Phoenicia InterContinental Hotel

Phoenicia Hotel Beirut
The Original 1961 Phoenician Tower to the left, the 1968 Roman Tower in the middle, and the 2003 Residence Tower adjacent on right.
Location within Beirut
General information
Location	Beirut, Lebanon
Coordinates	33°54′2″N 35°29′40″E / 33.90056°N 35.49444°E / 33.90056; 35.49444
Opening	December 23, 1961
Owner	La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban
Management	InterContinental Hotels
Design and construction
Architect	Edward Durell Stone
Other information
Number of rooms	418
Number of suites	44
Number of restaurants	7
Parking	Available
Website
www.phoeniciabeirut.com

The Phoenicia Hotel Beirut is a historic 5-star luxury hotel situated in the Minet El Hosn neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon. It is located on Rue Fakhreddine near the Corniche Beirut promenade and walking-distance from Beirut Central District, and a few kilometers from Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport. The Phoenicia is part of the worldwide InterContinental Hotels chain, but it dropped the actual use of the chain name in 2012.

The Phoenicia was built by the Lebanese businessman Najib Salha, who founded La Société des Grands Hotels du Liban (SGHL) in 1953. It was designed by the noted American architect Edward Durell Stone, working with American architect Joseph Salerno and local architects Ferdinand Dagher and Rodolphe Elias. The design showed Levantine influences in its high ceilings, sweeping staircases and palatial pillars. The hotel's interiors and furniture were contracted to the New York firm of William M. Ballard and were designed by Neal Prince, who was responsible for the interior decoration of most Intercontinental Hotels at the time.

The hotel opened to the public on December 23, 1961 as the Phoenicia Intercontinental, managed by the American Intercontinental Hotels chain. However its grand opening was not celebrated until three months later, on March 31, 1962, when Lebanese Prime Minister Rashid Karami presided over the ribbon-cutting ceremony and actress Dorothy Dandridge sang in the Le Paon Rouge nightclub as the guest of honor. The hotel had 310 rooms and suites, shops, restaurants and a swimming pool with a bar.

The hotel was an immediate success, operating at near constant 100 percent occupancy. As a result, plans were made to expand it. An adjacent property was purchased by SGHL in 1963. Local architect Joseph Philippe Karam was commissioned to design a 22-story, 270-room addition, which opened on April 19, 1968, increasing the number of rooms at the hotel to 600.