Phoenicia Hotel Beirut: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox hotel |
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| hotel_name = Phoenicia Hotel Beirut |
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| pushpin_map = Lebanon Beirut |
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| latd =33 | latm =54 | lats =2| latNS =N |
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| longd=35 | longm=29 | longs=40 | longEW=E |
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| image = Phoenicia hotel beirut.jpg |
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| caption= The Original 1961 Phoenician Tower to the left, the 1968 Roman Tower in the middle, and the 2003 Residence Tower adjacent on right. |
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| location = [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]] |
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| opening_date = December 23, 1961 |
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| architect = [[Edward Durell Stone]] |
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| operator = [[InterContinental Hotels]] |
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| owner = La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban |
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| number_of_restaurants = 7 |
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| number_of_rooms = 418 |
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| number_of_suites = 44 |
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| parking = Available |
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| website = [http://www.phoeniciabeirut.com www.phoeniciabeirut.com] |
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}} |
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The '''Phoenicia Hotel Beirut''' is a historic 5-star luxury hotel situated in the Minet El Hosn neighborhood of [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. It is located on Rue Fakhreddine near the [[Corniche Beirut]] promenade and walking-distance from [[Beirut Central District]], and a few kilometers from [[Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport]].<ref>{{cite web |
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Phoenicia Beirut |
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| publisher = Lebanon-Hotels.com |
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| url = http://www.lebanon-hotels.com/hotel/intercontinental-phoenicia/ |
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| accessdate = 2008-06-29 }}</ref> The Phoenicia is part of the worldwide [[InterContinental Hotels]] chain, but it dropped the actual use of the chain name in 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294005-d299159-r134961494-Phoenicia_Hotel-Beirut.html|title=This is an Intercontinental Hotel - Review of Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon - TripAdvisor|publisher=}}</ref> |
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==History== |
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The [[Phoenicia]] was built by the [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] businessman Najib Salha, who founded ''La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban'' (SGHL) in 1953. It was designed by the noted [[United States|American]] architect [[Edward Durell Stone]], working with American architect Joseph Salerno<ref name="omeka.net">{{cite web|url=http://nealprince.omeka.net/collections/show/9|title=InterContinental Phoenicia|publisher=}}</ref> and local architects Ferdinand Dagher and Rodolphe Elias. The design showed [[Levant]]ine influences in its high ceilings, sweeping staircases and palatial pillars.<ref>{{cite web |
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PHOENICIA INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL |
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| publisher = beirut-hotel |
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| url = http://www.beirut-hotel.com/hotel-phoenicia.html |
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| accessdate = 2008-06-29 }}</ref> The hotel's interiors and furniture were contracted to the New York firm of William M. Ballard<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nealprince.omeka.net/items/show/105|title=InterContinental Phoenicia exhibit wall panel|publisher=}}</ref> and were designed by Neal Prince, who was responsible for the interior decoration of most Intercontinental Hotels at the time.<ref name="omeka.net"/> |
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The hotel opened to the public on December 23, 1961 as the '''Phoenicia Intercontinental''', managed by the American [[Intercontinental Hotels]] chain. However its grand opening was not celebrated until three months later, on March 31, 1962, when Lebanese Prime Minister [[Rashid Karami]] presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony and actress [[Dorothy Dandridge]] sang in the Le Paon Rouge nightclub as the guest of honor. The hotel had 310 rooms and suites, shops, restaurants and a swimming pool with a bar.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phoenicia-ic.com/history.php?sp=hist |publisher=phoenicia-ic.com|title= InterContinental Phoenicia website|accessdate=June 8, 2008}}</ref> |
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The hotel was an immediate success, operating at near constant 100 percent occupancy. As a result, plans were made to expand it. An adjacent property was purchased by SGHL in 1963. Local architect [[Joseph Philippe Karam]] was commissioned to design a 22-story, 270-room addition, which opened on April 19, 1968, increasing the number of rooms at the hotel to 600.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.architectureauliban.com/popup_architect_en.php?arch=1101 |title=KARAM Joseph Philippe |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher=Architecture au Liban |accessdate=5 January 2013}}</ref> |
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The hotel became a battlefield in the [[Lebanese Civil War]] in 1975-6, during fighting known as the [[Battle of the Hotels]], and was left a burnt-out ruin. It was abandoned for nearly twenty-five years until the late 1990s, when Mazen and Marwan Salha, Najib Salha's sons and members of the board of directors of SGHL, decided to restore the hotel. |
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It reopened on March 22, 2000 as the '''Phoenicia InterContinental Beirut''', following a $100 million restoration project to designs by architects [[HOK (firm)|Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum]]. In July 2003, a third tower, the Phoenicia Residence, consisting of 35 luxury apartments, was opened. The Phoenicia was damaged in the 2005 bombing assassination of [[Rafik Hariri]] in the street out front and closed for three months for repairs. In 2011, it underwent a US $50 million revamp that coincided with its 50-year anniversary.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thenational.ae/lifestyle/travel/inherent-glamour-and-classic-style-at-beiruts-phoenicia-hotel|title=Inherent glamour and classic style at Beirut's Phoenicia hotel|author=Annabelle Thorpe|publisher=}}</ref> In 2012 it was rebranded as the '''Phoenicia Hotel Beirut''', though it is still a part of the InterContinental chain.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g294005-d299159-r134961494-Phoenicia_Hotel-Beirut.html|title=This is an Intercontinental Hotel - Review of Phoenicia Hotel, Beirut, Lebanon - TripAdvisor|publisher=}}</ref> |
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==Art Collection== |
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When the Phoenicia celebrated its 50th anniversary, it revealed a collection of contemporary art, featuring works of [[Howard Hodgkin]], [[Sam Francis]], [[Jan Dibbets]], [[Andy Goldsworthy]], [[Paul Morrison (artist)|Paul Morrison]] and a ''Mud Circle'' by [[Richard Long (artist)|Richard Long]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bonhams.com/eur/press/5889/ |title=Summer 2011: Among the ruins |author=Lucinda Bredin |year=2011 |work= |publisher=Bonhams Magazine |accessdate=23 January 2012}} |
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</ref> |
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==In film== |
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As a Beirut landmark, the Phoenicia has appeared in numerous feature movies across its history. It is featured in the 1965 [[Mickey Rooney]] film ''{{Ill|de|Twenty-Four Hours to Kill|In Beirut sind die Nächte lang}}''. In ''{{Ill|de|Agent 505 – Todesfalle Beirut}}'' (1966),<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058878/ |title= Agent 505 - Todesfalle Beirut |author= |date= |work= |publisher= IMDb |accessdate=23 January 2012}} |
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</ref> the hero stays in the city’s glamorous palace. In ''[[Die Fälschung]]'' (1981) (English title: Circle of Deceit), [[Volker Schlöndorff]] makes an ambiguous use of the Phoenicia. Characters seem to be lodging in the hotel while it has already been damaged by the war. In fact, the outside scenes were shot on location, while the interior scenes were done at [[Casino du Liban]]. [[Joana Hadjithomas]] and [[Khalil Joreige]]’s ''{{Ill|fr|Je veux voir}}''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1068652/ |title= I want to see |author=IMDb |date= |work= |publisher= |accessdate=23 January 2012}}</ref> (English title: I want to see) (2008), starts on the last floor of the Phoenicia: [[Catherine Deneuve]] says she wants to see the destruction of the [[2006 Lebanon War]]. |
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==Gallery== |
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<gallery mode="packed-hover"> |
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Image:Holiday_Inn_and_Phoenicia_InterContinental_Hotel_Beirut.JPG|Phoenicia Hotel as seen from Beirut's Coastline |
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Image:Phoenicia hotel beirut sea view.JPG|Phoenicia Hotel Beirut |
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Image:St Georges Bay Towers and Marina.JPG|[[Saint George Bay]] including the Phoenicia, on the right |
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</gallery> |
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==References== |
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{{reflist}} |
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* ''Le Phoenicia, un hôtel dans l'Histoire'', Tania Hadjithomas Mehanna, Tamyras, Juin 2012 |
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==External links== |
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{{commonscatinline|Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel}} |
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* {{official|http://phoeniciabeirut.com/ }} |
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{{Hotels in Beirut}} |
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[[Category:Hotels in Beirut]] |
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[[Category:Tourism in Lebanon]] |
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[[Category:Resorts in Lebanon]] |
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Revision as of 15:33, 27 September 2016
T-Cup and Kar-Kar= <3