Design

The Art of Living Well

The spirit of a city. The soul of a building. And the intimacy of a family home. Our design approach brings all these elements together to give every Rocco Forte hotel a unique imprint.

We have thirteen very different hotels in the Group, from the intimate, fashion-focused Hotel Savoy in Florence to the ‘grand old lady’ that is The Charles Hotel in Munich. But thanks to Olga Polizzi, our co-founder and design director, all of them combine their individual character with an irresistible sense of relaxed elegance.

Look carefully and you’ll find our design ethic has signature features. These reflect our passions and Italian sense of style, refined and cherished over four generations in hospitality.

Beautiful, locally made furniture adds individuality to every hotel. A refusal to compromise on craftsmanship or materials creates a sense of indulgence for guests. And a deep-rooted belief that design is about comfort as well as style, makes our hotels easy to embrace – and hard to leave

Polizzi, Olga
"The Art is in combining pieces, colours and materials to keep enhancing the spirit of the space"


Perhaps more than anything, our design approach springs from our belief that designing a hotel is like creating a home: it’s a lifetime project. In the same way that the exterior of a hotel weathers and changes with the seasons, so the interior evolves, too.

Thanks to Mrs Polizzi and her team who are continually curating art, furniture and fabrics, our hotel interiors are never static. They’re enchanting places, created over time, layer by layer. So returning guests always have something new or surprising to discover.

I might find a hanging at the Decorative Arts Fayre in Battersea; a vase from the Sablon area of Brussels. The art is in combining pieces, colours and materials to keep enhancing the spirit of the space. It’s easy for something to jar or break up the rhythm of the design. A light touch is the key.” Olga Polizzi

As well as our Italian heritage, we often bring a whimsical or mischievous quality to our spaces, but our design is never overwhelming. Its subtle sophistication creates a lasting warmth between our guests and the hotels that become their homes while they are with us.

Laudomia Pucci And Olga Polizzi

Laudomia Pucci

Hotel Savoy

The daughter of esteemed Florentine fashion designer Emilio Pucci, Laudomia Pucci began working with her father following her graduation in the 1980s. After a stint at Givenchy in Paris, she returned to the Pucci brand, driving its expansion worldwide. She also established the Private Museum for the Emilio Pucci Archives at her family estate in Tuscany. Today, she embraces innovation, maintaining the brand’s output at the cutting edge of high fashion trends, while ensuring it continues to reflect Pucci’s proud heritage.

Tommaso Ziffer

Hotel de la Ville

Born into the Botti family, of the eponymous Sorelle Botti fashion house, couture runs in Tommaso Ziffer’s veins. An architecture graduate, his most notable collaboration is with fashion pioneer Valentino, for whom he designed numerous boutiques around Europe. Many of his more recent projects have been executed in his home town of Rome, including the creation of an exhibition space on the Piazza di Spagna and both of Rocco Forte Hotels’ superlative Rome destinations.