Hotel & Restaurant Elephant

An unforgettable, must-do stay in Bressanone. We spent two (winter) nights at Hotel Bressanone, and it couldn’t have been more perfect. The hotel is picturesque, beautifully preserved, and thoughtfully restored, with a real sense of pride in both its history and hospitality. Travelling from Australia, we felt genuinely welcomed and couldn’t fault a thing. A special shout-out to Roberta, who made breakfast extra bright and cheery each morning — she’s an absolute asset to the hotel and made our stay even more memorable!

We went to Brixen specifically to stay at this hotel, and to dine in its Michelin starred restaurant. While we were not overall disappointed, we would have expected a little bit better. This historic establishment has a marvelous location and the building itself is quite like a museum when it comes to history, arts and furnishing. We stayed in the main building, in standard rooms. The rooms are clean, but really basic. The bathrooms were very small and showed some wear and tear. Very few amenities (no shampoo, nor conditioner, just shower gel and body lotion). The Spa is well advertised on their website and I was expecting something a bit better. The sauna was small, with little information about the "dress code" (some people were nude, others weren't), the wet sauna was turned off. I was told there is water available, and I am sure there is, but I couldn't find it. Most spas also offer herbal teas, which was not the case here. The pool area with loungers is nice. The pool is lightly heated. I disliked the fitness room. It is extremely small. I gather it might have been a cellar as the ceilings are very low and vaulted - which doesn't make it for it being airy enough to feel confortable. There is only a tredmill, a bike, a bench and a few dumbells. Regardless: you wouldn't want to exercise heavily in that space. No water in the fitness room - no towels either. The best part of the experience is the breakfast buffet and the overall service. Breakfst offers a bounty of options - both sweet and savory- of outstanding quality. Service is impeccable. I think you pay for the history, the location and the (past) reputation of the establishment. I have been in 4 stars (this is a 4 stars + according to their ad) that provided a more comfortable stay, better facilities for a lower price. I understand that might not be the case in Brixen, but some standards should be quite universal. That being said, I don't regret going there.

Staying at the Hotel Elephant in Bressanone is a truly unique experience. Every corner tells a story, making you feel part of Bressanone’s living heritage.||The Michelin-starred restaurant is outstanding, refined flavors, local inspiration, and flawless presentation. The service is warm and attentive, matching the hotel’s distinguished atmosphere. Wonderful atmosphere and incredibly welcoming staff

Magnificent experience at the Apostle's restaurant. We loved the innovative introduction to the garden with Soliman's journey. The design of the hotel could be refreshed in my opinion. Generous breakfast. The location is quiet and well placed in the center of town. Quick access on foot.

​The communication here is extremely poor. They respond instantly to inquiries that benefit them, but completely ignore messages regarding issues or refund requests. I was told they were too busy with emails to reply to my urgent request, yet they replied within minutes only after I mentioned leaving a review. Highly unprofessional and unreliable service.

Loved this unique and charming Hotel! The many “elephant” touches throughout the Hotel make for a most special stay. Great, quiet location just off of the main area, in great walking distance of anything you might want or need: shopping, restaurants, pharmacy, supermarket. Staff is welcoming and helpful. Style is “traditional” with very elaborate artwork throughout, antique furniture pieces, rooms that are distinct which adds to the special ambience of the Hotel. Gorgeous bar and the pastry chef is extraordinary! DO NOT PASS on the amazingly light, airy, and delicious breakfast croissant offerings…the one with the light chocolate sprinkled interior is supreme! Delightful, uncommon experience!

Excellent hotel on all levels. Old World charm from moment traveler sees outside entrance wall etching of what people “thought” elephant looked like before ever seeing one; hence, excitement over Suliman 16th c. Single rooms small, twin bed, simply decorated, exceedingly welcoming. Get over needing big room; you are one person! Crisp white bedding, spotlessly clean, large sparkling bath. Room 37 (2nd fl), windows open to take breath away view of snow capped alps, green leafed trees, birds singing. Heat/AC not needed in April; mild days, cool nights. Pleasant staff. Two min stroll to downtown area.

The hotel provides such an interesting and beautiful experience. The decor and art inside are exceptional. The pool and the grounds, garden are gorgeous. Breakfast fabulous. Why 4 stars for service ? When you arrive tired and walk to the room and there is no water offered except the one you need to buy for 5 euro... Unacceptable. At this price i expect water and a Nespresso machine at a hotel. But maybe its a thing in the area: you get lots at 120 euro/night places but nothing when you pay 300. Also, a fan in the room would be good. It was 36 C and it was a bit stuffy.

First the good: The sauna and pool area is lovely - but you have to ask where it is. If you ask at breakfast, they will bring you freshly made egg dishes of your choice; and if you ask, they have fabulous gluten free apple strudel and multi seed rolls. When I asked the front desk about hiking areas, he gave me a wealth of information. Now the bad: our room was in the annex. Normally the word annex means a structure added onto another structure; however, this was a separate building and it was October and raining outside. We had to carry suitcases from the other side of the hotel, across a street and along a muddy gravel lined path and up 5 steps to enter the building. The elevator doesn't go directly to any of the floors where the rooms are so you always have to go up stairs - not a big deal for us as we are fit, but others should be aware. The carpets in the hallways were very worn, not at all 4 star. Inside our room the radiator was not working and it was very cold. They brought us an electric space heater to compensate. The room was cramped, but the closet area was huge. There was a balcony that in the summer would be quite nice as it looked out towards a garden area. The bathroom was of poor design. There was no noticeable ventilation and the mirrors fog up with the slightest amount of moisture - so very difficult to be able to see to brush teeth, etc. and the fogging doesn't go away unless you open the door to the balcony - which because there is no heat, is less than ideal. There is minimal storage space in the bathroom only a very narrow shelf above the sink. The only shower amenities we had were one small disk of soap and one small bottle of shampoo for our 3 night stay. We called the front desk and they brought more supplies. The bathroom sink didn't drain well. The bed was way too firm and wobbled when you move. There are no signs or directions on how to find the spa. When I asked, I was told take the elevator to the 3rd floor, walk to the end of the floor (Once again no signs), then take an elevator (unmarked) to the basement, then you find the spa. When I got there, I noticed everyone had nice robes and slippers - these were not provided in our room (robes required for 4 star ranking) and I couldn't have worn them anyway as I had to walk across muddy gravel to get to the spa. Interestingly, the 3rd floor where the spa elevator is located is very luxurious and contains all of the suites. It is clear to me that the hotel management is trying to keep the spa exclusive to the patrons of the third floor since everything is unmarked. I also wanted to use the advertised fitness room but couldn't find it, so I asked, and it was in the annex basement where we were staying but the sign was small and I had missed it. Once downstairs there was a teapot outside with nice teas (we didn't have a teapot in our room - a requirement for a 4 star hotel rating), and on one side was the small fitness room and on the other side was a small sauna and steam room. The fitness room had only a treadmill, bike and multi-machine, all of which were placed on top of carpets which is not sanitary since carpets can't be cleaned well from sweat drips. I did yoga there two days in a row and noticed that that floor was not clean - dirt and hair and the same dirt and hair was on the floor on the second day. The fitness room had no ventilation other than windows, but when it is cold outside it is not ideal to have them open. I noticed on our last day that the whole room smelled very strongly of sweat. In the hallway was a sign and ledge for antiseptic spray - but no bottle was present. I tried the small sauna room - there were two saunas, a traditional and an infrared plus a steam room. There were no controls or directions for the steam room or sauna and when I went during normal 5pm sauna time, everything was cold - I guess you have to ask to have these turned on! I did use the Infrared sauna and it worked well. Clearly this area is an afterthought for maintenance. The breakfast food quality was not 4 star level with grocery story quality cheese and meats, dried fruit, canned pears and other canned fruits. The tart/cake was ice cold as if it had been taken out of the freezer. There were only two hot dishes - some eggs and bacon. The muesli and cold cereals were also grocery story quality. If you decide to stay here, insist on being in the main building and ask for everything.