The Rocco Forte Balmoral hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland
Since he created it in 1996, Sir Rocco Forte has grown his eponymous luxury hotel group to include multiple properties in key destinations across Europe, with a major expansion this year within his family’s native Italy. And there are plans for the boutique group to move into the US, Middle East and Asia. LUX?s Editor-in-Chief Darius Sanai speaks to the group?s chairman and founder about new openings, changes in the hospitality industry and what it takes to be a successful entrepreneur
Sir Rocco Forte, Chairman of Rocco Forte Hotels
LUX: Rocco Forte hotels is currently in a period of planned rapid expansion – why now"

Sir Rocco Forte: We had a period of consolidation after the financial crisis and have gradually come out of that and the business profitability increased. We’ve improved the quality of the management team. Generally taking the company forward, it was the right moment to start expanding again and looking at adding additional properties… There are a huge number of different luxury brands within Marriott. Having said that, I think there’s an opportunity for the niche player somewhere, a business that is much more personalised in its approach to its customers, where attention to detail is extremely important. I think people are looking for things which are more individual, more related to where they are going. They want the rubber stamp wherever they go. I think it is going t...