29 May 2007 - Rocco Forte Hotels has signed a contract to manage a new five-star golf and spa resort in Marrakech. Due to open in December 2009, the Moroccan resort is set in a 225 hectare estate of olive groves and undulating countryside traversed by ancient waterways, all set against a backdrop of the Atlas Mountains.  The estate is only minutes from the old city of Marrakech and the international airport.

The new property will have 90 bedrooms and, like other hotels in the Rocco Forte brand, will have a contemporary design that reflects the environment and architecture of its locality.  The resort will include a spa, an 18-hole golf course and a golf academy.  There will also be 80 luxury villas, which are available for purchase and to which Rocco Forte Hotels will provide a full service, including rentals. 

Announcing the move, Sir Rocco Forte, Chairman and Chief Executive, said:

�We have spent our first ten years building a collection of luxury hotels in key European cities.  The opening of Le Richemond in Geneva and The Charles Hotel in Munich this autumn will confirm the company�s status as the leading luxury hotel operator in Europe.  We therefore feel the time is right to extend our brand into luxury resorts and the signing of this contract, together with our own golf resort under construction in Southern Sicily, mark our first steps into that market. We have built a strong brand with a good sales, marketing and reservations infrastructure, and believe we are in a good position to win more management contracts both in city centres and resorts.�

James Buchanan, one of the European investors of Assoufid Hotel S.A., added:

�We are delighted to have teamed up with Rocco Forte Hotels, who share the key philosophies of Assoufid: space, service and excellence�.