Europe’s leading luxury hotel brand, The Rocco Forte Collection, has unveiled the details of its first property in the Middle East, due to open in Abu Dhabi in mid 2010.

This will be followed by a 146-bedroom property opening in Jeddah in autumn 2011, a 90 all-suite golf, spa and villa resort in Marrakech in 2011 and a 275-bedroom property in Cairo in 2013. The Company currently has 13 luxury hotels in major cities across Europe.

The 28,000 sqm, 281-bedroom hotel will be located in the district which is set to become the new commercial centre of the city, within easy reach of downtown Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Exhibition Centre and the airport.

The new build property will be housed in a stunning 12-floor curved glass structure designed by architect WS Atkins and Partners, said a statement.

Interiors are being created by Dubai-based interior design specialists KCA International under the guidance of Olga Polizzi, director of Design for The Rocco Forte Collection, and sister of Sir Rocco Forte.

The hotel will be the first to deliver a stylish blend of European and Middle Eastern design to the city, said the statement.

The owner and developer of the hotel is Al Farida Investments, a conglomerate based in Abu Dhabi which primarily invests in hospitality and leisure, retail and real estate.

“We have spent twelve years building our luxury hotel business in Europe, and are now greatly excited about expanding into the Middle East,” stated Sir Rocco Forte, chairman and chief of The Rocco Forte Collection.

“Abu Dhabi's financial wealth and political position as capital of the UAE make it the ideal location for our premier opening in the Middle East.”

The generously proportioned guest bedrooms will be decorated in shades of green, yellow and terracotta and will feature large leather panels behind the headboards, curved modern sofas, workstations with comfortable leather chairs and art work by local artists and the poet Adonis, said the statement.

The spacious bathrooms will all have walk-in showers, large bathtubs, marble vanity units and separate glazed areas for the toilet and bidet. There will be two luxurious presidential suites measuring 290 sqm each comprising two balconies, a large bedroom, a dressing room with walk-in wardrobes, a separate dining room, lounge, kitchen, study, bar area, bathroom, separate guest cloakroom and artwork by local artist Salwa Zeidan.

There will be a wide choice of food and drink outlets with an all-day dining restaurant, a modern Chinese/Japanese restaurant, an à la carte Italian restaurant, a tea and coffee lounge, and a Brazilian poolside bar and restaurant.

One of the design highlights of the hotel will be the Sky Bar which will be suspended on the fifth floor of a ten-storey atrium boasting stunning views of the city and coastline below.

For relaxation, there will be a 2,000 sqm spa featuring ten treatment rooms, two double treatment rooms with a plunge pool, one hydrotherapy treatment room, fully-equipped gymnasium, yoga and pilates studio and hairdressing and beauty area.

In keeping with local culture and tradition, there will be dedicated male and female areas of the spa with separate relaxation areas, changing rooms, indoor heated swimming pools, saunas, cold plunge pools and hammams. There will also be a large outdoor 25m swimming pool and children’s pool with a large wooden deck and seating area.

Designed also with the business traveller in mind, the hotel will have extensive conference and event facilities with its own dedicated meetings entrance, reception area, business centre, executive lounge and lifts. There will be seven meeting rooms, a large ballroom hosting up to 500 people seated and a pre-function area with a capacity of 500 people standing.

There will also be a traditional Arabic VIP majlis lounge for meetings of local dignitaries and members of the royal family, according to the statement.-TradeArabia News Service