Tyrol is one of Austria’s most popular vacation destinations — and it is not just a dream for its landscapes. With nearly 20 MICHELIN-Starred restaurants, the Land of Mountains also holds its own at the culinary level. Many of the region’s leading hotels — often family-run — stand out with fine-dining restaurants designed to impress epicureans.
The evolution of Tyrol as a tourism hub has led to remarkable improvements in both hospitality and gastronomy. While some properties once leaned too heavily on rustic décor, today’s top hotels seamlessly combine alpine style with contemporary design and expansive spa facilities.
In the past, French cuisine set the standard for fine-dining restaurants in Tyrol’s luxury hotels. Since the turn of the millennium, however, local products and traditions have increasingly taken center stage, refined with modern techniques.
This shift is closely tied to Martin Sieberer. In 1996, he became Chef of the Paznaunerstube at the newly opened five-star Trofana Royal in Ischgl. He believed Tyrolean cuisine was worthy of Stars — and proved it when he earned the restaurant’s first MICHELIN Star in 2005.
Hotel Trofana Royal Resort
Ischgl, Austria
Style: Contemporary, Classic
Atmosphere: Vibrant
At the MICHELIN-Starred Paznaunerstube, Chef Martin Sieberer works alongside his sons, Thomas and Michael, to combine regional roots with international inspiration. For a deeply Tyrolean experience, guests can visit Heimatbühne at the Trofana Royal, where the focus is exclusively on local ingredients.
At the Paznaunerstube, diners can choose daily from three menus, each spanning four to eight courses: the Surprise Menu, the internationally inspired Royal Menu and a vegetarian menu. Day-to-day kitchen operations are now overseen by his sons, giving Martin more time with guests. “It brings me joy to share the quality of our products and the philosophy of alpine cuisine,” he says. He also teaches cooking classes for the hotel’s guests.
It is not only the cuisine that earns top marks — the Royal Spa, spanning 2,500 square meters, leaves little to be desired.
Gourmethotel Yscla
Ischgl. Austria
Style: Modern Design
Atmosphere: Vibrant
Alongside Lech am Arlberg, Ischgl has steadily established itself as a culinary hub in western Austria. Since 2007, Chef Benjamin Parth has played a key role in this rise. As head of the two MICHELIN-Starred Stüva, he has consistently placed the restaurant among the country’s gastronomic elite. His style: classic French-influenced cuisine, reinterpreted with modern flair and executed at the highest technical level. “Sauces therefore hold a special place for us,” says Austria’s 2019 Chef of the Year. “For me, French cuisine and its typical products set the standard in gastronomy.”
At Space 73, Parth serves exquisite snacks and finger foods, while Bistro Guxa focuses on alpine classics such as fondue and Tyrolean Käsespätzle.
The modern, elegant boutique hotel Yscla, with just 32 rooms, offers a sense of calm in the otherwise bustling winter resort of Ischgl.
Interalpen Hotel Tyrol
Telfs-Buchen, Austria
Style: Contemporary Classic
Atmosphere: Vibrant
Set in an idyllic location high above sunny Seefeld, the Interalpen Hotel Tyrol offers 282 rooms and suites in timeless elegance. It is home to one of the largest spas in the Alps, featuring an extensive program of sports and treatments. A nine-hole golf course lies within sight of the hotel.
At the hotel’s MICHELIN-Starred Interalpen Chef’s Table, fine dining becomes an immersive front-row experience: chefs both serve and explain the dishes, while between courses guests can stroll through the open kitchen and watch the team at work. For the past 13 years, Mario Döring has led the kitchen of this imposing property, creating seven-course menus that spotlight top-quality products from around the world as well as seasonal ingredients from Tyrol. “We focus strongly on the main product and build the dishes around it,” he says. “But what grows here in Seefeld also makes its way into our menus with the seasons.”
In total, the hotel offers guests four restaurants and two bars.
Schlosshotel Fiss
Fiss, Austria
Style: Modern design
Atmosphere: Lively
Fiss may not be as well-known as Ischgl or Lech, but the Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis region has no shortage of scenic beauty or top hotels for discerning travelers. The Domenig family’s Schlosshotel Fiss stands out with its many amenities for families with children—something rather unusual for a hotel in this category. The property’s history as a hunting lodge is still hinted at through subtle stylistic nods, while the rooms themselves are fully modern and thoughtfully designed.
The Schlosshotel Fiss’ Beef Club, a Michelin-starred restaurant, is a destination for meat lovers—with some surprising alternatives. Executive chef Matthias Seidel describes the concept as an “old-school rotisserie with an Alpine-Asian twist.” On the Green Egg grill, he prepares prime cuts of Wagyu beef, Duroc pork, lamb, and duck, as well as halibut and shrimp. “We’ve built extensive expertise in grilling, but we can do more,” Seidel says, also offering a plant-based concept and crafting vegetarian menus with his team.
Hotel Tannenhof
St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria
Style: Modern design
Atmosphere: Lively
As a boutique hotel with seven suites, a refined spa, and a staff of 24, the Tannenhof is a carefully designed retreat for discerning guests. At the two-Michelin-Starred Tannenhof restaurant, executive chef Dennis Illies pursues his concept, “Taste the Alps, discover the world,” with a globally inspired, creative cuisine. His gourmet menus are rooted in alpine ingredients, elevated with flavors and techniques from around the world into delicate works of culinary art.
For now, he deliberately pulls back on Asian influences. “Everyone’s doing that these days. The culinary world is big enough to keep discovering new things,” Illies says. À la carte, he favors a sharing concept with many small dishes—casual, social, and unpretentious. It’s fine dining without formality, focused instead on the pure joy of tasting and savoring.
Hotel Gletscherblick
St. Anton am Arlberg, Austria
Style: Modern design
Atmosphere: Lively
The Jehle-Kathrein family’s hotel, designed in an elegant country-house style, offers a range of accommodations: rooms, suites, apartments, or a spacious chalet—whatever fits the size of your travel group. The property is rich in decorative elements crafted by artists and artisans, giving the hotel a unique, cozy character. Children’s needs are also well catered for, including the “kids’ menus” created by executive chef Paul Markovics.
Markovics is also behind the hotel’s first MICHELIN Star for its fine-dining restaurant, Alpin Gourmet Stube. “I place great importance on sourcing ingredients from Tyrol or Vorarlberg; the quality is exceptional,” he says, seeing himself as a supporter of quality-focused producers. “Of course, I also want to delight guests with creative cuisine. I enjoy incorporating Japanese flavors—they give the dishes a special touch.” Wine pairings for his menus are handled by none other than Sandra Jehle, the proprietor of this welcoming family-run establishment.
Spa Hotel Jagdhof
Neustift im Stubaital, AustriaStyle: Traditional elegance
Atmosphere: Lively
With 70 rooms, suites, and villas, the Spa Hotel Jagdhof in Neustift in the Stubai Valley is a luxury resort of manageable size. The mix of modern and traditional design elements in the interior is a hallmark of the property. Culinary offerings also reflect a house specialty: game from the surrounding valleys and mountains. Host Alban Pfurtscheller is a hunter himself, and the hotel has its own hunting grounds. Guests can enjoy a variety of game dishes, with venison, chamois, and roe deer regularly featured on the menu.
“Even though we are deeply rooted in our region, we are also globally minded,” Pfurtscheller explains. “We offer top-quality products from around the world: seafood from Brittany, white truffles from Piedmont, Canadian lobster, and Jamón Ibérico.” The hotel’s culinary approach is thoughtfully structured across three concepts—jCuisine, jBalance, and jGourmet, the latter earning a MICHELIN Star for the Hubertusstube. Equally well-conceived are the spa and wellness offerings, designed to guide guests toward a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.
Das Central
Sölden, AustriaStyle: Contemporary classic
Atmosphere: Lively
Sölden’s top hotel is a haven for gourmets, not just for its well-stocked wine cellar of 30,000 bottles, but also for its new “Summit Spa” on the rooftop, complete with an infinity pool offering panoramic views of the Ötztal Alps’ numerous 3,000-meter peaks—one of many quality statements of the property.
The return of Stefan Speiser as executive chef brought fresh energy and, for the first time, a MICHELIN Star to the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant, Ötztaler Stube. Previously, Speiser earned MICHELIN Stars as head chef at two renowned Vienna restaurants, Opus and Apron, perfecting his technique along the way.
“We already focus on regional ingredients, using them to create aromatic, creative accents,” Speiser explains. “Overall, our cooking is varied, globally inspired, and always features top-quality products. Lately, we’ve placed special emphasis on health-conscious cuisine, including a vegetarian menu.”
At Hotel Central, the kitchen does more than pickling, fermenting, and preserving. It also produces non-alcoholic beverages and its own wine: the “Pino 3000,” which matures in the spectacular mountaintop restaurant “ice Q” at 3,048 meters on the Gaislachkogel, famously known as a filming location for the James Bond movie Spectre.
Schlosshotel Ischgl
Ischgl, Austria
Style: Modern design
Atmosphere: Lively
Schlosshotel Ischgl impresses with a modern, minimalist interpretation of alpine-inspired design. Its MICHELIN-Starred restaurant, Schlossherrnstube, is devoted to classic French cuisine. “I learned this at Hans Haas’ Tantris and Heinz Winkler’s Residenz Winkler,” admits Tyrolean chef Patrick Raas, who spent 20 years in Germany’s fine-dining scene, clearly aligning himself with classical techniques. Guests who love traditional delicacies are in for a treat: truffles, caviar, halibut, sea bass, slipper lobsters, and wild-caught lobster are all prepared and served at the highest level.
Another standout feature draws many visitors: the hotel’s wine cellar houses arguably Austria’s largest champagne collection, aging to perfection. Those who want to enjoy these treasures beyond the restaurant can also visit the hotel’s Champagne Hut or Champagne Club.
This is quintessential Tyrol: a place that not only knows how to savor the finest things but also how to celebrate life with style and joy.
Hero Image: Terrace at the Hotel Tannenhof in St. Anton am Arlberg © Felix L. Steck
