Mena House
The Mena House presented us with a remarkable challenge — we had to verify its opening date which appeard to be wrong (1865?). We unearthed its true opening date, had to alter the published date from 1865 to 1896, and came across some...
Ghezireh Palace (Cairo Marriott)
The Ghezireh Palace was the former Palace of Khedive Ismail and consists of three palaces of unrivalled beauty, surrounded by gardens, containing many choice tropical plants, grottoes, fountains and miniature lakes, the whole covering an area of upwa...
Winter Palace
With the opening of the Luxor Hotel in 1886/7 the nobility of Europe arrived at Luxor to visit the nearby Valley of the Kings. 20 years later the Winter Palace - under the same management company - was opened. "One is immediately struck by the Victor...
Old Cataract
Built in 1899, under the impulse of Thomas Cook, The Old Cataract opened in January 1900. It is an architectural jewel. The exterior is typical of the late Victorian era, while on the inside the hotel exudes a rich arabesque feel with lavishly decora...
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Mandarin Oriental Savoy Zurich (former Savoy Baur en Ville)
Johannes Baur, born in Austria in 1795, was a visionary entrepreneur who profoundly shaped Zurich’s hospitality industry. In 1837, at the age...Read More
Raffles Hotel
The historic building (top, slide to the right): The "new" Raffles main building in 1899. It opened on 18 November 1899, featuring the all new...Read More
The Mandarin Oriental Bangkok
Since decades “The Oriental”, as it is affectionately known by travellers from all over the globe, leads the lists of most...Read More
Half Moon
In 1952, a group of wealthy individuals including Donald Deskey, the fabled designer (among his works the Radio City Music Hall); Harvey Firestone,...Read More
Mount Kenya Safari Club
You don your safari gear during the day, but you always dress for dinner. Because Mount Kenya Safari Club Nanyuki is an exclusive retreat. High on...Read More