The hotelier who opened Nobu Hotel Marbella returns to the resort eight years later, following a career at Rocco Forte Hotels, where he led the opening of The Carlton, Milan.
Puente Romano Marbella announces the appointment of Francesco Roccato as its new General Manager, a position he has held since 1 October 2026. Roccato thus returns to the resort where, in 2016, he served as Opening General Manager of Nobu Hotel Marbella, playing a key role in launching the first Nobu hotel on the Iberian Peninsula.
Daniel Shamoon, co-owner of Puente Romano Marbella, said: “I am delighted to welcome Francesco back to our resort, and I look forward to him bringing his energy, leadership skills and international perspective to Puente Romano Marbella”.
Roccato joins Puente Romano Marbella from Rocco Forte Hotels, the group where he has spent the last eight years of his career and where he most recently served as General Manager for Northern Italy. In this role, he was responsible for the group’s hotels and its new openings in Rome, Florence and Milan. His previous senior positions include General Manager of Hotel de la Ville and Rocco Forte House, in Rome, as well as of Hotel Savoy, in Florence. During his tenure, both hotels were awarded the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star distinction. He subsequently led the opening of The Carlton in November 2025. Hotel de la Ville and The Carlton each hold two MICHELIN Keys, a distinction that The Carlton earned in its first year, as part of the hotel selection in the MICHELIN Guide 2026.
Born in Turin, Roccato left Italy to broaden his education and open himself to new experiences, and studied at the Culinary Institute of Canada. It was there that he began his professional career as a chef in 1995. He later moved into food and beverage management and, subsequently, general management. He has outstanding experience in managing multiple hotel properties, a track record that is particularly relevant to Puente Romano Marbella, a resort that comprises two hotels: Puente Romano Hotel and Nobu Hotel Marbella. His culinary background and experience in food and beverage management will also be key for a complex that is home to more than 20 restaurants and bars, including renowned international gastronomic brands.
His career has taken him to work in Canada, Bermuda, Spain, the United States and the United Kingdom. His previous General Manager roles include Hotel Lungarno, owned by the Ferragamo family and located in Florence, and The Franklin, in London, both members of Small Luxury Hotels of the World during his time leading the properties.
Roccato brings to Puente Romano Marbella the refinement, attention to detail and deep knowledge of the destination that have characterised his international career, together with first-hand knowledge of the resort, Marbella and the south of Spain.
His appointment reflects the resort’s commitment to service excellence and to further consolidating its position as one of Europe’s most recognised hotel destinations, with the aim of becoming an international benchmark in hospitality. At the helm of this new phase, he will lead a multi-year investment programme covering the suites, the food and beverage offering and the sports facilities of Puente Romano Marbella. This opens a new chapter for the resort, recognised for its pioneering role in innovation within the European hotel sector.
Francesco Roccato said: “It is a true honour to return to Puente Romano Marbella and begin this exciting new chapter alongside a fantastic, highly motivated team. Determination, passion, resilience and integrity, together with elegance, spontaneity and empathy, will ensure that Puente Romano Marbella continues to stand out internationally and becomes ever more firmly established as a benchmark among the world’s most iconic luxury and lifestyle resorts”.
A member of The Leading Hotels of the World and recipient of numerous industry awards, including Best Lifestyle Hotel and Best Resort in Spain, Best Spa in Europe and Best Signature Suite 2026, Puente Romano Marbella is an experiential destination overlooking the Mediterranean. Designed in the style of an Andalusian village and surrounded by subtropical gardens beside the beach, the resort offers spacious suites and private villas, including Villa La Serrana, its emblematic seven-suite villa, part of the Puente Romano Villa Collection.
Outside his professional life, Roccato enjoys football, tennis, travel and gastronomy.
About Puente Romano Marbella
Recognised as Spain’s Best Resort at the Condé Nast Traveler Awards 2023, it is a 5-star destination in an exceptional Mediterranean setting, with spectacular views of both the sea and the mountains of North Africa. This property, a member of Leading Hotels of the World and just a 45-minute drive from Málaga International Airport, enjoys a prime beachfront location on the iconic Golden Mile, between Marbella and Puerto Banús.
The resort, whose architectural style is that of a typical Andalusian white village, offers guests 7 private villas (La Pereza, Armonía, Romana, La Serrana…) and 162 spacious suites, surrounded by lush botanical gardens that lead down to the Mediterranean. Puente Romano Marbella, spanning 55,000 m2, has become a culinary reference point within and beyond Spain, with an extraordinary offering of more than 20 restaurants, including the internationally renowned Nobu, COYA and COYA Club, Cipriani and GAIA; as well as the award-winning Leña, the recent opening of Bodegas El Pimpi; Spain and Portugal’s Best Beach Club, Chiringuito Puente Romano; and the emblematic Sea Grill.
For the youngest guests, there are fun and memorable activities at two separate kids’ clubs, La Casita Club and Teen Spirit. It also offers first-class sports and wellness facilities: a health and fitness centre with state-of-the-art equipment and a boxing ring, as well as an outdoor gym with professional equipment.
Guests can also enjoy many other activities, such as golf, hiking, horse riding and water sports, as well as free daily yoga, Pilates and athletics classes. Not to mention the acclaimed Puente Romano Tennis Club, which hosts ATP, WTA and Davis Cup tournaments, and where private lessons are given and matches between guests and academies, aimed at the youngest players, are organised. Finally, Puente Romano Marbella has a Six Senses Spa, with exclusive treatments and locally inspired therapies that combine herbs, sea salt, olive oil and minerals, resulting in a purely Mediterranean experience.
