Hotelier Sir Rocco Forte and his sister, Olga Polizzi, established Rocco Forte Hotels in 1996. The collection of 11 luxury hotels is located in the center of European cities, as well as a beach resort in Sicily and now in Jeddah. Lydia Forte, daughter of the owners of Rocca Forte carved out a career in the hotel’s restaurant business. At a recent press conference at Rocco Forte’s Assila hotel in Jeddah she said she loved collaborating with Saudi women and partners and hopes to return more often.

“We prioritized Jeddah, as it is such a hub in Saudi Arabia with much business travel and religious tourism. The city itself has a very interesting cultural scene, which I am particularly interested in and we were able to have a lot of fun with that when designing the hotel,” she said.

Lydia Forte is the Restaurant Development Manager at Rocco Forte Hotels. In her role, she is responsible for the concepts, management and performance of the group’s restaurants. This includes developing new restaurant concepts and maintaining quality of food and service in all the restaurant outlets within the hotels. It also involves responsibility for profits, including cost control and driving of sales.

“It could be said that hospitality is in our blood. We grew up surrounded by conversations about the industry and took all of our holidays and internships at the hotels. It was very natural for us to join the business. As I had experience in restaurant management from running a well-known London eatery, I was able to take on the role of working with restaurants and bar concepts, working with my Aunt, Olga Polizzi, Director Of Design, as well as the Chefs. As such a food lover, it is a role that I was able to be truly passionate about. I particularly enjoyed creating the concepts at Assila Hotel in Jeddah, working with local flavors whilst bringing in the best cuisines from around the world was fascinating and it was an honor to work with so many talented Chefs,” she said.

During the press conference she introduced members of the Rocco Forte hotels including Brown’s in London and Hotel Savoy among others. “There are very few family owned hotel groups and with just eleven, our level of care and attention we can give our guests is unparalleled. Browns Hotel in Mayfair in London and The Charles Hotel in Munich are particularly popular with Middle Eastern travellers. The teams at the hotels know many of these guests personally as they come back again and again.”

Verdura Resort In Sicily

The Rocco Forte Hotels’ first ever golf and spa resort, Verdura is in Sicily. The 230-hectare resort with a private coastline, two 18-hole golf courses and one nine- hole course, a 4,000sq metre spa and four restaurants, is situated on the coast of South West Sicily, one hour’s drive from Palermo.

As a keen golfer himself, Sir Rocco Forte, Chairman and CEO of The Rocco Forte Hotels, identified a gap in the market for a luxury golf and spa resort in the Mediterranean and chose Californian golf architect, Kyle Phillips (Kingsbarns; The Grove) who is renowned for creative use of natural and man-made landforms in the course of designing world class golf experiences. Sir Rocco Forte adds, “For golfers Verdura offers a first-rate experience with 45 holes of the highest design set into the Sicilian countryside with superb views of the Mediterranean.

Hotel de Russie

Hotel de Russie was recognized as the Best Hotel in Rome in the prestigious Travel + Leisure’s 2017 World’s Best Awards, showcasing readers’ favorite destinations, hotels, resorts, spas, airlines, cruise lines, tour operators, rental-car agencies.

Designed by world-famous architect Tommaso Ziffer and Olga Polizzi, Director of Design at Rocco Forte Hotels, Hotel de Russie with its 121 bedrooms, sits on Rome’s fashionable Via del Babuino, between the Spanish Steps and the Piazza del Popolo.

The beautiful Secret Garden designed by renowned 19th-century-architect Giuseppe Valadier, is filled with orange trees and antique roses. The Secret

Garden features both the Stravinskij Bar, one of the city’s best spots for cocktails and classic Italian aperitivo and Le Jardin de Russie Restaurant, with superb Italian cuisine overseen by the illustrious Chef Fulvio Pierangelini. There are also four meeting rooms for events, as well as the Nijinsky Suite with its extensive private terrace, ideal for al fresco dining and exclusive entertaining.

Situated beside the Spanish Steps and Piazza del Popolo, Hotel de Russie is an integral part of Rome.

It’s a fascinating mix of old and new, with modern design that respects the classical architecture of the building. It’s a green oasis at the very centre of the city, where personal service is delivered with gracious ease.

Hotel Savoy In Florence

Claudia Porrello, Communications & Marketing Manager at Hotel Savoy announced the re-opening of the Rocco Forte hotel in Florence at Assila Hotel in Jeddah.

After undergoing six months of renovation, the prestigious Hotel, built 125 years ago in 1893, officially reopens its doors on 13th April 2018.

Director of Design Olga Polizzi has enhanced the timeless elegance of Hotel Savoy, using contemporary themes, hints of the Renaissance, Florentine fashion and the very best artisans of Florence. The hotel entrance and lobby have been reinstated to their original grandeur, with a five meter high corniced ceiling and with two new large reception desks which incorporate caryatid putti on the four corners, representing the four seasons and the ‘Fleur de Lis’, the emblem of the city.

In addition to the public spaces, Olga Polizzi has also created a completely new look for the guest rooms and suites. By reducing the number from 102 to 80, many of them have been completely restructured and have increased in size to offer guests a more luxurious and spacious experience: the Junior Suites, the Grand View Suites and the new impressive 177m2 Duomo Presidential Suite, that occupies its own wing with splendid views of Brunelleschi’s stunning Dome. Furthermore, on the 5th floor, lies the unique two-story suite with a panoramic view of the rooftops of Florence. The Florentine gem of Rocco Forte Hotels repositions itself as a landmark for 21st century travellers in Florence, a worldwide destination with a vibrant contemporary scene and birthplace of Italian fashion.