Corinthia Lake Como to open in late 2028 in Menaggio: 58 keys, three restored villas, a beach club and the 1907 golf course on Lake Como

Lake Como almost never welcomes a new hotel. The shores are built up, protected, and the rare available villas command astronomical prices. This is what gives Corinthia Hotels’ announcement its weight: the Maltese group will develop Corinthia Lake Como with RoundShield and Kervis SGR, a 58-key resort in Menaggio, on the western shore of the lake, with an opening targeted for late 2028. The project brings together the rarest assets the destination has to offer: a century-old golf course, historic villas and direct water access, within a complex designed to operate year-round.

Menaggio, facing Bellagio, on the widest part of the lake

Menaggio occupies the western shore of the mid-lake area, where the three branches of the Lario meet. Opposite, Bellagio on its promontory and Varenna on the eastern shore form one of Italy’s most photographed panoramas. The future resort will be set on the heights of the commune, next to the Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club, with a beach club below on the shore where the lake reaches its greatest width. The Prealps close the horizon, and Switzerland is a half-hour drive away via Porlezza and Lugano.

58 keys, three restored villas and three branded residences

The programme is intentionally restrained. Corinthia Lake Como will feature 58 rooms and suites, alongside three branded residences offered for sale, a format that major luxury groups are multiplying in destinations where land is scarce. The hotel’s living spaces, the reception, the lounge and the golf clubhouse, will occupy three period villas that the project is committed to restoring rather than replacing. The rest of the resort will follow the slope of the land, drawing inspiration from the terraced villages of the shore.

Regarding amenities, Corinthia announces a spa and wellness hub, several restaurants and a private beach club offering direct access to the lake, a privilege very few hotels in the region can claim. Everything is designed for year-round operation, whereas most major addresses on the lake close from November to March.

The 1907 golf course, Italy’s second oldest

The Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club was founded in 1907 by British residents of the lake, making it Italy’s second oldest course. Its 18 holes, par 70, wind along the hillside above the lake amidst a landscape of woods and meadows. The historic clubhouse, Villa Montebello, is one of the shore’s oldest social venues. For Corinthia, adjacency to the golf course offers something no other project on the lake can provide: an established sporting estate with its own clientele and traditions.

Corinthia, RoundShield and Kervis: who does what

The structure follows the now-classic model of luxury hospitality. Ownership goes to the Putter fund, fully invested by an entity of RoundShield, an investment firm specialising in European real estate. Development is entrusted to Kervis SGR, an Italian real estate and special situations asset manager handling over €1.5 billion. Corinthia Hotels, founded in Malta in 1962 and present in London, Rome, Lisbon, Budapest and Brussels, will operate the resort under a long-term management contract. This will be its second address in Italy, following Rome.

Simon Casson, CEO of Corinthia Hotels, describes Lake Como as “one of the most admired destinations in the world”. Philipp Henle, for RoundShield, sees it as the illustration of a strategy focused on “luxury hotel real estate in major European destinations”. Federico Romito, at Kervis, speaks of “bringing one of the lake’s most iconic sites back to life”. Construction will begin once the final urban planning approvals are obtained.

A lake lacking hotels

The context explains the investors’ interest. Lake Como relies on a luxury hotel stock inherited from grand villas, such as Villa d’Este in Cernobbio, Grand Hotel Tremezzo, and Passalacqua in Moltrasio, and has seen only a handful of major openings in twenty years, including Mandarin Oriental Lago di Como in Blevio. Demand continues to grow, driven by American and Middle Eastern clientele extending the season beyond summer. A brand new 58-key resort, open year-round with a golf course and beach club, arrives in a market where average prices have long exceeded those of most European capitals.

Our perspective

Corinthia has long been a brand of grand urban hotels in London, Budapest or Saint Petersburg. Lake Como is a different business: that of the resort, the season, the boat and the golf course. The choice to restore three villas and limit the scheme to 58 keys is the right signal on a shore where every new project is scrutinised. There are two and a half years of construction ahead, and the question that truly matters for the traveller: will the beach club deliver on the promise of lake access as direct as that of private villas? See you in late 2028.

Practical information

• Corinthia Lake Como · Menaggio (CO), Italy · scheduled opening late 2028 · corinthia.com
• Menaggio & Cadenabbia Golf Club · Via del Golf 12, Grandola ed Uniti (CO) · golfclubmenaggio.com
• Access · Menaggio is 1 hour 15 minutes from Milan by road, 35 minutes from Lugano; boat connections to Bellagio and Varenna from the pier