Phoenicia Hotel
Encyclopedia
The InterContinental Phoenicia Beirut is a 5-star hotel in 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
.
businessman Najib Salha, who founded La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban. It was designed by the American
architect Edward Durell Stone
, with Levantine influences evident in its high ceilings, sweeping staircases and palatial pillars. The hotel opened in December 1961. It had 600 rooms and suites, shops, a few restaurants and a swimming pool with a bar. A second, taller tower was added to the hotel in the mid-1970s.
The hotel became a battlefield in the Lebanese Civil War
in 1975-6 and was left a burnt-out ruin. It was abandoned for nearly twenty-five years until the late 1990s, when Mazen and Marwan Salha, members of the board of directors of La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban, decided to restore the hotel. At this point, a third tower was added as well.
It reopened in March, 2000, following a huge restoration project. It was again 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.
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. It is located on Rue Fakhreddine near the Corniche Beirut
Corniche Beirut
The Corniche Beirut is a seaside promenade in Beirut, Lebanon. Lined with palm trees, the waterfront esplanade offers visitors a magnificent view of the Mediterranean and the summits of Mount Lebanon to the east...
promenade and walking-distance from Beirut Central District
Beirut Central District
The Beirut Central District or Centre Ville is the name given to Beirut’s historical and geographical core, the “vibrant financial, commercial, and administrative hub of the country.” At the heart of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut Central District is an area thousands of years old, traditionally a...
, and a few kilometers from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport
Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport is located 9 km from the city centre in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon and is the only operational commercial airport in the country. It is the hub for Lebanon's national carrier, Middle East Airlines...
.
History
The Phoenicia was built by the LebaneseLebanese people
The Lebanese people are a nation and ethnic group of Levantine people originating in what is today the country of Lebanon, including those who had inhabited Mount Lebanon prior to the creation of the modern Lebanese state....
businessman Najib Salha, who founded La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban. It was designed by the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
architect Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone
Edward Durell Stone was a twentieth century American architect who worked primarily in the Modernist style.-Early life:...
, with Levantine influences evident in its high ceilings, sweeping staircases and palatial pillars. The hotel opened in December 1961. It had 600 rooms and suites, shops, a few restaurants and a swimming pool with a bar. A second, taller tower was added to the hotel in the mid-1970s.
The hotel became a battlefield in the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
in 1975-6 and was left a burnt-out ruin. It was abandoned for nearly twenty-five years until the late 1990s, when Mazen and Marwan Salha, members of the board of directors of La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban, decided to restore the hotel. At this point, a third tower was added as well.
It reopened in March, 2000, following a huge restoration project. It was again damaged in the 2005 bombing assassination of Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri
Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri , was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
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.