Ama Stay: the hotel in the Dolomites to do smart work, with upscale cuisine

Co-working spaces with workstations, lounge area, conference rooms and everything technological needed to have an office away from home: we are in a hotel in the Dolomites, and here doing smart working becomes a real pleasure. The unusual and innovative proposal of Ama Stay.

The location

San Vigilio di Marebbe is a historic village in the Dolomites: from here, visitors have access to the Fanes-Senes-Braies Nature Parks and the Puez-Odle group; its connection to the wonderful 'panettone' of Plan de Corones makes it a top destination for alpine skiing. Winter sports and summer activities of all kinds, clean air and tranquillity, make San Vigilio an essential stop for mountain lovers.

Ladin is spoken up here, even before the local German dialect, the one that Markus Promberger, general manager of Ama Stay, speaks with his parents, who passed on to him energy and entrepreneurial spirit, after running a mountain hut among the slopes for twenty-five years, always active and helpful without paying too much attention to the time spent working. Markus, a brilliant 35-year-old, has shaped a hospitality that resembles himself, based on listening to the guest, and a bit against the tide.

The facility

The project, created with the sponsorship of Funivie di San Vigilio, starts with its name: love ("amare" in Italian) and stay, even when there's work to be done: 39 double rooms, 39 studios and 17 apartments in large spaces, designed with the idea that vacation and work can be happily combined in the right environment. That's why co-working spaces with workstations, lounge area, conference rooms and everything technological needed to have an office away from home - strongly desired by Promberger even in the face of architects' doubts - work.

Here, where everyone by practice - as Markus explained to us - is on a first-name basis, guests have an average age under forty, and there is nothing to prevent them from spending the mornings skiing or hiking and the afternoons engaging in emails and meetings. Flexibility, then, tailor-made thanks to a hospitality concept that makes it easily doable.

The enlightened vision of Promberger, a staunch perfectionist, extends to the facility's staff, who is adequate in number to support no more than 40 hours of work per week; this is so that people can live harmoniously in contact with guests, without feeling the stress of those who find themselves running all the time, first getting exhausted, and then being busy recovering, without ever being able to enjoy the beauty of their surroundings.

And speaking of the surrounding area, Promberger's intentions are to become a landmark for the local population, with a hotel that will not compete with other establishments, but can stay open and offer year-round business, starting in the spring of 2025, also targeting business customers (since one-third of the turnover comes from companies that choose Ama Stay for their wide-ranging meetings).

It goes without saying that a major spa cannot be missing here, spread over 700 square meters, with an infinity pool on the rooftop, from which there is a magnificent view, relaxation areas, a large fitness area, panoramic sauna: in other words, everything needed to make it an excellent spa.

What's to eat at Ama Stay

Similarly, the gastronomic side, in such a conception of hospitality, was bound to play a strategic role, with significant numbers and high quality achieved, thanks to a very young chef such as Marco De Benedictis across restaurant and bistro, both open to the non-resident public, with the latter usable throughout the day, from morning coffee to an after-dinner cocktail: supporting in the dining room, the talented maître Elmar Feichter.

Originally from Bari, De Benedictis spent his youth in Puglia, gained several experiences, and finally arrived in the kitchen with Herbert Hintner, the solid master of Zur Rose in Eppan (and Markus' uncle). His cooking is centered on a high level of raw material, combined with a tried-and-true technique, despite the fact that he is only in his early 30s: South Tyrol is always among ingredients, but there's no desire here to mimic cuisines that are already widely inflated in the region.

That is why you will also find a nice Mediterranean note in his dishes, which is combined with what the chef finds locally from farmers and producers in season. Simplicity of expression should never be lacking, just as there should be no more than three or four basic ingredients, which shall strike in both character and taste.

They range from excellent veal battuta with zucchini chips, Pecorino cheese and flaxseed crackers, to brain food, tasty red apple carpaccio, Arctic char, Alta Badia cheese, walnuts and Bolzano sauce. Really tasty "Acquerello rice" with beet, Mazara del Vallo red shrimp, raspberries, Pecorino cheese and salted hazelnuts, as well as the exquisite dried pear "bottoni", filled pasta, with CaRuBlu cheese from Degust refiner, roasted eggplant, walnuts and red currants.

The tender, flavorful veal tenderloin accompanied by green beans, chickpeas, cardoncelli mushrooms, earth roots and its jus is worth tasting. Very good among the desserts is the cheesecake with figs, walnut and orange waffle, and coconut and date sorbet.