The hotel where history and resilience lodge October 25, 2013 12:42 AM By Mirella Hodeib The Daily Star GHABAT BOLONIA, Lebanon: The Grand Hotel Bois de Boulogne is by no means the luxury hotel it used to be. The rooms are not equipped with the latest technology devices, the furniture is shockingly old-fashioned and the beds are not especially comfortable. Yet there is history to be discovered at every turn, and the homey feel of the cozy salons at the lobby level and the laid-back ambiance of the outside terraces are incomparable. This 83-year-old hotel, located in the Metn region near Dhour Choueir, has a peculiar charm that makes a stay there a worthwhile experience. One of Lebanon’s oldest mountain hotels, the Grand Hotel Bois de Boulogne has weathered two occupations and two civil conflicts. Despite the major blows dealt to small- and medium-sized businesses in the post 1975-90 Civil War era, the family hotel – nestled within Metn’s pine forests – continues its unyielding fight for survival. “This is our property and we will never allow it to collapse,” says George Ghostine, the hotel’s owner. “If we wanted to shut down this hotel we would have done so a long time ago.” But the chic Ghostine is realistic and admits that in light of the difficulties the country and the tourism sector are facing, one needs to be “pragmatic and learn to accommodate.” “The hotel is not in the best state,” he confesses. “We compensate with the good food we make and the good services we offer.” Every Sunday for decades, the dining area has been jam-packed with a faithful clientele who come to enjoy the chef’s luscious offerings as part of the hotel’s famed buffet banquet. Read more: dailystar.lb/Culture/Lifestyle/2013/Oct-25/235690-the-hotel-where-history-and-resilience-lodge.ashx#ixzz2il3cOr6n (The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: dailystar.lb)
Posted on: Fri, 25 Oct 2013 18:01:27 +0000
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