Hotel:

Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel

Soaring over the sparkling Mediterranean, the Hotel Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel had welcomed the guest to a land that was over 60 centuries old. From the balcony of your air-conditioned room, it was only 5 minutes at the time from the center of this fascinating cross-roads of East and West. Within a day thier guest were able to visit Baalbek, the Biblical Cedars of Lebanon, and Damascus.

The Phoenicia Intercontinental, on the shores of the Mediterranean, was the perfect place for the guest to explore Beirut and the rest of Labanon... the legendary "Land of Milk and Honey"... with its remenders of Phoenician and Roman days, its orange and olive groves and their wonderful beaches brought in the tourism of no other.

Like all Intercontinental Hotels, the Phoenicia Intercontinental  has a personality distinctly its own. The Guest discovered these when they saw how to capture the Lebanon's unique charm....how to had blended its warmth and hospitality known far beyound the countries of the Middle East. And because the Phoenicia Intercontinental  was internationally operated at the time, it had featured all the comforts to its day for the experienced international traveler instinctively had sought out. Plus some additional ones. No matter if the traveller had came to Lebanon or what their purposes were, they would have found the Phoenicia Intercontinental, everything to make their stay comfortable, enjoyable and memorable as the guest could have possibly had wised for.

With the Phoenicia Intercontinental becoming the International travellers home base for the middle eastern traveller, they were ready to sample Lebanon's many attractions. You're near everything... only 2 minutes from the dock... 5 minutes from the business section of the Beirut and a short drive from either the airport or the Gambling Casino. In less then an hour at the time, the traveller and the guest could have been skiing magnificent slopes or enjoying ancient Baalbek, with its Roman ruins and great 3 month Music Festival. At the time, only 60 miles away from the exotic Damascus, the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. In no time the hotel guest were able to view the picturesque Pigeon's Grotto, the National Museum, American University and the Great Mosque, which was 800 years old at the time. The guest would have enjoyed the swim and sun at the Hotel pool or any of the fine beaches it had at the time. Or the guest would have enjoyed the pleasures of driving out to Tripoli, Damascus and the famed Cedars of Lebanon. All year old the guest had the pleasures to fish, golf, play tennis or water ski and, between January and April, enjoy the winter sports near the world's oldest forest, amind mountains 10,000 feet high.

Hotel Rendering, ca. 1960

Location: 

Beirut, Lebanon

Architect:

Edward D. Stone, Architect

Peter Bruder, Mechanical Engineer

Gorlin & Atlas, Structural Engineers

Lead Interior Designer:

Neal A. Prince, RA, ASID

Charles R. Alvey, Graphic Designer and Colour Specialist

As air travel to the east has grown, Beirut has become a great airport city, one of the businest in the world at this time. Besides being the air enterance to the east it was the recreation cener of its corner of the world, where one was able to swim in the Mediteranean or ski in the the mountains; it is an oasis then for American colonies throughout the middle east at that time. The hotel thus combines a business and luxury tourist trade, and is designed to dominate in both categories.

Lobby:

Rooms:

600 completely air-conditioned. During this time in history, air-conditioned rooms were a new amenity of luxury to Hotels, as air conditioned rooms were not standard as they have become in today's Hotels.

Typical Suite:

Typical Suite (ca. 1962)

Interiors designed by Mr. Neal Prince, R.A., A.S.I.D (1960)

Furniture designed by Mr. Prince and produced and supplied by Daou et Fills (Daou & Sons Inc.), from Beirut, Lebanon.

Restaurants/Lounges:

Le Paon Rouge Supper Club:

Photograph courtesy of Arie de Zanger, IHC Photographer

The sophistocated supper club - the Le Paon Rouge offered the famous international entertainment and dancing.

Sous la Mer Bar:

The Sous la Mer Bar was located at the lower level of the Hotel at the deep end of the swimming pool, which had the under-water windows so that the bar patrons were able to watch the swimmers.

Les Phoenicians Snack Bar:

The Coffee Shop and snack bar was opened to the pool areas, also a cocktail bar.

L'Age d'Or Rotisserie Restaurant:

L'Age D'Or Restaurant (remodeled)

The guest had the pleasure to dine at the gourment restuarant, called L'Age D'Or Resturant, which featured the French and Lebanese specialties.

La Cascade Bar -

 - No Photograph is available at this time

La Panache Cocktail Lounge -

Phoenicia Cafe -

(ca. 1962)

L'Amerique Coffee Shop:

Pool Facilities:

Phoenician Hotel Pool -

The image is the famous Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel Pool, which was designed by Mr. Neal Prince, in a manner to visually have the pool look larger then what the actually pool was. You note the wave like mosaic pattern, in allow the image to flow out from the pool on to the desk, to allow the guest from their balcony's to view the pool in a more large image, then what it actually was. This pool design was celebrated by many repeated guest and to this day, is remembered as the charm of the Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel property in Lebanon.

Trellises around the terraces had served as to break up the direct sunlight, but was punctured by openings to permit sunbathing.

How does Mr. Prince's identify an outstanding Hotel?

Response:

When you arrive at the Hotel, telephone room service and order a club sandwich to be delivered to your room. Once the room service had delivered your requested club sandwich, take a moment to access how it was prepared, what materials they used to create your club sandwich and then taste the sandwich. Mr. Prince firmly believes, from 55 years of travelling around the world that if a Hotel is able to prepare the "simple" club sandwich correctly, then that Hotel is being operated correctly.

Meeting Facilities:

3 function rooms accommodating up to 2,500 people.

The Auditorum:

Comments:

During the early 1960's, the Phoenicia offered an exotic charm of ancient Lebanon, with every modern convenience. Cocktails in the Mediterranean Sun near the famous outdoor swimming pool, which was designed by Mr. Neal Prince. Since the hotel incorporated, within the property, a small pool, Mr. Prince designed the tile work in a manner, within the pool, to flow out onto the desk to create a visual larger pool, as viewed from the guestroom's balcony. The design was so well done, that after 50 years later, many guest still remember the pool and how well it was designed ahead of its time.