Cecil Hotel, hotel in Alexandria, Egypt
The Cecil Hotel is a four-star hotel on Saad Zaghloul Square in the heart of Alexandria, right along the Corniche seafront. The building dates from the early 20th century and has 82 rooms, a lobby with original wood features, vintage elevators, and high ceilings, with some rooms looking out over the Mediterranean or the square below.
The hotel was built in 1929 by the Metzger family, French-Egyptian Jews, and quickly became a well-known stop for travelers passing through Alexandria. After the 1952 revolution, the Egyptian government took over and expelled the family in 1957; after decades of legal disputes, the state eventually regained full ownership.
The hotel takes its name from Cecil Rhodes, a British businessman closely tied to European colonial history, which gives the place a particular resonance for many visitors. The lobby, with its wood paneling and high ceilings, still feels like the kind of grand meeting point it was in the early 20th century.
The hotel sits right on Saad Zaghloul Square, within walking distance of most central sights in Alexandria, and the Corniche runs just in front. Rooms facing the sea are on the upper floors, so it is worth requesting one of those when booking if a view matters to you.
During World War Two, General Montgomery, who commanded Allied forces in North Africa, stayed at the Cecil and the hotel bar still carries his name today. The site where the hotel stands is said to be where Cleopatra's Needles once stood before they were shipped to Europe and the United States in the 19th century.
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