Dolomites

The hotel is directly above the gondola station, so there will be lots of people walking around and through the terrace area while the lifts are running. The lifts close around 5:30 or 6pm, so you need to be back at the hotel early every night. The lift takes 15 minutes or so.

The only other food option nearby is Baita Odles. Not sure when they close. We ate there for lunch in June. The views are fantastic. I just don’t want you to be surprised if it’s more populated during the day than you might be expecting.

The money transfer is pretty common for Europe when booking directly.

Thanks for your reply. This is the exact type of input I need to help me decide.

Since you have 6 nights, if the Col Raise location appeals to you, why not stay there 2 nights and then 4 nights in one of the valley villages for convenience?

Another option would be to stay in the Alpe di Siusi at somewhere like AlpenHotel Panorama or Hotel Saltria for 2 or 3 nights, do several hikes in the AdS, then go to Ortisei for the remaining nights and hike at Rasciesa, Seceda, etc. The AdS hotels will not have the people wandering by quite as close as at Col Raiser and the half-pension plan is something special to be experienced.

This place looks lovely in photos, but, of course, its location may cause some issues. In fact, many hotels all over the world are similar. The owners hire the best photographers to take pictures of their facilities. However, as suggested, staying there for 2 nights is a good idea.

By the Dolomites, do you mean mainly Val Gardena?
Do you want to see Tre Cime? If so, you will need another base further east.

I did go ahead and book Hotel Erika for 3 nights. This will put us closer to Tre Cime and by Lago di Braies
https://www.hotelerika.net/it/hotel-sul-lago-di-braies.htm

After reading comments and doing a little more research/thinking, I think we will most likely not book Almhotel. I think we’d like to be a little more free with coming and going. Thank you all for giving me different prospectives. I agonize over hotel choices for some reason.
Laurel I will take a look at the hotels you mentioned. Honestly I’m getting a little overwhelmed with the different areas and names of the towns. I have written down the hikes we’d like to do so that has helped a little. Any thoughts on staying in Santa Cristina? I’m looking at this hotel. It includes half board so no worry about restaurants. I think it might be a good alternative to Ortisei?
http://www.beludei.com/en/information/index/1-0.html

I do not know that hotel but there is nothing wrong with staying in S. Cristina.

We have twice stayed in Santa Cristina (3 nights each time) and love the smaller village feel. I highly recommend taking the half-board option, as there are only a couple of restaurants in town (apart from the ones in the hotels). These hotels take great pride in their cuisine. The food is generally excellent and one has a choice of starters and mains.

That small hotel looks lovely—-I like the modern design with all the wood. I am not familiar with that location but it is a small place. Lifts go from Santa Cristina up both sides of the valley. I highly recommend the Col Raiser lift and hike to a hut for lunch (or hike up and ride the lift down as we did at least once). We have had lunch at both Refugio Firenze and Baita Gamsblut Hütte; very different but both were very nice.

Thanks so much! Appreciate your input!

Don't worry too much about a direct transfer from your bank. You can use your bank's wire service or Wise. Many small hotels cannot afford to be paid by credit cards. However, do pay attention to their cancellation policy--some are not flexible at all.