The Rocco Forte Collection has signed a contract to manage a luxury hotel in Jeddah owned by Mohammed Al-Issa and Sons (MASC). The hotel is due to open in 2010. The contract was signed in Rome on April 23 April with Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Issa and Abdullah Mohamed Al-Issa. The new-build project is located in the heart of the city's fashionable shopping district on Tahlia Road, close to the Corniche, 20 minutes' drive from the airport and within easy reach of the central business district. The Jeddah property will be the 16th hotel in The Rocco Forte Collection. Jeddah is the second largest retail destination in the Gulf after Dubai, and the hotel is at its center. Sir Rocco Forte, chairman and CEO of The Rocco Forte Collection, said: “I am delighted to announce the signing of this property in Jeddah, our second management contract in the Middle East after Abu Dhabi, which we signed in February. There is a lot of interest in our brand in this region and we hope to build critical mass in a relatively short time. We are very pleased to be working in partnership with Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Issa and his company.” MASC is active in the financial, industrial, food and real estate business. It has recently entered the hospitality business and today is a majority shareholder in the only publicly listed company in the hotel business. The company today has five and four-star hotels on its drawing board, some of which have already started construction and some of which will soon be in operation. Sheikh Mohamed Ibrahim Al-Issa said: “We are very pleased to be working with The Rocco Forte Collection, which is already one of the leading luxury hotel brands in Europe and will make a significant impact in the Middle East. We look forward to working with Sir Rocco to help bring his company's philosophy of simple luxury to life in Jeddah.” The two-tower 19-floor hotel will consist of 159 rooms, with a high proportion of suites, and around 50 serviced apartments. Visitors and locals will have the choice of a 90-seat restaurant and a second 70-seat fine-dining venue. Other facilities include a business center and 700sqm ballroom, as well as a further 1000sqm of conference space. Every room fitted with the highest quality state-of-the-art technology. For those who want to relax or unwind there will be a 1500sqm health club including 20-meter swimming pool. __
