The Rocco Forte Collection has signed on to manage the Shepheard Hotel in Cairo. The hotel group will completely refurbish the property to bring it to brand standards, with the reopening scheduled for 2012. The original hotel was destroyed by fire twice, once in 1891 and again in 1952, then rebuilt in 1957 on the banks of the Nile, where it remains operating today. George Freeman and Associates of London has been appointed as the interior designer for the project and British company 3D Reid for architecture. The hotel is owned by the Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels.

"The Shepheard has occupied a special role in the life of Cairo, and I am very pleased that we are announcing a new partnership to help us make it a luxury hotel of which Egypt can be very proud," says General Nabil Selim, chairman of the Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels, the hotel's owner. "The Rocco Forte Collection has emerged as the winner of a very competitive competition. We have chosen the company because of its commitment to the Middle East, the ability of its brand to deliver global sales and marketing benefits while still retaining the individuality of this very special hotel, and because of its focus on producing a good return for hotel owners."