Lefay and Marriott, agreement to take the Italia brand abroad
Italy's leading wellness group allies with international network to grow
by Paola Dezza
A union that strengthens Italian excellence in the world. And makes it possible to export a successful model in wellness hospitality. This is the philosophy behind the recently signed joint venture, which Il Sole 24 Ore can exclusively preview, between the Marriott International group and the Leali family, founder of Lefay resort & residences.
The agreement gives rise to a newco, with 50-50 equal stakes, to bring Lefay, the brand dedicated to wellness, into Marriott's portfolio and from there to spread it beyond the national borders. Lefay will thus be the first brand in the Marriott portfolio, which boasts a worldwide presence with over 9,800 facilities in 145 countries (as of 31 December 2025), dedicated exclusively to luxury wellness. At the moment Marriott, which in Italia currently has 100 facilities under management in more than 35 cities, boasts seven luxury brands.
"We are pleased to purposefully expand Marriott's presence in the luxury wellness segment," said Anthony Capuano, president and ceo of Marriott International, in connection with the signing of the joint venture.
The Lefay group was born in 2006 from the idea of Domenico Alcide and Liliana Leali who, after selling the airline Air Dolomiti to Lufthansa in 2003, studied the wellness business with the aim of becoming a reference in the sector, thanks above all to the choice of combining western scientific research with the eastern concept of holistic wellness.
"Our family founded Lefay almost twenty years ago with a clear vision: to create places where wellness, nature and health coexist in harmony," say Domenico Alcide and Liliana Leali, founders of Lefay. Since then, two facilities of excellence have been launched, first on Lake Garda in Gargnano - in 2008, a hotel with 96 suites starting from 50 square metres -, and then in the Dolomites, while three other resorts are being developed, in Tuscany, in the municipality of Montalcino where work is about to begin with an opening scheduled for 2028, in Southern Italia and in the Swiss Alps. Lefay Resort & Spa Dolomiti, which opened in the Madonna di Campiglio ski area in 2019, saw the group enter the 'Serviced branded residences' segment, the first case within a Spa Destination in Italia with 21 residences all sold. Given the success, five villas on Lake Garda have also been built within the resort in recent years.
