Lord Forte was born in Monforte Casalaticco in Italy in 1908 and emigrated to Scotland with his parents as a child.  In 1935, at the age of 26, Lord Forte set up Strand Milk Bar Ltd, which signalled the beginning of the Forte empire.  Originally known as Forte Holdings Ltd, it became Trust House Forte following a merger and then Forte plc.  At its peak, Forte plc was a multi-million pound catering and hotel business that included The Café Royal, The Criterion, Paris�s George V and Plaza Athéneé, Crest, Forte Grand, Travelodge, Posthouse Hotels and Little Chef.  

Lord Forte was knighted in 1970 for services to charitable and cultural events.  Fourteen years later, he was awarded a life peerage.  That same year, 1982, Lord Forte�s son Rocco took over his father�s role as CEO, while he assumed the position of Group Chairman until his retirement in 1992, leaving control of the company to his son.  Lord Forte currently lives in London.

The Charles Hotel will be Rocco Forte�s third German property, joining Hotel de Rome in Berlin (which opened in October 2006) and Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt (which opened in March 2006), underlining the fact that Rocco Forte Hotels is the market leader with regard to luxury hotels. 

Located in the heart of the Bavarian city of Munich, in the area known as Lenbach Gärten (which lies on the edge of the Botanical Gardens), guests of The Charles Hotel will be guaranteed a peaceful stay with tranquil views.  Ideal for business and leisure travellers, the hotel is within walking distance of the commercial district, popular shopping areas and entertainment facilities.  It is also well located for transport links, being close to the city�s main train station, The Hauptbahnhof, with the Franz Josef Strauss airport lying just 28 km northeast of Munich.

A stylish new-build property, The Charles Hotel is set to significantly raise the standard of visitor accommodation in Munich.  The design has been overseen by Rocco Forte Hotels� Director of Design, Olga Polizzi, and * as with all the other properties in the collection * it will have its own personality that reflects its location.  For example, there will be Bavarian limestone in the bathrooms and original paintings by Munich�s celebrated 19th century artist Franz von Lenbach in the bedrooms.  Although von Lenbach painted a variety of subjects, he is most remembered as a portrait artist of contemporary celebrities.

The eight-storey, Euros 71.5 million (approx £47.19 million) hotel will have 132 rooms overlooking the Old Botanical Gardens measuring 40 square metres, with nine Junior Suites (40 square metres), 18 Master Suites (70 square metres) and a Presidential Suite (100 square metres).  The hotel also comprises an Italian restaurant with a private dining room; a bar; seven conference rooms equipped with state-of-the-art technology and benefiting from natural light; a ballroom accommodating up to 400 guests for a drinks reception; and a spa with sauna, swimming pool, five treatment rooms offering a range of wellness and beauty treatments and a gym with all the latest cardiovascular machinery.

Once in operation, The Charles Hotel will provide the same attention to detail, exceptional levels of comfort and personal service for which Rocco Forte Hotels have become so well known.  

Rocco Forte Hotels was established in 1996 to create a collection of luxury hotels in Europe. The hotels have individual styles, with each hotel reflecting its nationality and location. The collection is linked together under the Rocco Forte Hotels brand, which guarantees attention to detail, quality and service delivery.