Rocco Forte forays in Mideast, to open in Abu Dhabi

Europe's luxury hotel brand, Rocco Forte Hotels has ventured in to the Middle East, and is on-track for its Q4 2011 opening in Abu Dhabi, the company said in a statement. The hotel is its flagship property in the Middle East, the Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi and is the first property within the group to bear the name of its Chairman and CEO.

The hotel spans 11 levels, a 28,000 square metre project developed in conjunction with TDIC and the UAE's Al Farida Investments Company. The property, housing 281 rooms is located between the airport and downtown areas, close to the exhibition centre and Yas Island, and is said to offer views of the city and the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. The property will be followed by a 146-bedroom opening in Jeddah in 2013, an all-suite Golf & Spa Resort with private, luxury villas in Marrakech in 2014, a 275-bedroom property in Cairo in 2014 and a 82-room property in Luxor in 2014, the statement added.