Rocco Forte Hotels Makes Two Appointments

Ivan Artolli Named Operations Director for Properties in the UK, Belgium and Eastern Europe and Ken Dittrich Named General Manager of the Augustine Hotel in Prague

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. July 13, 2011

London - July 12, 2011 - Rocco Forte Hotels is pleased to announced key personnel appointments at the company's head office in London and at its hotel in Prague, the Augustine Hotel.

Ivan Artolli has been appointed as operations director for its properties in the UK, Belgium and Eastern Europe. Ivan, who will be based at the company's headquarters in London, will join Rocco Forte Hotels' management board and oversee operations for Brown's Hotel in London, The Lowry Hotel in Manchester, The Balmoral in Edinburgh, Hotel Amigo in Brussels, the Augustine Hotel in Prague and Hotel Astoria in St Petersburg.

Artolli, originally from Padua in Italy, has an impressive 35 years of experience in the hotel industry and is currently Rocco Forte Hotels' longest serving general manager with successful spells at Hotel Savoy in Florence, Hotel Amigo in Brussels and at present The Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.

Prior to joining the company, he held senior positions at among others, the Grand Hotel et de Milan, Villa d'Este Grand Hotel at Lake Como in Italy and Paris' Plaza Athenee.

Reporting into Karim Naffah, managing director Rocco Forte Hotels, Artolli will be working alongside Operations Director Martin Elsner, who oversees the group's properties in Germany and Italy as well as its new developments.

Karim Naffah comments: 'As our brand profile continues to rise and we expand in the Middle East and North Africa, we decided to reinforce our top team by appointing an additional operations director. Ivan brings with him a great blend of hospitality expertise and brand knowledge, which made him the natural choice in leading operations across several of our properties. We are particularly pleased to have filled this position internally, underlining our continued commitment to the development of the team.'

Ivan Artolli will join the team in London to take up his new position once a successor at The Balmoral Hotel is in place.

Ken Dittrich has been appointed as general manager of the Augustine Hotel in Prague with immediate effect.

Dittrich joins the Augustine Hotel after spending more than 20 years as General Manager of various leading hotels across the globe, most recently as General Manager at the Corinthia hotel in St. Petersburg.

Since the mid '90s, Dittrich has held Senior Executive level positions in some of the most prestigious hotels in the Far East, the US, and in particular, South America but he is now, he says, ready to return closer to home.

Conveniently located in the picturesque heart of Prague, the Augustine Hotel, is close to the majestic Prague Castle, the Wallenstein Garden, the famous Charles Bridge and within easy reach of the city's many colorful tourist attractions, making it an ideal choice for business and leisure travellers. The 101-bedroom property including 16 suites has been created from seven buildings, many of which have historical significance, including the 13th century Augustinian St. Thomas Monastery, after which the hotel is named. Several practicing friars still live in a separate part of the monastery, adjacent to the hotel grounds.

Originally from Wuppertal, Germany, Dittrich studied hotel business administration at the Heidelberg Hotel School in Germany, having already spent time working in restaurants and hotels while he was finishing his education. He joined the Intercontinental Hotel Group in 1981 and gradually rose through its ranks before joining the Regent Singapore Hotel as Food & Beverage Manager. He moved to the Westin Hotel and Resort Group in 1989, first as Executive Assistant and then, after a number of other postings, joined the Westin Caesar Park Hotel in Panama as the General Manager in 1995.

Dittrich is married with two children and is fluent in German, English, Spanish and French.

Rocco Forte Hotels
Rocco Forte Hotels is a family of 13 individual hotels and resorts. Each property has a unique style, reflecting its nationality and location, but all share Rocco Forte Hotels' trademark attention to detail, high quality and immaculate service.

Established by Sir Rocco Forte in 1996, Rocco Forte Hotels comprises: Hotel de Russie, Rome; Hotel Savoy, Florence; The Balmoral, Edinburgh; The Lowry Hotel, Manchester; Hotel Astoria, St Petersburg; Hotel Amigo, Brussels; Brown's Hotel, London; Villa Kennedy, Frankfurt; Hotel de Rome, Berlin; Le Richemond, Geneva; The Charles Hotel, Munich; Augustine Hotel, Prague; Verdura Golf & Spa Resort, Sicily. Future openings: Abu Dhabi 2011; Jeddah 2013; Marrakech 2014; Cairo 2014; Luxor 2014.

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