Rocco Forte Hotels is preparing its long-awaited Saudi Arabia debut with projects planned at the Red Sea and in Riyadh, though Sir Rocco Forte, Chairman and CEO, declined to provide specific details, saying discussions remain ongoing with no finalized timelines.
“We’ll have a hotel at the Red Sea project,” Forte told Arabian Business on November 12, 2025. “It’s part of our broader relationship with the PIF, which has strengthened our balance sheet and given us a higher profile around the world.”
The Public Investment Fund (PIF) acquired a 49 per cent stake in Rocco Forte Hotels in 2023, marking the Saudi sovereign wealth fund’s first investment in a European luxury hospitality group. The partnership has remained unaffected by the PIF’s recent strategic pivot toward domestic focus, according to Forte.
“They’re very long-term, strategic investors,” Forte emphasized. “They saw potential in us, not for short-term returns but to help us grow globally.” He added:
“Until you sign something, you don’t talk about it.”
The Red Sea project, developed by Red Sea Global, forms a cornerstone of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 diversification and tourism strategy. Phase 1, scheduled for completion by end-2025, will deliver 16 resorts across three islands and two inland sites, providing approximately 3,000 hotel keys. Luxury brands including Four Seasons, Rosewood, Raffles, Fairmont, Grand Hyatt, EDITION, and Jumeirah are already committed to operating properties there.
By 2025, Red Sea Global plans to open 11 additional resorts at The Red Sea and 8 at AMAALA, bringing the year-end total to 19 hotels. Full completion by 2030 is expected to deliver 50 hotels with 8,000 rooms and more than 1,000 residential properties across 22 islands and six inland sites.
Rocco Forte Hotels currently operates 15 properties across Europe, including Brown’s Hotel in London, Hotel de Russie in Rome, and The Balmoral in Edinburgh, with additional projects under development in Milan and the Maldives. The group remains committed to family ownership and smaller, personalized hotels rather than rapid expansion.
“Each hotel should be special in its own right,” Forte stated. “We’re not interested in just planting flags.”
Forte, who recently relocated from the United Kingdom to Italy, also revealed that Rocco Forte Hotels has signed an agreement with the Emirates Golf Society to promote its Verdura Golf & Spa Resort in Sicily to Gulf travelers, underscoring the group’s growing strategic focus on the region.
