Europe/Middle East/Africa Newsletter August 2007 Edition                        

Rocco Forte Hotels is re-branding. The hotel group will now be known as The Rocco Forte Collection. The aim of the re-brand is to reflect how far the company has come in its ten years of operation. Each property is like a jewel, a ‘collectable.’ There are nine properties at this time and soon the Collection will grow to 14, each individual in character and style yet linked by the company’s values of elegant design and attentive service – The Art of Simple Luxury.

With the re-branding comes a new web site, www.roccofortecollection.com with a dedicated meetings section, new logo, new collection and individual property brochures, a CD-Rom with extensive property information. For more information and to receive materials, please go to

Web site: http://www.roccofortecollection.com

The Cape Town International Convention Centre CTICC just received approval to expand its facilities. The CTICC will add a site, which is located north of the CTICC on the other side of the freeway, to its facilities. This expansion will almost double the size of the convention center. Dirk Elzinga, managing director, expressed his delight with the announcement because it means that the CTICC extension could be ready for use in early 2010. Elzinga said, We welcome this positive outcome. This is a very significant development for us all as it gives Cape Town the potential to benefit from the heavily increasing interest from both international associations as well as the corporate sector to bring meetings to South Africa in the Soccer World Cup year.

Presently, the CTICC includes the two storey gallery, a flexible venue that extends the length of centre, two auditoria, exhibition and trade show space, a Grand Ballroom that is divisible into two sections, a roof terrace four event rooms, 13 meeting suites, two restaurants, a registration foyer and a main foyer.

Web site: http://www.capetownconvention.co.za

Marriott Hotels & Resorts will open a Renaissance hotel on Avenue Wagram, approximately 300 meters/1,000 feet north of the Arc de Triomphe. The Renaissance Paris Arc de Triomphe will have 118-guest rooms and is scheduled to open in 2009. The property will be a combination of new build and using the façade and the Salle Wagram ballroom of a historic building. The Renaissance will have 150 sqm/1,615 sqft of flexible event space. Dining and recreation venues will include an all-day casual restaurant and a lounge with an outdoor terrace and bar, fitness center and shops.

Web site: http://www.marriott.com

The Alpine Tourist Commission launched a new interactive website, www.walkmyalps.com, that takes visitors on a virtual tour of the Alps. Local Alps residents from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland act as tour guides. Two guides for each country share about their everyday life and the area where they live. Living in such a pristine area, their lifestyles are enviable – very healthful with clean air, pure water and farm fresh food. Learning about the area through the eyes of the locals is fun. While not meeting-specific, the site gives a great overview of what the region has to offer. The information is separated by country and the maps are great. The website is a handy resource for planning pre and post tours and to share with program attendees so they can learn about the area.

Walk My Alps contains tours, stories and stunning photographs of this beautiful part of the world. The site links up to the tourist bureaus of Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, which in turn link up to the convention bureaus.

Website: http://WalkMyAlps.com

The Rocco Forte Collection will open a 5-Star golf resort in Marrakech in late 2009. The property will be situated in a 225-hectare estate of olive groves and countryside traversed by ancient waterways, all set against a backdrop of the Atlas Mountains. Like all hotels in the RF Collection, the resort will be of a contemporary design that reflects the environment and architecture of the area.

90-guest rooms, 18-hole golf course and golf academy, spa and 80 luxury villas, which are available for purchase, are planned. On the addition of the resort, Sir Rocco Forte, Chairman and Chief Executive, said, We have spent our first ten years building a collection of luxury hotels in key European cities… We therefore feel the time is right to extend our brand into luxury resorts…

The estate is just minutes from the old city of Marrakech and the international airport.

Web site: http://www.roccofortecollection.com