Aley Tanios Hotel work begins

Aley Tanios Hotel Beirut – Anwar Akl Daw In Lebanon's Aley resort town, the first stages of the renovation of the Tanios Hotel to be a new and contemporary look have started. The hotel, which is located in the east of the city constitutes a large part of the history of Aley. Its halls have witnessed significant events with top artists and celebrities, most prominently Farid al-Atrash and Umm Kulthum. It contributed in the development of tourism that had an important impact on the city's fame, both locally and regionally, since the 1950s. After the end of civil war, some hotels were restored. The Tanios Hotel building was damaged by shelling, and some parts of its main facade collapsed. The attempts to urge its owners to restore it did not work due to differences between the heirs of the family who owned the property. There was a need to renovate the hotel especially after Aley restored most of its tourist attractions, while this building remained the same, evoking the time of war. The hotel facade was restored based on the main markets of the summer resorts by the ministry of displaced, however it was kept closed and its owners were unable to operate it. The hotel carried the name of its owner Tanios ash-Shamali who was working as a waiter in a café before achieving success after he had borrowed money to buy land for the hotel. Shamali later borrowed money from a number of his friends, the fact that enabled him to build a contemporary hotel according to the standards of the 1950s. He then paid back the borrowed money, and the hotel enjoyed wide fame. However, the owner did not marry, so he did not have an heir to continue the march of their father.  In the year 2007, and after studying the tourism situation in Aley and summer resort towns, it was decided to demolish the building, as investors found that restored hotels or new ones which had moderate standards did not generate profits. Summer resorts hotels were then operated the same way as service apartments but with more services. The small hotels became unable to withstand the tourist market except for 40 days of actual summer. The revenues from that period did not cover the yearly operating costs. There became no need for hotels that provided food and a place to sleep, as tourists from the Arab Gulf countries preferred to buy villas, palaces and apartments. The tourist concepts changed from spending the summer holiday in one hotel as was the case in the 60s and 70s of the last century. Tourists then used to spend a number of days in Lebanon and then leave for Syria, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey or Jordan. This is because transportation became easier. Communications and information services developed, the spread of the e-commerce and credit cards flourished. Even now it has become important to have ATMs in addition to the Internet, stock market screens, businessmen halls, swimming pools, sports clubs etc. Arabstoday learned that the new project is a Qatari-Lebanese investment by a major company, and that the name of the hotel will remain unchanged except for the addition of a worldwide renowned brand. It will be a modern tourist landmark, as according to the study, the investors will set a modern character and yet retain some of original the features of the hotel.  According to the mayor of Aley, Wajdi Mrad, the hotel facade extends 90 metres on the main street, which will be made use of to establish sidewalk cafes. Mrad added that the municipal fees were 1,120,000,000 liras, saying he ruled out the existence of such a licence in Mount Lebanon. Mrad added: “It is a five star hotel. The approval of the tourism ministry has been acquired. It will include cinemas and a large hall for events…the higher floor will be with suites to receive Arab and international dignitaries.”