Gastronomy as a strategic driver in the hotel industry; the vision of Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences

In the high-end hospitality sector, the restaurant is no longer a secondary service but a strategic asset. Falkensteiner Hotels & Residences, a South Tyrolean group with over thirty properties spread across Austria, Italia, Croatia and the Czech Republic, which has long sought to strengthen the culinary positioning of its Italian leisure destinations through a collaboration with the renowned chef Theodor Falser and a programme of events designed to transform dining into a well-rounded cultural experience. The stars of the show are two iconic properties in the group’s Italia portfolio: the Falkensteiner Resort Capo Boi, in Villasimius, in the heart of southern Sardinia, and the Falkensteiner Hotel & Spa Jesolo, overlooking the Venetian coast of the Adriatic. These are vastly different settings in terms of geography and atmosphere – ranging from the Mediterranean scrub, with Capo Boi beach and its crystal-clear waters providing the backdrop, to the lively Jesolo Riviera, blending contemporary architecture with the Veneto’s seaside tradition – yet they are united by a single strategic vision: gastronomy as a means of establishing identity, achieving competitive differentiation and fostering guest loyalty.
Theodor Falser’s hallmark
The signature uniting the two properties is that of Theodor Falser, an internationally renowned chef, who has developed the fine dining concepts for both establishments. The decision to entrust a single chef with the culinary direction of both properties responds to the need to build a recognisable and consistent identity across the group’s entire Italian portfolio, whilst adapting it in a way that is sensitive to the local areas.
At Capo Boi, the Kento Bay Restaurant & Lookout offers an à la carte menu in the evenings, created by Chef Falser, which reinterprets Pan-Asian cuisine using local ingredients, bringing to life Far Eastern dishes with an island twist.
The name “Kento” symbolically unites Japan and Sardinia: in Japanese, it refers to the concept of health, whilst in Sardinian it evokes the many islanders who have lived past the age of 100 – an expression of longevity linked, in part, to good food. Chef Theodor Falser’s concept fits perfectly within this vision, resulting in a dining experience that forges an authentic dialogue between two great culinary traditions, with local produce at the heart of the experience.
The Kento Bay Restaurant & Lookout is now also open to guests from outside the resort.
Falser’s concept for Jesolo is called PURO Cucina Autentica: a contemporary interpretation of Italian culinary tradition through a modern lens. Carefully selected ingredients, seasonality and respect for the produce define the concept created by Theodor Falser, in a seafront location.
Open to both hotel guests and the general public, PURO is divided into two distinct dining experiences, designed to follow the natural rhythm of the day.
At lunchtime, the cuisine is light and informal, with fresh dishes inspired by Italian and international traditions, ideal for a break just a stone’s throw from the sea.
In the evening, the restaurant transforms into a communal dining experience, with dishes designed to be enjoyed at the centre of the table – a unique approach to sharing in Jesolo that brings Italian cuisine in line with international trends in experiential dining.
A structured calendar of events
The 2026 summer season is characterised, for both venues, by a programme of structured gastronomic events, which enrich the offering, create opportunities for engagement and transform the stay into a multi-layered experience, capable of appealing to a variety of travel motivations. At Capo Boi, two dinner events are already scheduled: in July, Cantina Argiolas will be joining Chef Theodor Falser to complement his dishes, and in August, Cantina su Entu will be taking part. A format that weaves together haute cuisine, the local area and food and wine storytelling, transforming the evenings into a narrative journey as well as a sensory one.
In Jesolo, the calendar is structured around recurring events that punctuate the season at regular intervals. The “PURO Special Dinners” open the kitchen to guest chefs, fostering a creative exchange each time that enriches the offering and creates a moment of novelty and appeal for loyal customers. “PURO La Spaghettata” has established itself as a recurring, highly convivial event: an informal, accessible occasion capable of engaging even those who are not necessarily seeking fine dining but wish to experience cuisine as a moment of genuine social gathering. The “PURO Wine Collection” evenings, on the other hand, offer structured food-and-wine pairing experiences, with a progression that educates and tells a story without compromising on pleasure. A diverse programme that transforms the restaurant into a cultural hub, rather than merely a hospitality venue.

Food & beverage as a competitive differentiator
Falkensteiner’s strategy captures and interprets a well-established trend in the premium segment of the Italian and international hospitality industry: the gastronomic offering becomes a lever for positioning, generating added value and communication. The involvement of Michelin-starred chefs is driven by a rationale that goes far beyond a guarantee of quality. A renowned chef brings with them a narrative universe, a personal story and a vision of food that acts as a reputation booster, even before serving as a guarantor of culinary quality. In recent years, this model has established itself as one of the most effective tools for differentiating a luxury hotel in an increasingly crowded and competitive market. The demand for authenticity and memorable experiences from an ever more discerning and well-informed clientele is driving luxury operators to invest in cultural offerings, not just in comfort and services. In this context, food has perhaps become the most fertile ground: universal in its language, rooted in the local area, capable of evoking emotion and creating lasting memories.

Sardinia and the Adriatic: two laboratories, a single vision
For Falkensteiner, Capo Boi and Jesolo represent two distinct yet complementary laboratories. In Sardinia, the focus is on the combination of local character and innovation: Sardinian cuisine, with its strong identity, its inimitable produce and its millennia-old history, is reinterpreted through the lens of Falser’s Pan-Asian influences, creating an original offering that is unprecedented on the island and which, for this reason, has all the makings of a benchmark. The Veneto coastline, on the other hand, focuses on the contemporary expression of Italian tradition: authentic Italian cuisine, presented in a modern, convivial and inclusive style, capable of appealing to both international guests and Italian visitors seeking quality without excessive formality. Two latitudes, two profoundly different regional identities, yet a single philosophy of quality hospitality, which places food at the heart of the experience and treats it as a story.