
The botanical theme is the common thread throughout the SPA, the common areas and the Restaurant to stimulate a visible narrative inside the hotel.
The Cuisine
The Faloria Restaurant, which accommodates 70 people, is bounded by a glazed pavilion with scenic views of the mountain Croda da Lago on one side and the iconic 1956 Olympic ski jump on the other.
The original vintage ceiling, coffered in larch after the restoration, and the woven wicker panels, create an elegant, refined atmosphere. Completing the restaurant is a charming “Stube” – focal point of the traditional Cortina dwelling place – built with antique woodwork, and a large table, located in a private room, that can accommodate 10 guests. In the kitchen, chef Antonio Cennamo proposes an original combination of Mediterranean tradition and local dishes, whose common denominator is the excellence of the raw materials. Through his dishes the guest is able to make an extraordinary geographical journey through places and traditions, in which every ingredient is a new discovery.
The SPA: wellness at high altitude
The new SPA Area, the largest in the entire Alpine region, is a veritable jewel. A surface area of more than 1000 square metres, where guests can enjoy a unique sensory journey with semi-Olympic pool, sauna, ice fountain, calidarium, vitality pool, chilling out areas and private treatment rooms. The Spa offers an emotional experience targeting all levels of perception: visual, tactile, olfactory and emotional for a regenerating holiday. Materials and colours recall larch woods, the stone of Dolomite rocks and the green of lake water, so that guests feel they are immersed in the nature of Cortina.
Unique of its kind for dimensions and structural features is the large swimming pool: 25 meter long with three lanes, elegant alcoves line the edge of the pool, intimate and reserved corners with warm walls in larch panelling. From the swimming pool guests can enjoy the view of the Mount Faloria and access the outdoor garden and the outside area of the vitality pool, which being heated can also be used in winter and under the snow.
Common areas: a new volume for the reception area
The expansion project also saw the creation of a new lounge with bar and a tiled stove, inspired to those of the traditional houses in the Dolomites, where the upholstered furniture – which is all custom designed – is covered with warm wool, typical of the mountains. The ideal place to enjoy an aperitif after a day of sport. A large “opus incertum” Dolomia stone wall separates the Lounge area from the Bistrot, which is a cozy and quiet space that accommodates up to 40 people, welcoming guests from breakfast to dinner.
Care for the environment
Care for the environment and sustainability are at the centre of Flaviano Capriotti’s project for the Faloria Mountain Spa Resort.
The materials selected for the project are kilometre zero, like the Dolomia stone – coming from the quarries in Val Belluna – or the larch wood, which is the typical material used in the homes of Ampezzo.
The furniture, all bespoke designed, has been manufactured by local artisans; the majolica tiles used in the pool, in the SPA and in the large lounge fireplace, are produced in small batches using Murano glass grain from a small Venetian manufacturing firm. The garden has been entirely rethought and specifically designed to create an oasis of privacy and relax. All of the plants employed are local and have been articulated such as to allow the guests to fully dive in the surrounding nature through paths and trails that encourage to discover the prosperity of the local nature.
Photos: Andrés Otero