Latest news with #RoccoForte
New York Post
3 days ago
- Health
- New York Post
Seawater-based thalassotherapy is the hottest new spa treatment
On a brisk autumn afternoon, immersed in a 100-degree pool at Italy's Verdura Resort, I admired the lush Sicilian landscape as seawater-filled jets eased my muscles, tightened from long days of travel. I felt I could easily get used to it, and experts on thalassotherapy, a broad category of treatments using seawater, say we all should. 'Seawater is incredibly effective for muscle-skeletal issues. It's anti-inflammatory and also really helpful for skin conditions like eczema. Inhaling aerosols of mineral-rich water in ionized form helps with respiratory issues,' says Dr. Marie Perez Siscar, president of France's national thalassotherapy association, and owner and medical director of the Côté Thalasso spa hotel in Banyuls Sur Mer, France. 4 The mineral-rich seawater at Côté Thalasso in Banyuls Sur Mer, France, promises anti-inflammatory healing. Cote Thalasso Advertisement Dr. Perez Siscar, a former emergency room physician, says that while lake bathing can be pleasant and beneficial, seawater's particular combination of living plankton and trace minerals provides superior results. Rich in calcium, sodium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium, the water in Verdura's four outdoor thalassotherapy pools comes from the surrounding sea. It's combined with a slightly oily, mineral-rich water containing mud and salt from the salt marshes in Trapani, on Sicily's northwest coast. 4 Pools at Verdura Resort in Sicily, Italy, are quipped with seawater-filled jets. Hotel Photography srl Advertisement 'The therapy works by osmosis, meaning that the skin absorbs all the elements,' explains Luciano Porcu, spa director at Rocco Forte's Sicilian properties, which include Verdura, the Villa Igiea in Palermo and Palazzo Castelluccio in Noto, set to open next year. 'Osmosis of marine salts into the skin and warm water dilates blood stream, helping to detox and reduce water retention.' Verdura's 43,000-square-foot Irene Forte Spa features a large gym, saunas and steam rooms, but its thalassotherapy pools are the main draw. Visitors follow a 90-minute sequence, spending about 15 minutes in each of four pools before repeating the circuit. The first stop is the 100-degree pool, where the salt density is 24%, encouraging muscle relaxation and detoxification, and dilating blood vessels. The second pool, heated to 98 degrees and with a 17% salt density, features waterfall jets targeting areas around the neck and back. The third pool, at 82 degrees, has 10% salinity. The last pool, just 77 degrees with 5% salinity, encourages vascular constriction. 4 The thalassotherapy pools at Italy's Valle dell'Erica in Sardinia boast spectacular views of Corsica. Valle dell'Erica In addition to the pool circuit, Porcu says, the spa's Trapani sea salt body scrubs and algae and mud body wraps help remove impurities and intensify the marine water benefits. Advertisement In Sardinia, the Delphina group runs four other thalassotherapy-centered seaside hotel spas along the island's north coast. At its Valle dell'Erica spa, thalassotherapy pools offer sweeping views of Corsica. High-pressure jets massage everywhere from the bottom of visitors' feet to their shoulders. For the most energetic guests: An ersatz pool-based gym has water-based treadmills, bikes, trampolines and foam weights. 4 New York's own Aire Ancient Baths also offer saline serenity. 'The pressure exerted by the water on the body, combined with movement, creates a massage effect that promotes lymphatic drainage,' says Andrea Brucciani, who directs the spas, explaining that working out in water reduces impact on joints, creating safer conditions for jumping and running. As for New Yorkers hoping to approximate thalassotherapy, the subterranean and candlelit Aire Ancient Baths in Tribeca offers an impressively saline option. Among the six pools — ranging from 50 to 102 degrees — Aire's Epsom salt-filled 'flotarium' measures about 35% salinity. The buoyancy, meant to mimic the Dead Sea, provided a restful soak on a recent visit. It was a long way from the vistas of Sicily, but it would do.
Hospitality Net
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hospitality Net
The Charles Hotel Unveils a Glamorous Makeover
The Charles, a Rocco Forte Hotel in Munich, unveils a glamorous new makeover as it completes the extensive renovation of its ground floor. The new design, created by Paolo Moschino and Philip Vergeylen in collaboration with Olga Polizzi, features a vibrant new colour palette complimented by a lush botanical theme, which flows from the redesigned lobby, to the stylish Florio Restaurant and Bar, and through to the newly opened Circle Bar. The reimaged lobby offers a grand welcome to hotel guests and visitors, featuring a striking central table framed by elegant statues and lavish floral arrangements. A curved plaster work by French artist Francois Mascarello on the back wall of the reception completes the transformation, adding to the refined atmosphere of the space. Florio Restaurant & Bar Florio restaurant, created by Italian culinary icon and Rocco Forte Hotels Creative Director of Food Fulvio Pierangelini, draws its inspiration from the neighbouring Old Botanical Garden. The space features moss-green linen wallpaper and silvery olive trees bathed in natural light, with framed prints of colourful plants and fruit. Now joined by the newly opened Florio Bar, the botanical theme continues with the rainforest green marble of the reception counter, two magnificent strelitzias and newly upholstered green benches. The Indian Rainforest Gold marble used for the bar counter, compliments the wood-clad columns that frame the entire bar table, creating a sophisticated ambience to enjoy a drink. In addition to small dishes and snacks, the menu offers a large selection of drinks in the style of the Italian aperitivo tradition, complimented by open wines and premium spirits. Charmingly integrated and separate from the restaurant by two semi-transparent sliding doors, the new Private Dining Room features beautiful parquet flooring in various shades of brown and floral murals. Used in the morning to present the sumptuous breakfast buffet, the room can be transformed into a private dining room for intimate events and dinners. The newly designed terrace offers an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Spanning 200 square meters, it continues the botanical theme. Sitting under large parasols, it's the perfect spot to enjoy a drink on warm summer days, while in the evenings the large floor lanterns provide a sense of warmth and comfort. The new wrought iron furniture in soft shades of green is complimented by cushions in a variety of different fabrics and patterns, creating a serene atmosphere. Two elegant light sculptures by Haberdashery, featuring 258 porcelain leaves, some adorned with precious metal glazes, gracefully complement one another, suspended from delicate strands of shimmering micro-fine threads. Circle Bar Circle Bar's name is derived from the shape of the room and the red steel ring by Italian artist Mauro Staccioli in the square at the front of the hotel. The inviting Art Deco setting offers a wide selection of champagnes, bar snacks, coffee, tea and delicious afternoon patisserie creations. Hotel website
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Olga Polizzi is still going strong at her family's expanding Forte hotels empire
Olga Polizzi says with a wry smile that she has always been defined in relation to her famous family – the Forte hotel dynasty. As a young woman, she was known as the daughter of patriarch Charles, who founded the empire. After that, she was the sister of Rocco Forte, who runs the luxury hotel group of that name, where she is head of design and a significant investor. More recently, her identity is as the mother of Alex Polizzi, of Channel 5 TV series The Hotel Inspector. 'I was my father's daughter, then my brother's sister and now I am my daughter's mother,' she laughs. Feminists might object to a woman being seen primarily through her relationship to others. But Polizzi is such a powerful force she can afford to take it lightly. She is director of design and deputy chair of Rocco Forte Hotels, which she helped create. She also has three hotels of her own: the Tresanton in Cornwall, the Endsleigh in Dartmoor, Devon, and The Star, in Alfriston, East Sussex, near her home. All this, as she approaches her 80th birthday – she exudes the vitality of a much younger woman. Charles Forte, who died in 2007 aged 98, emigrated to the UK as a child but remained a traditional Italian male. It seems never to have entered his head that he could have chosen a daughter to succeed him. He made Rocco chief executive of the Forte Group, then a FTSE 100 company, in 1983 and handed the chairmanship to his son a decade later. Did Polizzi ever wish she had been given the chance? 'Well, not really,' she says. 'I was never brought up like that and it wasn't on offer. It was Rocco and five sisters, so it was always the little prince. Rocco was always meant to follow on. 'We daughters were going to marry someone and they were going to look after us, that was it.' She did get married, in 1966, to Count Alessandro Polizzi, an Italian marquess, and the couple had two daughters, Alex and Charlotte. But in 1980 he died. 'I had these two small daughters and their father was killed in a car crash,' she says. 'Then my father said... you've got to work.' She joined the family business, on the building and design side. In the 1990s, she and her brother found themselves in the throes of a hostile takeover. Losing the family business to the predatory Granada leisure and TV group riles Polizzi even now, as it does Rocco. 'It was ghastly, I was so upset and so angry. It still rankles. I hated them,' she says, adding of the late boss of Granada who led the bid: 'I did an Italian incantation against Gerry Robinson.' Granada no longer exists, but her family business lives on in Rocco Forte Hotels, founded in the aftermath. Its high-end properties include Brown's in London's Mayfair, where I meet Polizzi, The Balmoral in Edinburgh and the Hotel de Russie in Rome. Family firms like theirs, she says, 'is how Italy keeps going'. 'The country is always nearly bust but these businesses carry on,' she says. 'Would the UK be stronger if there were more family firms? Yes, I really think so.' Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni is, in Polizzi's view, 'the only good leader in Europe'. As for British politics, she says: 'I was cross with the Conservatives, but I am even more cross with this lot.' Labour, she says, is 'kicking business to death' with the increase in employers' National Insurance contributions. And Chancellor Rachel Reeves' decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance for pensioners strikes her as insane. 'I was getting it – I pay a lot of tax so it was quite nice – but I would have been very happy to send it back,' she says. But of those who need it, she adds: 'To take it away from other people is just mad. Every Labour government has been a disaster and they have always left us on our knees.' The strength of her bond with Rocco was forged in childhood, when, as the two eldest, they were often thrown together. 'I sometimes have different ideas from Rocco, but I know who's the boss,' she says. 'I trust my brother absolutely and I bend over backwards to help him.' Do they disagree on style? 'On the whole, we have the same taste though he is a bit more glitzy,' she says. Her design credo is to combine luxury with comfort and a sense of place. Not for her the formulaic hotel chains, where rooms are the same anywhere in the world. 'I want people to wake up in our hotel in Florence and know they are in Florence. I try to use local artisans and materials,' she says. 'Everyone is copying us in terms of sense of place.' How does she reconcile retaining individuality with creating an atmosphere that is identifiably Rocco Forte? 'We want to keep the names of the hotels, because some are famous,' she says. 'Subliminally, I try to put in RF on the towels and bits and pieces, but it probably isn't enough. 'Rocco, because he is recognised a lot, doesn't believe people don't know all the hotels are ours. It matters, because if people like one, they will want to stay in another Rocco Forte.' There are openings planned in Milan, Naples and Sicily. Business was always part of family life. Polizzi says: 'When my father came back in the evening, he would put his finger on the front bell and not take it off until the door was open. We would hear ring, ring, ring and would have to rush downstairs to greet him. 'When we were a certain age we would have dinner with him and talk business. There was always a mass of people around him. He always had acolytes, everywhere.' She is less gregarious than her father or second husband, the writer Sir William Shawcross, whom she married in 1993. She says: 'William is very much a people person. I am not, though I don't want to use the word shy because it is a bit stupid at my age.' She would rather not draw attention to her approaching 80th. Like Rocco, who is slightly older, and was doing triathlons into his 60s, the years have been kind. 'We do have a lot of energy,' she muses. As for retirement: 'I've got a lovely family and a lovely husband, but I have never been a home bod. I'm so used to getting up and going to work. I'm just not a lady who lunches. 'Now I am older I would like to have more days off, but somehow or other it doesn't happen.'
The Independent
10-04-2025
- The Independent
Best luxury hotels in Rome for stylish suites and stunning rooftop views
To say it's an embarrassment of riches is no pun. The luxury hotel market in Rome is dazzling, fast-growing, and even bewildering in its sheer number of offerings, with more than 70 five-star hotels in the city and more slated to open this year and next. Whether you're accustomed to staying in these laps of luxury, or a five-star stay is a once-in-a-blue moon splurge, the same conundrum remains – deciding which luxury hotel to choose in Rome is no easy feat. Choosing the luxury hotel for you should be based on a number of factors – which are all considered in this list. First and foremost, the best hotels offer a real sense of place – because when you fall asleep and wake up in the Eternal City, you should be reminded of where you are. Location, amenities and room options are all important but, just as important, is whether these luxury hotels make travellers feel as they should – valued, welcomed and pampered guests. And there's also the all-important question of value – a quality not often associated with five-star prices. Because even when money is no object, at the end of a stay, it's important to feel that yours was well-spent. Best luxury hotels in Rome 2025 1. Hassler Hotel The old-school glamour is heady at the Hassler, which has been welcoming privileged guests to its gilded halls since 1893. Now in its sixth generation of family ownership and with perhaps the best location in all of Rome, the Hassler still has the welcoming feel of a family-run hotel – albeit a very fancy one. As with the rest of the hotel, Hassler's rooms and suites, no two alike, deftly combine elegance, opulence and understatement. Imàgo is Hassler's Michelin-starred contemporary dining experience, which vies, along with the 7th-floor panoramic terrace bar for the best views of Rome. If you travel with a majordomo, take heart: the 3,550sq foot Hassler Penthouse, priced from £17,000 per night, comes with staff quarters, as well as the services of a private butler. 2. Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel Once the doorman ushers you into this palatial retreat, you'll leave the buzz of Via del Babuino and Piazza del Popolo far behind, clinking glasses, trickling fountains and contented guests. Hotel de Russie, one of the top grande dames in a city filled with them, offers all the hallmarks of a Rocco Forte experience: seamless service that seems to anticipate your needs, suites that tempt you to forgo a day of sightseeing, and plush amenities to form a true haven in the heart of the city. The hotel's delightful Stravinskij Bar, adjacent to its magnificent terraced garden, is a gathering spot for guests and Romans alike. 3. Hotel Eden Like many of Rome's historic luxury hotels, Hotel Eden manages to hold onto the magic of a bygone era without being rooted in the past. The hotel first opened in 1889 and nearly a century and a half later, its strong suits remain: peerless service, a posh neighborhood and proximity to Via Veneto and Villa Borghese. If your Rome city break is focused on shopping and museums, there are few better addresses. Eden's celebrated restaurant, La Terrazza, couples elaborate, original versions of Roman food with swoony city views. After a long day of sightseeing, the Eden Spa offers tempting facials and body treatments. 4. J.K. Place Roma hotel J.K. Place Roma is a luxury hotel for people who don't want to be perceived as luxury hotel people. There's an effortless style that feels neither dated nor too modern, where a blend of vintage and modern, bold color palettes and inviting common areas make it a consistently luxe yet homey base in Rome. Despite occupying a 17th-century palace in the heart of the centro storico, J.K.'s 27 rooms and suites, plus a cozy lounge and bar, make it feel more like a townhouse. While a small footprint means it lacks some of the bells and whistles of larger hotels, the 'home from home' feel and optimal location make it a great choice for travellers who prefer their luxury low-key. 5. St. Regis Rome hotel Like other grand Roman hotels of its vintage, the St. Regis epitomises fin de siècle glamour. Yet a complete renovation has fixed it firmly in the 21st century, with art-filled spaces and sumptuous suites. From the jaw-droppingly gorgeous lobby to lavish rooms and suites, guests should prepare to be wowed. Lumen is the on-site hub for all-day, specialty drinks and afternoon tea, including St. R's signature bloody mary, and the scene of the evening sabrage ritual, another St. Regis tradition. Though part of the Marriott family of brands, there's nothing about the St. Regis that feels even remotely like a chain hotel. 6. Rome EDITION hotel It's out with the old, in with the new(ish) at the Ian Schrager-conceived Rome EDITION, a 93-room property that occupies a 1940s rationalist-style building. Furnishings and decor are beautifully aligned with the mid-century architecture, and public spaces here, including a soaring marble-clad lobby, a lush garden and a roof terrace with plunge pool, are some of the most stylish in Rome. Rooms and suites are sleek and subdued, and higher floors offer skyline views. Don't pass up a cocktail in the seductive, velvety green Jade Bar or the more clubby Punch Room. 7. Hotel D'Inghilterra A venerable member of the old guard of luxury Roman hotels, Hotel d'Inghilterra boasts a central location, heady history (Keats, Shelley and Byron all checked in here), and recent, snazzy renovations that have given these clubby quarters a contemporary refresh. But the classic feel remains in its elegantly pleasing jumble of lounges and lavish suites, many with balconies or terraces overlooking the streets of Rome. There are both rooftop and ground floor restaurants, as well as a small spa. Expect the polished services typical of Starhotels, Italy's largest privately held hotel brand. 8. Portrait Roma hotel The pampering starts well before check-in at this 14-suite hotel, with guests queried for their preferences for pillows, bed sheets and minibar contents. Care for a vintage Vespa tour, a cooking class or a private dinner on the rooftop terrace? Just ask, and the dedicated staff will make it so. Spacious rooms and suites are tranquil, stylish studies in grey and other muted shades, and are equipped with kitchenettes, and some have saunas, gym equipment or balconies with rooftop views. The Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and luxury shops of the Tritone are just minutes away. 9. Anantara Palazzo Naiadi hotel Locations don't get much more dramatic and romantic than this, even for Rome. Palazzo Naiadi wraps around a quarter of Piazza della Repubblica, which is dominated by the Art Nouveau Fountain of the Naiads. From top to bottom, the hotel speaks to the history of Rome: there are ruins of the Diocletian Baths in the lower level, while upper floors have views of the Michelangelo-designed Basilica Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri. Sumptuous interiors, a comprehensive spa, plus a rooftop pool – especially rare in this part of town – are among the standout features here. Front facing suites, with their dreamy views of the fountain, are worth the splurge. 10. Villa Agrippina, a Gran Meliá Hotel Staying near Vatican City used to mean settling for a ho-hum hotel, but those days are long gone, thanks to the compound-like Villa Agrippina, part of Spanish-owned Meliá Hotels International. Set on the banks of the Tiber, the hotel has remarkably sprawling grounds that include manicured gardens and a large outdoor pool with sun loungers. A stand-alone Clarins spa also features indoor and outdoor pools and a thermal wellness circuit. Sexy suites, many with glass-walled bathrooms, add to the panache here, as do three gourmet dining options. Despite the temptation to stay within the hotel's privileged walls, St. Peter's Basilica, The Vatican Museums and Trastevere are all just a short walk away.
