IN CONVERSATION WITH LYDIA FORTE, VICE PRESIDENT OF FOOD & BEVERAGE AT ROCCO FORTE HOTELS
Lydia Forte at The Charles Hotel, Munich
Lydia Forte is the Vice President of Food & Beverage at Rocco Forte Hotels, overseeing restaurant and bar concepts across Europe. Daughter of Sir Rocco Forte, she focuses on blending local, high-quality ingredients with luxurious, inviting atmospheres in cities like London, Rome, and Milan.
YOU GREW UP SURROUNDED BY HOTELS. WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF LIFE IN THE FORTE FAMILY BUSINESS?
Some of my earliest memories are of spending time in our hotels with my family – they were almost like an extension of home. I remember having aperitivo in the garden at Hotel de Russie in Rome with my grandparents, watching the buzz of the bar while feeling completely tucked away from the city outside. Dinner table conversations in our house were often about hospitality, food, or new ideas for the hotels, so in many ways the business was simply part of everyday life.
The Forte Family in the Secret Garden at Hotel de Russie, Rome
DID YOU ALWAYS KNOW YOU’D JOIN ROCCO FORTE HOTELS, OR DID YOU EXPLORE OTHER PATHS FIRST?
My father was very careful never to pressure us into joining the business. I knew I loved restaurants and food, but I wanted to learn the industry properly before coming back. I worked as a waitress and then worked my way up through restaurants in London, doing everything from front-of-house to accounts and even spending time in the kitchen. That experience was incredibly important because it gave me a real understanding of the day-to-day realities of hospitality before joining the family company.
Early days working with Fulvio Pierangelini, Creative Director of Food at Rocco Forte Hotels
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY WHEN IT COMES TO HOSPITALITY?
Hospitality is ultimately about people. You have to understand your guests, but equally you need to inspire and empower the teams who bring the experience to life every day. I’ve always believed that great hospitality is built from hundreds of small details – the quality of the ingredients, the warmth of the welcome, the feeling of the room. When all those elements come together naturally, that’s when a guest truly feels cared for.
The Donovan Bar team at Brown’s Hotel, London
AS DIRECTOR OF FOOD & BEVERAGE, WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY LOOK LIKE FOR YOU?
No two days are ever quite the same. When I’m travelling, I might be visiting one of our hotels to review menus with chefs, develop a new restaurant concept or meet local suppliers. Recently that’s meant working on projects like Florio at The Charles in Munich or our newest outlets at Verdura in Sicily. When I’m in London, the day usually starts early before heading into the office, with meetings, tastings and lots of emails — and often dinner somewhere new in the evening, which is partly social but also research.
Lydia Forte with the team behind Florio Restaurant at The Charles Hotel
WHAT’S ONE SMALL DETAIL IN A HOTEL THAT MOST GUESTS MIGHT OVERLOOK BUT YOU OBSESS OVER?
The small details really do make the biggest difference. Something as simple as the quality of the olive oil, the temperature of a cocktail glass, or the freshness of the bread served at the table can completely change the experience. My father always taught us that in hospitality, excellence is the sum of many tiny details done properly.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE HONORING ITALIAN HERITAGE WHILE KEEPING THE BRAND FRESH AND MODERN?
Italian culture is naturally at the heart of what we do, especially in our food. But respecting tradition doesn’t mean being static. For example, at Irene Restaurant at Hotel Savoy in Florence we reinterpreted classic Tuscan dishes in a lighter, fresher way, while Bar Artemisia brings a more contemporary cocktail culture to the same historic setting. Each restaurant should feel connected to its city, but also relevant to how people want to dine today.
Irene Restaurant at Hotel Savoy, Florence
WHAT’S CURRENTLY INSPIRING YOU IN THE CULINARY WORLD?
I’m always inspired by chefs who can take something simple and elevate it through technique and ingredients. Fulvio Pierangelini, our Creative Director of Food, is a wonderful example of that philosophy. His cooking focuses on beautiful produce and letting the ingredient speak for itself — something you see across many of our restaurants. At Masseria Torre Maizza, for example, so much of the inspiration comes from the region itself — beautiful vegetables, olive oil, seafood and the traditions of Puglian cuisine.
WHAT’S NEW AND EXCITING AT ROCCO FORTE HOTELS RIGHT NOW THAT GUESTS SHOULD HAVE ON THEIR RADAR?
There’s a lot happening across the group at the moment. One exciting project recently was the launch of the Aquazzura Bar at Hotel de Russie in Rome, created in collaboration with Edgardo Osorio — a beautiful cocktail bar hidden within the hotel’s garden. You can enjoy tequila and tacos whilst truly embracing the spirit of La Dolce Vita.
We’ve also opened Florio at The Charles Hotel in Munich, bringing a vibrant Italian dining concept to the city, and we continue to evolve the culinary offering at Verdura Resort with several new restaurants and bars following the resort’s recent redesign.
Lydia Forte and Edgardo Osorio
WHAT’S ONE DISH OR DRINK AT ROCCO FORTE HOTELS THAT EVERY GUEST MUST TRY?
It’s hard to choose just one, but Fulvio’s ravioli dishes are always extraordinary. At Villa Igiea’s Florio restaurant in Palermo, they perfectly capture his philosophy of elevating simple, traditional ingredients through technique and precision. The pasta is incredibly delicate, the fillings deeply flavorful, and the result feels both refined and comforting at the same time — which, to me, is what great Italian cooking is all about.
Cacio e Pepe Ravioli at Villa Igiea, Palermo
LOOKING AHEAD, WHAT’S YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE OF ROCCO FORTE HOTELS?
Our goal is to grow thoughtfully while staying true to our family values. Every hotel should feel deeply connected to its location and become a place that locals love just as much as travellers do. Food and beverage plays a huge role in that. Whether it’s a destination bar like Aquazzura in Rome and Bar Artemesia in Florence or a neighborhood restaurant like Charlies at Brown’s Hotel in London, we want our spaces to feel vibrant, authentic and full of life.
Bar Artemedia at Hotel Savoy, Florence
Contributor — Four Hundred by Design
