Rocco Forte Hotels has announced that its Munich property, which is due
to open this summer, will be called The Charles Hotel, in honour of Sir Rocco
Forte’s father, renowned hotelier Lord Charles Forte.  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. 

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.
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