The Mena House Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, has been rebranded as a Marriott property. The Marriott Mena House is located in the shadow of the pyramids at Giza, and is set in an historic palace and its estate. First opened in 1886, the hotel featured the country’s first swimming pool which was added in 1890 and offers stunning views of the nearby pyramids. Famous guests have included Winston Churchill, Charlie Chaplin, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The building was expanded during the 1930s to include a garden wing and more guest rooms. Marriott has plans to renovate the palace wing of the hotel and rebrand that part of the property as a JW Marriott beginning later this year.
There are currently 331 guest rooms set in 40 acres of gardens with access to the pyramids. The hotel’s meeting space includes 63,163 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. The 3,750-square-foot Al Khalifa Ballroom can accommodate 300 for a reception and has an additional 3,111-square-foot foyer. There are six other indoor venues and 32,300-square-feet of outdoor space featuring stunning views of the pyramids and lush gardens.
There are three onsite restaurants, the Sultan Bar; Alfredo, a poolside Italian restaurant; and 139 Restaurant that features pyramid views and sunken outdoor dining areas.
Other amenities include a fitness center and golf course, and rumor has it that Charlton Heston rode a horse into the gardens on his way back to the hotel each day during filming of “The Ten Commandments.”
