Hotel Ambra Cortina D'Ampezzo — Hotel in Cortina d'Ampezzo

Not happy. We got the musty (stuffy and stinky) room #3 in the basement with no air condition (too hot in August) and very little daylight, facing the parking lot. We couldn’t turn on the lights in the evening as there were no lightproof curtains in the room and bathroom and people from outside would have been able to look straight into our room. Since we had to keep the window open at night due to the heat and stuffiness, manually closing the wooden shutters was not a possibility and we chose darkness (we were literally just using the lights from our phones to avoid tripping over our luggage) and noisiness until after midnight over suffocation.

In addition, no help was offered with our luggage and the reception staff wanted to „force“ us to leave the keys with them when going to the city and we really didn’t appreciate the attitude towards us. As you can read, we were very disappointed with our stay and suggest you choose another hotel when you stay in Cortina and please do not expect a 4-star hotel experience when you get there.

On the positive side, the location is good and very close to the city center. Unfortunately that’s the only positive remark we can make.

FYI, it seems that all rooms of the „fashion“ category are located in the basement (don’t let them tell you that they don’t have basement rooms, the rooms are located on -1)

In all fairness, since we booked the flex option, room number 10 was also offered to us but that room was right next to the reception, felt older, was equally small and the noise from the reception and all guests walking past us, wasn’t what we were expecting either.

Last but not least, I don’t typically write online reviews but I want to honestly warn people from making a similar mistake as we did by booking this hotel. A response / apology or justification attempt by the hotel, which might likely follow after this review, can only be considered as a failed attempt of damage control but the experience and opinion won’t change. And if you look carefully into some other critical reviews, you will see that others share the opinion but might not all have taken the time to describe the situation...

I left having mixed feelings about this hotel. I stayed for two nights during the week in August and was visiting the area to explore the Dolomites and do some day hikes.

First of all, the service and hospitality was exceptional. The staff at the front desk were outstanding and went above and beyond to help in every way possible, truly exceptional service. On the first day i woke up early to hike, only to find that my car was blocked in the parking lot. Once telling the staff they were quick to move a car and help me navigate the tight exit. (I appreciated the free parking, but if you plan on coming and going it is not very convenient).

Now for the three stars experience. The first was the room. As others have mentioned if you book through Priceline or similar you will end up with a budget room. I was in room 10, behind reception which was generally noisy and not as updated with no aircon. Also i’m not sure if this is true for all rooms but i didn’t have a shower, just a bathtub, which was not the refreshing experience I hoped for after a long day hiking. On the other hand, i felt the quality and amenities were nice.

Second, and most problematic was the noise. The first night there was a loud party at the bar across the street until 11pm. Worse was the second night (a wednesday night…), when the hotel hosted a party for seemingly college students. There was a DJ playing very loud music until 11pm and kids spilling in and out of the hotel all night. There was a queue of kids in the hallways in front of my room waiting to use the bathroom all night as well. It definitely didn’t feel like a high end hotel experience and it was nearly impossible to go to bed before 11pm.

All in all, the staff was so exceptional and the location is great if you want to spend time in Cortina, however, if your intention is to have an early start and explore the mountains I wouldn’t recommend...

Our group of seven enjoyed a one-night stay at the Hotel Ambra after a long morning of traveling from Venice. Thankfully it was a reasonably short walk with our luggage from the bus stop to the hotel entrance. (The cobblestone streets being slightly tricky for the rollerbags).||Our arrival at the hotel was painless due to the very friendly, professional staff. The rooms were not quite ready yet, but they offered us a welcome beverage and invited us into their funky lounge (with some unique, crazy wallpaper). During this relaxing break they gave us some ideas for nearby activities and eateries; they even directed a few group photos.||The rooms themselves were a traditional style, but well maintained and upgraded, with plenty of modern touches. The only oddity was lack of a shower in my room - instead they had a large tub with a "wand" I could raise above my head. So I took a shower/bath in the morning; not great, but not terrible either.||Breakfast was fantastic, with excellent coffee, eggs (cooked-to-order), yogurt, and an enormous variety of fruit, pastries, meats, and cheeses. I may have overdone it.||The hotel location was stellar as well - only a block uphill from the Piazza Angelo and the nearby basilica. We were within easy walking distance of multiple restaurants, bars, and shops.||But we were not here to buy anything. This would be our last stay in a hotel for a while. The next morning, with most of our luggage transferred elsewhere, we left the Ambra on foot with all we needed on our backs for the next nine days (except food and shelter). After grabbing a series of buses to Lago de Braies, we would begin our 80-mile hut-to-hut trek along the Alta Via 1 that runs north to south in the Dolomites. (But it sure was nice to get spoiled a little...