Pietro Amato, most recently head chef at Rocco Forte�s Le Richemond in Geneva, has moved to Rocco Forte�s Villa Kennedy in Frankfurt, as Executive Chef. Villa Kennedy, opening on 1 March 2006, is the first of Rocco Forte Hotels� three German properties currently under development to open its doors.

Born in Palermo, Sicily, 33-year old Amato comes from a long and distinguished family of chefs. While still at school, Amato helped out the family business, a chain of pastry shops in Sicily. On graduation, he worked in Italy before moving on to Germany, the West Indies at the exclusive K-Club on Barbuda, the UK where he was Chef de Cuisine at The Dorchester and Geneva where he helped launch La Reserve before joining Le Richemond. While his cooking style is resolutely Italian, Pietro takes inspiration from all the countries in which he has worked.

Villa Kennedy�s colonnaded restaurant, Gusto, will boast high-quality Italian cuisine in a warm sophisticated setting. The restaurant will open out on to the central inner courtyard garden, creating a picturesque and peaceful setting for dining, meetings and general relaxation all year round, with al fresco dining in the warmer months. It will have seating for up to 140 people. A long bar, accommodating up to 80 people, is located next to the restaurant and also overlooks the courtyard.

Rocco Forte Hotels� five-star Villa Kennedy will provide guests with the same exceptional levels of personalised service, style and comfort for which the collection has become so well-known. An additional two hotels will open in Germany over the next two years, Hotel de Rome in Berlin (opening Autumn 2006) and a yet to be named Munich property (opening Spring 2007), making Rocco Forte Hotels the country�s market leader with regard to luxury hotels.

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For further information and images, please contact:

Sue Heady Nicole Mitchell Head of Media Relations Media Relations Manager Tel: 020 7766 3107 Tel: 020 7766 3116 Email: sueheady@rfhotels.com Email: nicolemitchell@rfhotels.com

NOTES FOR EDITORS

Rocco Forte Hotels was established in 1996 to create a collection of luxury hotels in Europe. The hotels have individual styles, with each hotel reflecting its nationality and location. The collection is linked together under the Rocco Forte Hotels brand, which guarantees attention to detail, quality and service delivery.

The Rocco Forte Hotels collection includes: - Hotel de Russie, Rome - Hotel Savoy, Florence - The Balmoral, Edinburgh - The St David�s Hotel & Spa, Cardiff - The Lowry Hotel, Manchester - Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg - Hotel Amigo, Brussels - Le Richemond, Geneva - Brown�s Hotel, London - Ch�teau de Bagnols, en Beaujolais (managed on behalf of Lady Hamlyn)

Future openings:

Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt � 1 March 2006 Hotel de Rome, Berlin � Autumn 2006 Munich � Spring 2007 Prague - 2007 Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily � 2008

For further information and online reservations, please visit the Rocco Forte Hotels website: www.roccofortehotels.com.

Angleterre Hotel, St Petersburg, is a deluxe four-star sister to Hotel Astoria. For information and reservations, please visit www.angleterrehotel.com.