Europe’s leading luxury hotel brand Rocco Forte Hotels announced that its flagship Middle East property in Abu Dhabi is on-track to open by the fourth quarter this year.

The Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi is a striking glass structure encasing 281 bedrooms, with Abu Dhabi’s largest spa, and three unique dining destinations.

Spanning 11 levels, the 28,000 square metre project has been developed in conjunction with TDIC and the UAE’s Al Farida Investments Company.

Featuring a 10-storey wave-shaped tower with a blue and green glass façade, the property will offer stunning views of the city and the Sheikh Zayed Mosque. The Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi will be surrounded by public gardens and an adjacent high-end shopping galleria.

“For more than a decade, Middle Eastern executives and leisure travellers alike have come to make up a significant proportion of guests visiting our 13 existing properties in Europe. Therefore, in response to existing client demand, we believe the Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi will be a compelling destination for such guests, in addition to catering to a wide range of travel, leisure and event needs,” said Rocco Forte Hotels chairman and CEO, Sir Rocco Forte.

Conveniently positioned between the airport and downtown areas, close to the exhibition centre and Yas Island, The Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi combines contemporary Arab artwork including pieces by Lebanese artist Salwa Zeidan with the contemporary and luxurious vision of Olga Polizzi, sister of Sir Rocco Forte and award-winning design director for Rocco Forte Hotels.

Each of the 281 rooms are liberally proportioned, with leather accents and seating, as well as the Arabic expression ‘May it rain on our desert’ etched above each large bathtub, opposite the walk-in shower. The property also includes two presidential and royal suites, complete with balconies, dining and sitting rooms, and kitchen.

For the business travel and events markets, there is a separate floor containing seven meeting rooms, a business centre and a ballroom which can accommodate 500 seated guests, as well as a pre-function area. A VIP majlis, special bridal preparation rooms and a dedicated events team are also available.

The hotel will also feaute a 2,000 square metre spa including a vichy shower suite, fully-equipped gymnasium and yoga/pilates studio as well as a salon.  Separate male and female spa facilities also enable access to an outdoor pool.

Food options include a modern Chinese/Japanese  restaurant, a poolside South American bar, an Italian à la carte restaurant and a Sky Bar on the glass-walled sixth floor of the hotel’s ten-story atrium.

The Rocco Forte Hotel Abu Dhabi marks the brand's foray into the Middle East and will be followed by a 146-bedroom property in Jeddah in 2013, an all-suite Golf & Spa Resort in Marrakech in 2014, a 275-bedroom property in Cairo in 2014 and a 82-room property in Luxor 2014.-TradeArabia News Service