Friday March 29th, 2024
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Marriott to Bring New Life to the Mena House Hotel

After several years with no international affiliations, the Mena House Hotel is set to join the Marriott portfolio; a move that will see massive restorations and a global presence.

Staff Writer

The Mena House is an Egyptian institution laying at the foot of the pyramids. Since being built by Khedive Ismail over a century ago, the Mena House has welcomed a variety of world leaders and celebrities. Changing management on multiple occasions, the Mena House Hotel has seen both good times and bad. However, news has emerged that they will be taken over by the Marriott; a move that many welcome, believing that it will bring a renaissance to the historic property.

Since the revolution, the Mena House has struggled to be noticed on international markets; “for the last three years we had no international affiliations, we didn’t even have overseas offices, which impacted us greatly,” explains Mena House's Assistant Director of Sales and Marketing, Tarek Lotfy.

A Mena House veteran of over thirty years, Lotfy has seen many changes working at the iconic hotel, and is very optimistic about falling under the Marriott flag. According to Lotfy, “It’s great that we're joining the Marriott family; they will give us a huge online boost, and by acquiring the Mena House, Marriott has secured a monopoly with 3000 rooms all over Cairo. To have three of the historic hotels under their name is a really smart move.”

The agreement was apparently made at the Sharm El Sheikh Economic Conference, and the handing over management is set to be finalised by July. Top of the list of priorities will be to restore the Palace. “Marriott will take over and start the palace restoration, which we have been hoping for over the last five years. It will cost roughly $30 million and reduce the number of rooms 97 to 84 rooms,” explains Lotfy.

Anyone who loves Egypt and its historic buildings will be happy to hear this news, as for the first time in a long while, the Mena House will finally be under the management that will have the resources to return the prestige and, most importantly, tourists to this iconic hotel.

To learn more about The Mena House's history click here.