The First Cortina

The First Cortina sits on Corso Italia, the main street of Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the UNESCO-protected Dolomites of Italy's Veneto region. Operated by The Pavilions Hotels and Resorts under its First brand, the hotel holds 76 rooms and suites, almost all of them with balconies framing the surrounding peaks. Accommodation runs from Deluxe rooms of roughly 225 to 260 square feet through Grand Deluxe, Junior Suites and Suites, and includes a Jacuzzi Suite with an indoor hot tub and a Wellness Suite with its own sauna and hammam. The top of the house is the Enrosadira Penthouse, about 1,500 square feet across one to three bedrooms, named for the alpenglow that turns the Dolomite rock rose at dusk. Architecture is by Studio Marincola Architects, working in larch, Dolomia stone and burnished metal to keep the building in conversation with the valley rather than above it. Below ground, a two-floor spa developed with the Balinese wellness brand Revivo runs to roughly 10,800 square feet, with a panoramic indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, hammam, treatment rooms, a gym and a hair salon. Dining is anchored by Zuma, the contemporary Japanese izakaya, alongside Velo for breakfast, pastry and afternoon tea. A dedicated ski room, equipment rental and e-bike storage tie the hotel to the mountain on both sides of the season.