HotelChatter - Cairo

It's Always Sunny at Fairmont Towers Heliopolis

amandak — 2009-07-14T10:59:11-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/3873/Heliopolis_Cairo.jpg" class="top"> Near Cairo, the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Fairmont+Towers+Heliopolis/ian/260531">Fairmont Towers Heliopolis</a> has just had a major addition. Working around the original hotel while it was still operating, some magic builders have now created a fancy new conference center and 247 new hotel rooms right next door, and judging by this pic it is something special.The architect got into the idea of the hotel being in Heliopolis, which means "city of the sun", by incorporating lines like sunrays into the design and even including sun motifs throughout. The new restaurant and café are impressive too: there's an artificial river running through the Aqua e Luce restaurant and Café Heliopolis is right in the center of the atrium entrance. Oh, and it even

A Boutique First For Cairo Coming Soon

juliab — 2009-03-05T13:26:15-05:00

“Cairo” and “tranquil” – not two words we’d normally associate with each other. At least, we didn’t until news of Villa Belle Epoque plopped into our inbox this morning.

It’s opening on March 21st and calls itself “Cairo’s first boutique hotel” – boutique meaning a 1920s villa with just just 13 period-style rooms, chandeliers, lots of balconies, and date palms and mango trees in the gardens. Foodwise, you can choose from Egyptian, Oriental, Italian and French; and there’ll even be a high tea served on the bank of the Nile on offer, as well as felucca boat trips at sunset.

Cairo Loses a Hilton, Gains a Ritz-Carlton

JetSetCD — 2008-12-12T09:00:29-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/6193/Nile_Hilton.jpg" class="top"> We're looking forward to the new year; January 1st is traditionally a day for renewed hope and fresh beginnings, and no one is taking more advantage of this than Cairo's <a href=""http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Nile+Hilton/ian/229613">Nile Hilton</a>. When the clock strikes midnight (Egypt time, of course), the 431-room historic hotel on the shores of the epic River Nile will become the Ritz-Carlton Nile Hotel. As the first Ritz-Carlton in Egypt's capital city, The Nile Hotel will have to dust off its top hat and tails to remain a leader in Cairo and keep pace with the 5-star standard of Ritz-Carlton. What does this mean, exactly? It means sweet, sweet renovation of course. Beginning in mid-2009, the hotel will begin an ambitious

The Grand Hyatt Cairo Enters Rehab...The Lindsay Lohan Kind

jennm — 2008-05-23T10:35:01-05:00

<![CDATA[<img src="http://www.hotelchatter.com/files/admin/grandhyattcairoext2.jpg" class="imgborder">Alcohol may be on the brink of extinction at Egyptian hotels, if the worst fears of tourism officials there come true: After the Saudi owner of the <a href="http://www.hotelchatter.com/hotel-reviews/Grand+Hyatt+Cairo/ian/114230">Grand Hyatt Cairo</a> banned the sale of alcohol at the hotel, destroying millions of dollars of the stuff in the process, officials now worry that other properties may soon follow, the BBC <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7415495.stm">reports</a>. It's unknown why the owner had staff pour bottle upon bottle of wine and liquor down drains, though some suspect it may have something to do with Egypt's enormous Muslim population, which is barred from consuming alcohol, even in cooking, according to the Koran. Supporters say foreign visitors "should respect the local custom," while critics

International Hotel WiFi: Cairo's Nile Hilton Gets It Half Right

amandak — 2008-04-16T09:35:01-05:00

Last time we visited Egypt it was sans laptop, but we're intrigued to know how the WiFi situation is doing there now. According to the website of the Nile Hilton in Cairo, their hotel "boasts wireless internet access throughout" and they plug it a second time when describing the rooms by enticing guests with the opportunity to "keep in touch with wireless internet access".