The Rocco Forte Collection has announced that its Prague property is
to be named The Augustine.  The 101-room hotel, due to open in early summer 2008, is being created from a
complex of five historic buildings, the largest and most important being the 13th
century Augustinian St Thomas’s Monastery, after which the hotel is named.

Rocco Forte’s The Augustine will be the twelfth hotel to join The Collection.
Located at the very heart of the city in the Lesser Town, the hotel boasts
spectacular views of Prague Castle and the Wallenstein Gardens. The monastery will
provide The Augustine with a picturesque setting of established courtyards and
elegant garden squares, while retaining certain areas for the practising Augustinian
monks who remain in situ.  Key historic features such as cloistered terraces, wooden
ceilings, wine vaults and stone arches have been incorporated into the hotel’s
design.  New additions include a tranquil courtyard entrance and a glassed-in
courtyard, which will become The Augustine’s main restaurant, complete with two
protected trees.

In addition to the guest rooms, The Augustine will feature a 90-seat restaurant; a
bar (occupying the monastery’s barrel-vaulted double-height hall with views on to
one of the formal garden squares and outside seating on the cloister terrace in
summer); a second bar and restaurant with 70 covers; a 150sqm main function room
(with its own pre-function lobby) in a protected double-height vaulted hall and a
second 85sqm function room; a purpose-designed meeting facility with business
centre, two meeting rooms and two boardrooms, all with direct access to private
garden areas; and a sizeable health and fitness centre with 80sqm gym, four
treatment rooms, sauna, steam room and relaxation area.

The 101 bedrooms of the five-storey hotel will consist of 81 double or twin rooms
and 20 suites, all of which will enjoy stunning views over the courtyards, the
monastery chapel and the city’s main cathedral on the nearby hill.  All of the rooms
will be generously proportioned (measuring an average of 40 sq m), with the majority
having
5-piece bathrooms including a walk-in shower.  The suites will include an impressive
150sqm Presidential Suite and one Tower Suite consisting of three floors, one for
the lobby and living space, another for the bathroom and the top floor for the
bedroom, with panoramic views across the rooftops of Prague.

The interiors of The Augustine are being created by London-based interior designers
RDD, overseen by The Rocco Forte Collection’s Director of Design Olga Polizzi, and,
as with all the properties in the group, will reflect the hotel’s wonderful location
as well as the building’s strong history. 

The positioning of the property in the Lesser Town (or Mala Strana) quarter of the
city could not be better.  It is ideal for both business and leisure travellers,
being within walking distance of Prague’s commercial district, the Czech Parliament
and Senate, embassies, shopping areas, entertainment facilities and key historical
sites, such as the Charles Bridge and Wallenstein Gardens, where classical open-air
concerts are held between April and October. 

Prague’s Ruzyne International Airport is approximately 10km away, representing a
taxi journey of between 20 and 40 minutes, dependent on traffic conditions.  Access
to the underground and other public transport systems are all nearby.
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