The new chalet — expected to bow in November, in time for the winter season and in anticipation of the Winter Games next year — is to raise at the Socrepes location, where the Ria De Saco ski-slope lodge stood. The latter was an earlier Franz Kraler hospitality project opened in 2022.
The Kraler family tasked the Bozen, Italy-based architecture firm BlueArch with the construction and interior decoration of the new lodge, which will span three floors, two of which are underground to minimize the environmental impact, and will be decked in dark larch wood and glass panels mirroring the sky and snow dotted slopes.
Inside, a sculptural helicoidal staircase in steel partitions the space, its base flanked by a conversation pit with a brazier. Natural materials are to define the decor concept with recycled wood, hand-hammered iron, the Dolomia stone, widespread in the Dolomites, luminescent concrete and colored glass walls dominating the location.
The ground floor is to house a restaurant, which boasts a terrace overlooking the slopes, equipped with a bar counter. A 430-square-foot wine cellar suspended over the main hall will be dedicated to wine tasting and private events.
A regular collaborator of luxury labels it carries at its boutiques, Franz Kraler is expecting the location to become the stage for brand partnerships and activations.
The company counts a network of seven stores in key ski resort destinations in the Dolomites, including Cortina d’Ampezzo, Dobbiaco and Bolzano. The latter unit has been linked since 2023 to the fine dining destination Meta, founded by Gunther Stecher, another sign of the Kralers’ ambition toward experiential retail and hospitality.
