Hôtel Saint-Georges de Beyrouth

Description

A beautiful abandoned, war-torn hotel. Built under the French Mandate by french and lebanese architects, it is a symbol of the modernistic wave that began in the 1920s in Beirut. More than a hotel, it was the icon of Beirut's Dolce Vita prior to the war.
Standing on a unique site, surrounded by the sea, it was designed in the shape of a boat of which the circular front terrace was the deck and enjoyed the advantages of the sea front which carries its name.

In 1973, it was described by Fortune magazine as one of the most beautiful hotels in the world and until 1975 it was the cosmopolitan center of Beirut city and the privilege of the most successful local and international personalities. Many kings, ministers, and political leaders were the guests of the Hotel: King Hussein of Jordan and his family, the Shah of Iran and Princess Soraya, French Ministers Artoli and Malraux, Georges Bush before he became President of the USA, Cypriot leaders, the Aga Khan and the Begum, the King of Afghanistan, and a Prime Minister of Great Britain to mention only a few.

Great stars have also been seen in the Hotel, among them Brigitte Bardot, Charles Aznavour, Johnny Hallyday, Catherine Deneuve, Alain Delon, Gilbert Becaud, Abdel Wahab, and Oum Koulthoum.

The famous bar of the hotel is associated to the figure of Kim Philby, the british USSR spy that was last seen there before he disappeared. Many other spies haunted the place, along with journalists and public figures.

In 1975, with the beginning of the "Bataille des Grands Hôtels" that took place in Minet El-Hosn, the Saint Georges was burnt and occupied by militiamen.

Since the end of the war, the building owner, Fady El-Khoury, who decided in 1994 to revive it, is living a non-stopping nightmare because of the pressure exerted by Solidere who cut the connection between the hotel and the sea by building a massive sea wall. They want the Saint-Georges to become part of their 'rebuilt' Downtown.