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Grand Hotel Savoia, Cortina d’Ampezzo. Ready to welcome the Winter Olympic Games in 2026

Minimizing plastic waste in common areas reducing packaging. A percentage of The Radisson Group profit is invested in water-saving projects worldwide

Built in 1912, Grand Hotel Savoia in Cortina d’Ampezzo opened to the public again in December 2009 following significant restructuring work. After some ownership changes, it is now part of the Radisson Collection hotels. As Rosanna Conti, General Manager of Grand Hotel Savoia, explains, the new restyling of the building – finished in fall ‘21 – aimed to transform the Hotel into a reference point for Cortina d’Ampezzo in view of the Winter Olympic Games in 2026 while respecting its historical heritage and maintaining the warmth that characterizes the style of the mountain, with colors and furnishings that fit the peculiarity of the destination.

Grand Hotel Savoia – A diversified offer, tailor-made for guests

«The Grand Hotel Savoia has two main points of strength; making it a unique destination in Cortina; first, the position, very close to the city center, and to the ski slopes» she explains. «Our guests visit us because they want to live the experience of a Grand Hotel Savoia while also feeling at home. We offer a luxury experience, but in a family- (and pet-) friendly context». The recent restyling, states Conti, aims to differentiate the guest experience of the Grand Hotel Savoia.

From the more traditional other 5-stars hotels in Cortina. «We want to begin a new era, based on modernity in Cortina. Grand Hotel Savoia is the place to be and be seen in the Dolomite Alps». And she continues, «We aim to welcome and accommodate a very diversified request. We have an identity of ‘Grand Hotel’ that we want to carry on. However we are also very family-oriented. We offer services made ad hoc for children; we have a kindergarten and many activities for the whole family or to keep children entertained while parents relax in the SPA. All of this while not bothering other guests who came to enjoy the quietness».

A destination both for leisure and for the MICE segment

Cortina d’Ampezzo is not only a location for winter sports but also a fashion destination, as Conti states. «It is the only destination in Dolomites area with many luxury boutiques in the main street. From Gucci to Dior, Cortina is the perfect destination for a very diversified target of tourists. We welcome business travelers, families, sports enthusiasts, and guests looking to relax and enjoy Cortina’s lifestyle. Our goal is to satisfy all their needs, which are very different». Maintaining the double identity of the hotel, which has always been a destination both for leisure and for the MICE segment, was indeed a priority for the new ownership.

Among the restyling project, the Grand Hotel Savoia also underwent a rebranding and repositioning process; «our goal was to bring the hotel to compete internationally with other 5-starts hotels in Cortina», explains Conti. «We are now part of the Radisson Group, and this will help to position the hotel in an international context, especially for the Olympics and for the MICE events. Recently, Cortina suffered a bit of stalemate, but now many new projects are giving new visibility to the city. It is becoming a mountain destination well known in Europe, attracting guests from abroad. Both for holidays and business events, such as incentive travels, conventions and team building activities».

The restaurant and terrace bar: a new F&B experience

The hotel reopened for the Winter season 2021/2022 with new amenities for the guests. The 130-rooms building (the biggest one in Cortina and Dolomiti area) can now welcome guests in the new terrace with the view of the mountains and the slopes. «We have developed a new concept of Food&Beverage experience». Says Conti, when asked about the bar and the restaurant. «The aim is to combine a very diversified offer for leisure guests and MICE events. Our chef Luigi Sarsano created a cuisine that combines an international background with a local ‘ampezzano’ twist. We’re proud to stress that we don’t have pre-established menus, not even for events. Our goal is to understand what customers want and design an ad-hoc menu, according to their expectations».

Along with the restaurant, the new restyling also concerned a new outlet: the terrace bar, also opened to the public. Here the ownership, the director, and the chef developed a new concept, l’Aperigrill offering a unique aprés ski menu; «we also have a new project, settled in the Savoia Palace, the building which hosts our apartments. Here we opened Pizza Palace, a takeaway restaurant where our guests can find gourmet pizza», explains Conti. «We realized that our guests often relied on pizzerias in Cortina. We wanted to offer this additional service as well; of course, the goal is to open the Pizza Palace to everyone in the future»

The Grand Hotel Savoia SPA: minimizing plastic waste

Another service the hotel offers to guests is the SPA, though the Grand Hotel Savoia is not a wellness hotel, as Conti pointed out. The Savoia SPA is designed to provide individual service in an atmosphere that promotes relaxation. It is equipped with the latest technology needed to bring together wellness and aesthetic treatments. This include a gym with personal trainers. «For our SPA (and for the amenities in the rooms), we have chosen made-in-Italy products by Comfort Zone, a brand that focuses on sustainability. Also, we offer a hair styling service to our guests to complete the wellness and beauty experience».

Talking about sustainability, the Grand Hotel Savoia management is making the hotel more eco-friendly, following Radisson Hotel Group’s environmental policy. When asked about their efforts, Conti explains: «as part of franchising, we follow a precise philosophy of resources management. We are minimizing plastic waste in common areas reducing packaging. In summer we will implements dipensers in all our rooms. As we already have in the SPA and common spaces. The Radisson Group is sensitive in terms of sustainability. A percentage of its profit is invested in water-saving projects worldwide. Also, we only use Comfort Zone and Davines products, which are brands involved in sustainable practices too».

The mice target

As said above, an essential customers segment of the Grand Hotel Savoia is MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences, and Exhibitions); being the only hotel with a convention center in the area. «The conference center has the newest technologies, and we can also offer hybrid conventions. Our main strength point, however, is the +120 parking lot that allows guests to arrive at the hotel directly by car. This is the perfect fit for the automotive sector. One of our main customers», says Conti. «Thanks to our experience with MICE, we can offer personalized events, taking care of all the details that make the difference».

Talking about the future, ownership of Grand Hotel Savoia is also renovating another 5-stars hotel in Cortina to widen their offer with 250+ rooms in a luxury property, with the goal to make the city the place to be in the upcoming years and make the destination ready to welcome the Winter Olympic Games in 2026. 

Grand Hotel Savoia, Cortina

A Radisson Group 5-star hotel in Cortina d’Ampezzo (BL). With its 132 rooms, the convention center, the restaurant and two bars, Grand Hotel Savoia is a reference point for leisure and business travels in Cortina. The ski room, the SPA and the Savoia Palace, with furnished apartments complete the offer, while a pizzeria recently opened for the hotel and palace guests.

Maria Bellotto

The writer does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article.

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