CAIRO: Rocco Forte Hotels will help refurbish and then operate the Luxor Hotel in Egypt as a luxury hotel starting 2013, according to a statement. The hotel is owned by the Egyptian government through the Egyptian Endowments Authority (EEA) and Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH). The company signed a similar contract in 2009 to manage The Shepheard Hotel in Cairo. Sir Rocco Forte, chairman and CEO of Rocco Forte Hotels, said: “When this historic Luxor property joins Rocco Forte Hotels in 2013, following an extensive renovation, it will be one of the region's leading luxury hotels.” This is the fifth management contract secured by Rocco Forte Hotels, whose expansion plans focus on the Middle East and North Africa. The company has signed contracts to operate properties in Cairo, Marrakech, Jeddah and Abu Dhabi, which will open this year. The 82-room Luxor Hotel is currently closed and scheduled to open mid 2013 following the extensive refurbishment. George Freeman and Associates of London have been appointed as the interior designers for the project and British company 3D Reid for architecture. The EEA is the majority shareholder of the Luxor Hotel, and owns significant assets, mostly buildings and land, which have either been bequeathed to the state or have been taken over by the government because the ownership can not be identified. According to the statement, the income which EEA derives from its assets goes to help the poor and support education projects and other good causes. EGOTH, a subsidiary of the Holding Company of Tourism, Hotels and Cinema (HOTAC), owns nine historic hotels and 20 contemporary hotels in prominent locations across Egypt. –Daily News Egypt
