Charles Forte, Baron Forte
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Charles Forte, Baron Forte (born 1908) is a famous hotelier born in Italy.
Forte emigrated from Italy to Scotland and attended the Dumfries College. He worked in a cafe chain owned by his father, then at 26 set up his first "milk bar". Soon he began expanding into catering and hotel businesses.
Through mergers and expansion, Forte converted the Forte group into a multi-billion pound business. His group included the Little Chef and Happy Eater roadside restaurants as well as Crest, Forte Grand, Travelodge and Posthouse hotels. Forte was the CEO from 1971 and Chairman from 1982 (when his son Rocco Forte took over as CEO).
Lord Forte passed the full control to Rocco in 1993, but soon the Forte group was faced with a hostile take-over attempt by Granada. Ultimately rival Granada succeeded with a 3.8 billion pound tender offer.
Charles Forte was awarded a life peerage in 1982 as Baron Forte of Ripley in the County of Surrey.