The second Lefay Resort has made its debut in the Italian ski area of Madonna di Campiglio, featuring one of the largest spas in the Alpine region. Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti features 88 suites along with 22 Lefay-branded residences – the first of their kind – as well as a 5,000sq m Lefay spa.
“We don’t build hotels – we build spa hotels,” says Alcide Leali, managing director of Lefay Resorts. “Spa is always the core of our properties.”
Lefay owns and operates a much-respected, forward-thinking spa hotel in Lake Garda, Italy, and has also announced plans for a third resort in Tuscany. “We’ve always said we want three properties in Italy: lake, mountains and countryside,” says Leali. Within the next 10 years, he hopes to have five properties in total, and is looking at branded locations with partners in Switzerland and Austria to help position Lefay as the “European leader in spa resorts”.
“Lake Garda will always be unique in terms of location and view,” says Leali. “But Lefay Dolomiti is an upgrade in terms of infrastructure, with bigger rooms and a bigger spa.” The spa at Lefay Dolomiti is 30 per cent bigger than Lake Garda, to be exact – 5,000sq m versus 3,800sq m – which means an impressive 50sq m of spa per key. “We wanted to enter the market with a property that’s not just a leader today, but that will still be a leader in the next 10-20 years,” says Leali. “Our expectation is that the spa will grow.”
Lefay’s wellness method, which combines classical Chinese medicine with modern western techniques, will be used across the spa, with signature energy treatments that aim to rebalance and rejuvenate the body and mind by stimulating the classical Chinese meridians to activate the energy systems. The Lefay Spa Method Scientific Committee has created five energy circuits for the spa, with different levels of temperature and humidity and dedicated phytotherapy (herbal teas) designed to help guests understand the type of energy they need to find balance again. The area is based on the classical Chinese concept that energy (qi) cyclically moves through five phases, depending on the season or time of day.
The interior design concept was imagined by hospitality designer Alberto Apostoli, whose clients include operators such as Four Seasons and Relais & Chateaux.
Guests can relax and detoxify in the Alpine salt-water lake and breathe the benefits of the salt grotto and regenerate using mud therapy with mud from the Val di Genova, which is enriched with malachite for its antioxidant action, magnesium for its energising anti-ageing effect and rhodolite to stimulate natural immune defences. Lefay has also introduced a range of vegan-certified natural products that use ingredients from the local area, such as horse chestnut, oils enriched with mountain pine and juniper, mineral alpine salt and traditional butter from the Alps. In addition, the spa offers some non-invasive skin treatments, physiotherapy, osteopathy and an a la carte menu with western massages, and eastern massages and rituals.
The resort has been designed by architect Hugo Demetz, who worked on the original Lefay Resort and used wood and stone so the hotel blends into the surrounding landscape. Lefay has positioned itself as a sustainable brand, and the new resort is certified by ClimaHotel, and supplied by renewable energy sources, and controlled by advanced electrical, thermic and hydric systems.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Energy medicine at Six Senses; aroma retreat on Croatia’s Island of Vitality and menopause programming all feature in our spa menu round-up
Top team: Rosewood
Jane Kitchen talks to the wellness team behind Rosewood, and its forward-thinking spa concepts, as CEO Sonia Cheng leads a vigorous global rollout
Everyone’s talking about: CBD
Are CBD treatments and products an unregulated fad, or a serious business proposition? Spa Business investigates
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection
Innovation of form and function in robes and towels is a vital part of attracting the next generation of wellness consumers. Charmaine T Lang from The Madison Collection explains how her company consistently maintains its successful point of difference
Interview: Markus Engel
The CEO of Asia’s Urban Resort Concepts talks to Spa Business about positive disruption in the hospitality and spa sector
Promotional feature: The Wellness
A beautiful pool can be the standout feature that draws new customers. It can also cut your running costs if it’s designed to be sustainable. Mohammed Ibrahim, CEO of The Wellness, explains
Interview: Davide Bollati
Liz Terry speaks to the founder of Comfort Zone about the group’s new botanical garden and ongoing commitment to environmentalism
Research: Generation gap
A new consumer study by ISPA uncovers spa-goer preferences and habits across different age groups
Promotional feature: Phytomer
Formulating the ultimate universal product to heal and defend the skin has taken three years of R&D for Phytomer, the French luxury marine skincare brand. The company’s scientific director tells Spa Business about the launch of the groundbreaking Prebioforce serum
Event Report: APSWC Round Table
Industry leaders contribute to APSWC’s third white paper at annual gathering. Catharine Nicol reports from Malaysia
Family spa: Play time
Spa Business takes a look at innovative spa programmes for children and families
Eco spa: Going green
Joanna Roche and Bonnie Baker share their ambitions for the Green Spa Network
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
The second Lefay Resort has made its debut in the Italian ski area of Madonna di Campiglio, featuring one of the largest spas in the Alpine region. Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti features 88 suites along with 22 Lefay-branded residences – the first of their kind – as well as a 5,000sq m Lefay spa.
“We don’t build hotels – we build spa hotels,” says Alcide Leali, managing director of Lefay Resorts. “Spa is always the core of our properties.”
Lefay owns and operates a much-respected, forward-thinking spa hotel in Lake Garda, Italy, and has also announced plans for a third resort in Tuscany. “We’ve always said we want three properties in Italy: lake, mountains and countryside,” says Leali. Within the next 10 years, he hopes to have five properties in total, and is looking at branded locations with partners in Switzerland and Austria to help position Lefay as the “European leader in spa resorts”.
“Lake Garda will always be unique in terms of location and view,” says Leali. “But Lefay Dolomiti is an upgrade in terms of infrastructure, with bigger rooms and a bigger spa.” The spa at Lefay Dolomiti is 30 per cent bigger than Lake Garda, to be exact – 5,000sq m versus 3,800sq m – which means an impressive 50sq m of spa per key. “We wanted to enter the market with a property that’s not just a leader today, but that will still be a leader in the next 10-20 years,” says Leali. “Our expectation is that the spa will grow.”
Lefay’s wellness method, which combines classical Chinese medicine with modern western techniques, will be used across the spa, with signature energy treatments that aim to rebalance and rejuvenate the body and mind by stimulating the classical Chinese meridians to activate the energy systems. The Lefay Spa Method Scientific Committee has created five energy circuits for the spa, with different levels of temperature and humidity and dedicated phytotherapy (herbal teas) designed to help guests understand the type of energy they need to find balance again. The area is based on the classical Chinese concept that energy (qi) cyclically moves through five phases, depending on the season or time of day.
The interior design concept was imagined by hospitality designer Alberto Apostoli, whose clients include operators such as Four Seasons and Relais & Chateaux.
Guests can relax and detoxify in the Alpine salt-water lake and breathe the benefits of the salt grotto and regenerate using mud therapy with mud from the Val di Genova, which is enriched with malachite for its antioxidant action, magnesium for its energising anti-ageing effect and rhodolite to stimulate natural immune defences. Lefay has also introduced a range of vegan-certified natural products that use ingredients from the local area, such as horse chestnut, oils enriched with mountain pine and juniper, mineral alpine salt and traditional butter from the Alps. In addition, the spa offers some non-invasive skin treatments, physiotherapy, osteopathy and an a la carte menu with western massages, and eastern massages and rituals.
The resort has been designed by architect Hugo Demetz, who worked on the original Lefay Resort and used wood and stone so the hotel blends into the surrounding landscape. Lefay has positioned itself as a sustainable brand, and the new resort is certified by ClimaHotel, and supplied by renewable energy sources, and controlled by advanced electrical, thermic and hydric systems.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Energy medicine at Six Senses; aroma retreat on Croatia’s Island of Vitality and menopause programming all feature in our spa menu round-up
Top team: Rosewood
Jane Kitchen talks to the wellness team behind Rosewood, and its forward-thinking spa concepts, as CEO Sonia Cheng leads a vigorous global rollout
Everyone’s talking about: CBD
Are CBD treatments and products an unregulated fad, or a serious business proposition? Spa Business investigates
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection
Innovation of form and function in robes and towels is a vital part of attracting the next generation of wellness consumers. Charmaine T Lang from The Madison Collection explains how her company consistently maintains its successful point of difference
Interview: Markus Engel
The CEO of Asia’s Urban Resort Concepts talks to Spa Business about positive disruption in the hospitality and spa sector
Promotional feature: The Wellness
A beautiful pool can be the standout feature that draws new customers. It can also cut your running costs if it’s designed to be sustainable. Mohammed Ibrahim, CEO of The Wellness, explains
Interview: Davide Bollati
Liz Terry speaks to the founder of Comfort Zone about the group’s new botanical garden and ongoing commitment to environmentalism
Research: Generation gap
A new consumer study by ISPA uncovers spa-goer preferences and habits across different age groups
Promotional feature: Phytomer
Formulating the ultimate universal product to heal and defend the skin has taken three years of R&D for Phytomer, the French luxury marine skincare brand. The company’s scientific director tells Spa Business about the launch of the groundbreaking Prebioforce serum
Event Report: APSWC Round Table
Industry leaders contribute to APSWC’s third white paper at annual gathering. Catharine Nicol reports from Malaysia
Family spa: Play time
Spa Business takes a look at innovative spa programmes for children and families
Eco spa: Going green
Joanna Roche and Bonnie Baker share their ambitions for the Green Spa Network
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
