Sir Rocco Forte, MA, FCA

Chairman
The Rocco Forte Collection

Sir Rocco Forte

Sir Rocco Forte is chairman of The Rocco Forte Collection, the luxury hotel company that he founded in 1996. The aim of the company is to create a collection of luxury hotels in key European destinations. Each of the hotels has its own personality, reflecting its location and nationality. As members of The Rocco Forte Collection, these hotels share a high priority for stylish design and attention to detail, exemplary levels of service delivery and the latest technology. All have exercise facilities and several have sizeable spas and health clubs. The restaurants within the hotels have their own identity and serve food of the highest standard to both guests and local residents.

To date, The Rocco Forte Collection includes Hotel Amigo in Brussels; Hotel Astoria in St. Petersburg; The Balmoral in Edinburgh; Brown's Hotel in London; Hotel de Russie in Rome; The Lowry Hotel in Manchester; Hotel Savoy in Florence; Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt; Hotel de Rome in Berlin; Le Richemond in Geneva and The Charles Hotel in Munich.

A new hotel in Prague is under development and will open November 2008. In addition, two golf resort and spas are being built—one in Sicily, opening in 2009 and one in Marrakech, opening 2010—plus management contracts have recently been signed to manage new properties in Abu Dhabi and Jeddah, both also due to open in 2010. The Angleterre Hotel in St. Petersburg, a four-star sister hotel to Hotel Astoria, is managed by the company but is branded separately. The company has won dozens of awards for both its service and the design of its hotels, which is overseen by Sir Rocco's sister, Olga Polizzi.

Sir Rocco joined Forte Plc in 1969, becoming CEO in 1983 and chairman in 1992, when he succeeded his father Lord Charles Forte who founded the company in 1934. During his time at Forte, Sir Rocco had responsibility for more than 800 hotels, 1,000 restaurants and almost 100,000 employees in 50 countries around the world. As chairman, Sir Rocco transformed Forte from a UK operation to an international hotel player based on the Meridien chain and a collection of luxury hotels including the George V in Paris, the Sandy Lane in Barbados, the Ritz in Madrid and the Plaza Athenee in New York. Forte Plc was sold in 1996 following a hostile take-over bid and has since been broken up.

Sir Rocco was knighted in December 1994 for services to the UK tourism industry and received the highest Italian accolade, the Gran Croce dell'Ordine al Merito della Republicca Italiana, for his entrepreneurial merits and strong links with Italy in March 2005. He was president of the British Hospitality Association (the main trade body for the UK hotel and catering industry) from 1991 to 1996. He was also a member of the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council and chaired the appeals to send the English teams to the Commonwealth Games for many years. He is currently Principal Patron of the charity Hospitality Action.

Born in Bournemouth on January 18, 1945, Sir Rocco was educated at Downside School in England and went on to read modern languages at Pembroke College, Oxford. After graduating, he qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1969, later becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1979. Sir Rocco married Lady Aliai Forte in 1986 and they have three children—Lydia, Irene and Charles.

Sir Rocco is a keen sportsman and in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2007 represented Britain within his age group at the World Triathlon Championships. In July 2005, he took part in his first Iron Man event in Klagenfurt in Austria, finishing in 11 hours and 40 minutes, making him second in his age group. Prior to his triathlon achievements, Sir Rocco also ran many marathons raising significant amounts for charity. His other interests include shooting and golf. He and Lady Forte are both Trustees of the London Symphony Orchestra.

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