Rocco Forte Hotels Expands Into Prague
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Rocco Forte Hotels Expands Into Prague
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Category: Europe
This is a press release selected by our editorial committee and published online for free on 2005-11-23
Rocco Forte Hotels is to open a five-star hotel in the heart of the Czech Republic capital, in the immediate neighbourhood of Prague Castle. The 101-room property will be created from a complex of five buildings, most of which are historical monuments. The largest and most important structure is St Thomas's Monastery, which dates to the 1400s.
The Monastery will provide the hotel with a picturesque setting of established courtyards and elegant garden squares, while retaining certain areas for the practising Benedictine monks who remain in situ. Key historic features such as cloistered terraces, wooden ceilings, wine vaults and stone arches will be incorporated into the hotel design. New additions will include a tranquil courtyard entrance, accessible by car from Letenska Street, and a glassed-in courtyard, which will become the hotel's main restaurant complete with two protected trees.
The 101 keys of the five-storey hotel will consist of 83 double or twin rooms and 18 suites, all of which will enjoy stunning views on to the courtyards, the monastery chapel and the city's main cathedral on the nearby hill. All of the rooms will be generously proportioned (measuring in excess of 40 sq m), with the majority having 5-piece bathrooms that include a walk-in shower. The suites will include an impressive 150 sq m Presidential Suite and two Tower Suites that consist of three floors, lobby and living space on the fourth floor, bathroom on the fifth floor and bedroom on the sixth floor, with panoramic views across the rooftops of Prague.
In addition to the guest rooms, the hotel will offer the following facilities: 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-cum-restaurant with 130 covers; a 150 sq m function room (with own pre-function lobby) in a protected double height vaulted hall; a purpose-designed meeting facility with business centre, four meeting rooms and two boardrooms, with some having direct access to private garden areas; and a sizeable health and fitness centre with 80 sq m gym, four treatment rooms, sauna, steam room and relaxation area.
Rocco Forte Hotels is working on the Prague hotel with locally-based architect Martin Kotik, a partner in Architects Studio Omicron-K, and London-based interior designers, RDD, who have also been assisting on Brown's Hotel in London. The interiors will be overseen by Rocco Forte Hotels' Director of Design Olga Polizzi and will very much reflect the hotel's location, a characteristic of all Rocco Forte Hotels.
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, key 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.
The Prague property is the 15th hotel to join the Rocco Forte Hotels collection. There are currently nine in operation, with Brown's Hotel, the collection's flagship property due to open on 12 December 2005. Another three properties are under construction in Germany (Villa Kennedy opens in Frankfurt in early 2006, Hotel de Rome in Berlin in July 2006 and Hotel Ludwig in Munich in 2007) and work has recently started on the Verdura Golf Resort & Spa, which will open in Sicily in 2007.
The Prague hotel is a joint venture between Rocco Forte Hotels and Bank of Scotland, which have taken a 30-year lease on the Euro 65 million project. Work is due to start in early 2006 and should be completed in 2007.
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