Cortina & the Dolomites

The historic Rosa Alpina, run for three generations by the Pizzinini family and long one of the Dolomites' most storied addresses, closed in 2023 for a complete rebuild under architect Jean-Michel Gathy and reopened as a fully-owned Aman property in July 2025. The 51-key retreat retains the original building's Ladin bones while introducing Aman's signature spatial calm, two new 150-square-metre Aman Suites, and a private two-suite mountain residence in the reconfigured Chalet Zeno.

Why Rosa Alpina was already one of the most recognized names in Alpine hospitality before Aman's involvement, and the rebuild raises its physical standard to match Aman's global benchmark while retaining direct access to the same Alta Badia terrain that made the original famous.

Opened in 2020 on a former Habsburg-era mountain lodge site at 1,800 metres on the Plose, Forestis pairs stark, minimalist architecture with dense forest and near-360-degree Dolomites views. Its 62 suites, ranging from 50 to 200 square metres, are built around floor-to-ceiling glazing, and the property holds Two Michelin Keys.

Why Forestis is the clearest architectural counterpoint in the region to the more traditional chalet aesthetic, an exercise in restraint that has made it one of the most photographed hotels in the Alps since opening, and its Michelin Key recognition is among the most decorated in South Tyrol.

COMO's first Alpine property sits on the edge of the Alpe di Siusi, Europe's largest high-altitude plateau, inside the UNESCO-listed Dolomites. The hotel holds a Michelin Key and combines COMO's signature Shambhala wellness philosophy with South Tyrolean mountain design.

Why COMO Alpina Dolomites brings the group's exacting wellness standard, refined over decades in Bali and the Maldives, to a genuinely different Alpine landscape, the open plateau rather than a valley floor, giving it a sense of space unusual for the region.

The 1901 Grand Hotel Cristallo, long Cortina's most storied address and formerly operated by Marriott's Luxury Collection, closed in 2023 for a ground-up renovation and extension by architects Herzog & de Meuron. Mandarin Oriental has signed a long-term management agreement to relaunch it as the group's first Alpine resort, with 83 rooms including 30 suites and a 1,600-square-metre spa. NOT YET OPEN as of this writing; targeted for winter 2026, after the Milano-Cortina Olympics.

Why When it opens, this will be the first globally benchmarked ultra-luxury flag located inside Cortina itself rather than in an adjacent valley, occupying the town's most historically significant hotel site.

A three-generation, family-owned property best known for housing La Siriola, chef Matteo Metullio's two-Michelin-star restaurant, alongside a dedicated cheese room, chocolate room and wine bar. The hotel itself is intimate and traditionally Ladin in style, ski-in/ski-out to the Alta Badia lift network.

Why Ciasa Salares earns its place primarily through its kitchen; La Siriola is one of only two two-star restaurants in the immediate Cortina/Alta Badia orbit, and the hotel wraps it in a genuinely warm, family-run Alpine stay rather than a corporate one.

A ground-up reinvention of the historic Hotel Impero in the heart of Cortina, Hotel de Len opened as a 22-room, 4-star boutique property with a rooftop spa looking directly over the valley and the town's Olympic ski facilities.

Why It is the most convincing true-luxury address located directly inside Cortina town rather than in an outlying valley, useful for travelers who want to walk to dinner and Corso Italia rather than base themselves thirty-plus minutes away.