Forte kills off sale rumours with £2m investment in St David's

Rocco Forte Hotels is spending £2m to expand conference space at the St David's, its luxury hotel in Cardiff. There will now be room for 400 conference delegates at the hotel.

The investment comes just a few months after a rumour that Sir Rocco Forte was considering selling the 132-bedroom hotel, a rumour that the group has consistently denied.

In addition to the extra conference space, the hotel has already developed a lounge which will open on 1 May and will be used for things such as afternoon tea and pre-dinner drinks. A walkway around the hotel is also about to be developed to make the most of the building's position on Cardiff Bay.

The space being developed inside the hotel was originally intended to be used as a casino, but the deal with the casino operator fell through.

Forte again said last week that he had never considered selling the hotel, although he did say that business at the hotel had been "slower than had been anticipated at first" after it opened in 1999.

General manager Debbie Taylor said that occupancy rose to average 68% last year and has sustained that this year, with room rates slowly improving. The average achieved room rate at the hotel last year was £108.

Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 25 April - 1 May 2002