(Abu Dhabi – October 24, 2011)
Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi, the first hotel in the Middle East from
Europe’s
leading luxury hotel brand Rocco Forte Hotels, is now open for
bookings.
The wave-shaped glass building, poised to become a new urban landmark,
will
official open its doors on November 7, 2011. The hotel has 281
bedrooms as
well as four restaurants, two bars, a large spa, stunning ballroom and
meeting
rooms. A third bar will open in December 2011.
With interiors designed by Olga
Polizzi and KCA International, and architecture by WS Atkins and
Partners, the
spectacular eleven-story curved glass structure with green and blue
glass
panels that reflect the colors of the Arabian Sea, delivers unrivalled
European
style. The 91,863 square foot project, developed by UAE’s Al Farida
Investments
Company in conjunction with Abu Dhabi’s Tourism Development &
Investment
Company (TDIC), is conveniently located close to the downtown area, the
exhibition center and Yas Island. The hotel is also close to the Al
Bateen
private jet airport and a 15 minute car drive from Abu Dhabi
International
airport.
“This is the first Rocco Forte
Hotel to open in the Middle East and it represents our most
architecturally
bold property to date. It is visually stunning inside and out. Every
detail has
been considered to offer elegance and comfort to our guests,” Sir Rocco
Forte,
Chairman and CEO of Rocco Forte Hotels comments. “My sister, Olga
Polizzi,
Director of Design for Rocco Forte Hotels has together with
interior-design
specialists KCA International, created a very stylish contemporary
European
design with abundant glass and mosaics complemented by modern Middle
Eastern
art and accessories, to give the hotel a real sense of place. Our
service
quality will match the exceptional design, delivered by a team who aims
to
bring a new type of luxury experience to customers, with discreet and
efficient
service as well as a personalized and authentic approach. We
expect the
hotel to set a new benchmark for luxury in Abu Dhabi, ahead of our next
four
scheduled openings in the region over the next three years.”
“I would like to congratulate His
Highness Sheikh Hamed bin Ahmad Al Hamed on his vision which resulted
in the
creation of this spectacular property. We are very proud to have worked
closely
with him and his team on this project.”
The generously-proportioned guest
bedrooms all have large curved glass windows, beautifully designed
furniture
and contemporary Arab artwork, including framed poetry by Maqamat
Adonis. The
outsized marble and limestone bathrooms, designed for utmost
relaxation, have
the Arabic expression: ‘May it rain on our desert’ أمطر
على صحرائنا etched above every bathtub. The
luxurious 770 square foot Royal Suite has a large living room, library
and
office, butler kitchen and two private terraces.
One of the hotel highlights is
the Blue Bar, housed in the suspended sixth floor of an eleven-story
glass
atrium. This stylish cocktail bar is set to become one of the city’s
hotspots,
boasting unrivalled views of the city and skyline below. Hotel
guests
will have the choice of seven elegant restaurants and bars to choose
from
including the Martin Brudnizki-designed Oro Italian restaurant; the
Oceana
Grill, a specialty seafood restaurant; Rouge, serving contemporary
Japanese and
Chinese cuisine and Brown’s Tea Lounge. There will also be
a
Latin-American-inspired bar, Noche, complete with South–American music
and
international DJ sets.
For relaxation, there is a
luxurious 6,562 square foot spa with separate male and female
facilities,
indoor swimming pool, traditional wet and dry Hammam, fully-equipped
gymnasium,
15 treatment rooms and a yoga/pilates studio. In addition the hotel has
a 25m
outdoor swimming pool, Pool Bar and extensive pool terrace for basking
in the
desert sun.
Designed with the business
traveller in mind, the hotel has a dedicated executive floor and
lounge, seven
meeting rooms, a ballroom accommodating 500 seated guests and a VIP
majlis.
“We have strong advance bookings
for the hotel including guests from key corporate accounts within the
Emirates,
VIP visitors for the forthcoming F1, and even our first wedding,” said
Hagop
Doghramadjian, General Manager of Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi.
Rocco
Forte Hotels is due to open a 159-bedroom hotel in Jeddah in 2013, a
90-all
suite golf and spa resort in Marrakech in 2014, a 275 bedroom property
in Cairo
in 2014 and an 82-bedroom hotel in Luxor in 2014.
 Rocco Forte Hotels
Rocco Forte Hotels is a
family of 12 individual hotels and resorts. Each property has a unique
style,
reflecting its nationality and location, but all share Rocco Forte
Hotels’
trademark attention to detail, high quality and immaculate service.
Established by Sir Rocco Forte in 1996, Rocco Forte
Hotels comprises: Hotel de Russie, Rome; Hotel Savoy, Florence; The
Balmoral,
Edinburgh; The Lowry Hotel, Manchester; Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg;
Hotel
Amigo, Brussels; Brown’s Hotel, London; Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt; Hotel
de
Rome, Berlin; The Charles Hotel, Munich; Augustine Hotel, Prague;
Verdura Golf
& Spa Resort, Sicily.
|
