The empire of Sir Rocco Forte, who has 14 fine hotels in the world and more are about to be acquired, is expanding. They are all in special, unique places, rich in identity and history, exactly like the Balmoral in Edinburgh, the first one, acquired in 1997. It had been built in the early 1900s, the landmark of the city, not doing very well, now the value of the property has gone up five times. The second important step was the Hotel De Russie in Rome, in 2000, a meeting place full of charm for artists like Picasso, Cocteau, it has a wonderful garden designed by Valadier. Then it was the turn of the Savoy in Florence and many others. The group will open in September Rocco Forte House, 11 luxury apartments in Milan between Via Spiga and Manzoni, a formula already tried and tested in Rome for clients who prefer home-like atmosphere; also in Milan in 2025 there will be the former Baglioni Hotel, which will be called Carlton; in 2026 there will be openings in Noto and on the Emerald Coast; Naples will follow in 2027 with Palazzo Sirignano, with 45 suites and with terraces overlooking the islands; also in 2027 a second hotel will be opened in Puglia, larger than the first. In the current year, the group had sales of 330 million pounds, a growth of 7-8%.
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