MICHIL'S NEWSLETTER
Lift facilities and future regrets
Dear mountains,
Keep us out of mind.
Keep us out of our bodies, outdoors. Out of our offices and our Excel spreadsheets, teach us to colour out of lines and, why not, teach us to be a bit out of order. At Casa Costa, we wish for nothing more than to be a bit out of mind and go against the classic standards.
We’re writing to you today, 1st June, while the cities below us are preparing for summer, their citizens dreaming of fleeing. Up here, in the mountains, there’s still a bit of snow. Storms are frequent. The forests are bursting with life. The streams thunder past, and the grass grows incessantly – ready to be cut by farmers. We’re reopening our case in the Dolomites, one room at a time. One thought at a time. All doors will open.
It’s been this way for nearly 60 years. From the first day in 1956 to today. And it was a different world back then.
Does it still make sense to be so present? Maybe we just enjoying doing what we do.
Who will visit us – a holiday-goer or a someone who stumbled on us? We’d like to welcome guests who want to get their fill of you, our sweetest and dearest mountains. We don’t care for hit-and-run tourists. We like people, just like us – be they guests, suppliers, or staff, who stay here for you, and you only.
Does it still make sense to put in all the work across the hotel, ensure everything works as it should without fail, time and time again?
There’s only one answer, unchanged from one year to the next: a resolute yes! A somewhat religious commitment to our mission. Hospitality, the fruit of our hard work. We sow, we wait, without rushing things. And even with the hail and treacherous winds, we get back on our feet – because we’ve always been people who are out of their minds.
You read that right.
We’re out of our minds because we want to do things as they should be even if nobody notices – because we believe in their importance.
We’re out of our minds for believing that each room is more than a category – it’s a place where our guests can sleep sweet dreams.
We’re out of our minds because we believe hospitality means more than opening a door – it means greeting everyone as though it were the first time, every time.
We’re out of our minds because we still want to see and get to know people.
We’re out of our minds because, when cyclists return out of breath from the Gardena pass – we welcome them as heroes, even if they don’t wear the leader jersey or have won any medals. It’s a personal victory that no one can take away from them.
We’re out of our minds because we choose to remain here, in the mountains, day in, day out, with its rules, its slowness, its rigour.
Dear mountains – if I see a visitor climbing the Sassongher in flip-flops, I’ll remind them, gently but firmly, that this isn’t Miami Beach. Here, respect is everything. And while the world talks about algorithms, automation and optimisation, we hold on tight to our emotional intelligence, which is alive and fragile. Every now and then, some of us even cry when we make mistakes – and mark my word, we do make mistakes, but then brush the tears away and get back on our feet.
We aren’t perfect. The new suite had three names before settling on a final one because no word seemed quite right. That’s also why, dear guest, this is a letter. It’s an offer – a greeting, an invitation, a wish. We don't know what kind of summer we will have, it may be hot or cold – or even cold enough to require thick and heavy duvets in July. But we know we will be there, and that's wonderful! In Corvara, in San Vigilio, in Tuscany, with our elegant madness. Our red carpet of hospitality rolled out just for your, infusions – no lemon, for heaven’s sake – and scented rose toilets.
On the fourth floor of the La Perla, a door is decorated with teapot lids - one for each infusion served, one for each season that has passed, one for each teapot that has fallen on the floor and broken - now turned into art.
At the Ladinia, everything creaks – so you walk slowly, but your smile is loud and infectious.
At the Gran Fodà, a breathtaking view awaits.
At the La Posta, in marvellous Bagno Vignoni, the thermal waters’ babbling is a welcome white noise.
We’ll wait for you with our aprons donned, our doors open, and our eyes looking out for your every need. If in September, when it's all over, we say “it was a crazy season”, then it will mean that it went well. Being crazy sometimes means just that: looking at the world with eyes full of joy and leaving everything else outside.
Welcome. We’re open.
.m
