Region's first Rocco Forte hotel launched

The first Rocco Forte hotel in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region was officially launched yesterday in Abu Dhabi. Shaikh Hamed Bin Ahmad Al Hamed, chairman of Al Farida Investments Company, and Sir Rocco Forte, chairman and CEO of Rocco Forte Hotels, were at the launch. Shaikh Hamed said: "We invested about Dh700 million in the hotel and we hope this will pave the way for future developments and completion of our second phase which is estimated at Dh300 million for Rocco Forte Residence and office tower." Sir Rocco said the UAE hospitality industry held a lot of promise for hoteliers.