Byron, Napoleon, Stendhal, Rossini – these are the names of just some of the famous and fabulous who passed through the Italian jewel that is Lake Como on their grand tours of the 18th and 19th centuries. Before them, in the 1400s, Leonardo da Vinci sketched and studied its horizons, and some insist the landscape found its way into the background of the Mona Lisa.
Whether that is fact or myth, Lake Como has long existed in the popular imagination as an effortlessly glamorous escape. Linen-clad summer holidays. Vintage Riva boats skimming glassy water. A roll call of modern celebrity.
The lake continues to attract high-spend leisure travellers. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce made headlines with a 2024 visit. Chanel staged its Cruise 2025/26 show at Villa d’Este. Yet, it has also become a desirable backdrop for social media posting, making Como a destination balancing its historic magnetism with very contemporary questions about how tourism shapes the places it touches.
Into this evolving landscape The Lake Como Edition enters, on the western shore at Cadenabbia di Griante. Developed by London-based Omnam Group, backed by Bain Capital, whose portfolio includes W Rome and Radisson Blu Florence, the project positions itself as “a radical departure from traditional Lake Como hospitality”. That is ambitious in a region defined by grand dames and storied estates.
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But if Lake Como has traditionally conjured images of classic glamour, The Lake Como Edition (the 21st iteration of the Marriott brand) seems to be courting a different energy. Think less silver-screen seclusion, more global creative class. Less Clooney, more Bad Bunny, perhaps.
The building itself has hospitality history: an 1830-built hotel that most recently operated as the Grand Hotel Britannia Excelsior. Its original facade, in creams, butter tones and clay, remains intact. Inside, the lofty vaulting and classical arches have also been retained, forming a framework for Edition’s blend of minimalism and social energy.
Edition creative directors Kirstin Bailey and Paul Haslhofer, working alongside acclaimed Shanghai-based multidisciplinary design studio Neri&Hu, have steered the interiors towards a stately but contemporary Italian sensibility. Marble-faced archways, terrazzo floors and prodigious greenery soften the geometry. A cantilevered teak entrance is framed by cascading wisteria and climbing roses; inside, Palomba stone terrazzo and a sculptural marble staircase nod to legendary Italian architect Carlo Scarpa’s reverence for materiality. A reflection pool glints beside polished brass elevators.
Across 148 keys, including 25 suites, two penthouses and the nine-room Villa Gina, the design language turns serene. Custom walnut beds rest on pale blue hand-tufted rugs recalling the lake. Calacatta marble surfaces and curved Neri&Hu sofas bring sculptural calm. Lakeside rooms retain their original French balconies.
Dining plays a central role in that repositioning. For his first Italian venture, three-Michelin-starred Argentinian chef Mauro Colagreco of 2019’s No. 1 restaurant in the world (according to The World’s 50 Best) Mirazur in France brings a nature-first philosophy across multiple venues.
The signature restaurant, Cetino, offers elevated contemporary gastronomy that honours both land and sea, while Renzo, the terrace all-day dining space, reinterprets family-style Italian classics with warmth and conviviality. A waterfront Lobby Bar serves Riviera-inspired aperitivi beneath a five-metre geometric ceiling, anchored by celadon marble and framed by hand-painted landscapes of the lake. It is designed as much for locals as for hotel guests, spaces that encourage mingling rather than retreat.
A private dock connects to Edition’s own boat fleet, offering curated lake journeys, while the public ferry stops just beyond the promenade. The floating pool is set directly on the lake with its own lounge and restaurant deck.
In a distinctly 21st-century interpretation of Como’s long-held reputation for restorative air and scenery, the hotel launches Italy’s second Longevity Spa, blending biohacking therapies with holistic rituals inspired by so-called Blue Zones. Dry float therapy, near-infrared treatments and hydrogen-oxygen sessions sit alongside a thermal circuit, herbal sauna and indoor pool facing the mountains.
Of course, no single hotel can resolve the tensions of overtourism. But the Edition’s proposition – immersive dining, cultural programming, lake access and meaningful wellness – looks towards a model of longer stays and deeper engagement rather than quick-fire photo stops.
Julietta Jameson is a freelance travel writer who would rather be in Rome, but her hometown Melbourne is a happy compromise.Connect via email.From our partners
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