Holiday Inn Beirut

The Holiday Inn Beirut is a 26-story concrete structure with bullet holes and shrapnel marks covering its exterior walls. The building remains under military control today and shows the physical toll of decades without maintenance.

The hotel opened in 1974 with 400 rooms and a rotating restaurant, but closed when the Lebanese Civil War began in 1975. Its walls bear the marks from the period when rival groups fought over control of the city's hotel district.

The building stands as a reminder of the fighting that shaped Beirut's hotel district, where competing groups sought control. These marks on the walls serve as a silent witness to what many residents lived through.

The building is not open to the public and is guarded by security personnel. Visitors can only view the structure from the outside and observe its architecture from street level.

Ownership is contested between Lebanese and Kuwaiti groups, preventing any agreement on renovation or demolition. This deadlock has kept the site frozen in time for decades.

Location: Beirut

Inception: 1974

Floors above the ground: 26

GPS coordinates: 33.89973,35.49508

Latest update: December 10, 2025 15:53