Hilton are making an impact in Africa in 2018. The worldwide hotel group are pushing further into Egypt, where they opened their first hotel 60 years ago, with a couple of new ‘landmark’ hotels.
Both the Hilton Cairo Heliopolis and the Waldorf Astoria, Cairo, will open this year, and most notably this will be the first time the Waldorf Astoria brand have entered Africa.
The rooms of the currently-standing Towers Luxury Hotel will be entirely repurposed and made to reflect “the finest traditions of Egyptian hospitality” when it re-opens as the Waldorf Astoria, with 247 rooms.
Statement stone flooring and a spacious atrium will make the new lobby a focal point
The initial photos suggest warming gold colour palettes and statement stone flooring in block colours, with laid-back woven wooden chairs which will encourage guests to stick around longer in the lobby.
The lobby, which features an impressively spacious atrium, will become more of a central feature of the hotel. A spa will be one of the new luxurious features, with traditional treatments that will reflect the country’s steep culture with water-based medicinal care.
The hotels, famous for their ubiquitous Waldorf Salad, are classically luxurious with a glamourous feel and send a message of timeless glamour.
First though, the Hilton Cairo Heliopolis opens, the sixth Hilton hotel in the Egyptian capital, and will feature 593 rooms.
President of Hilton for the Middle East, Africa and Turkey Rudi Jagersbacher explained Hilton’s partnership with Gulf-Egypt for Hotels & Tourism for the projects. He revealed the “great partners”, who will manage the properties day-to-day, will bring “great success”.
Design high points include two ballrooms, and an Ampthitheatre
Mohsen Abu Al Azm, who is the managing director of Gulf-Egypt for Hotels & Tourism insisted the hotels would be “world class” and will “set the standard for accommodation in Cairo and across the region”. Hilton, he says, “brings nearly 100 years of experience to these hotels and their international reputation for service, quality and excellence will ensure the continued success of these great hotels”.
Other design high points include two ballrooms, an Ampthitheatre, and tonnes of high spec business facilities for conferences at every level.
More opulent is the choice of two swimming pools, and a whopping 17 eating and playing destinations across both properties. Food will be international and eclectic, pulling influence from Italy with a “subtle and modern” twist, Far Eastern and Asian and Lebanese food, and there’ll be a large nod to the local Egyptian fare.
Hilton continue to expand. With 5,100 hotels, seven more hotels across Egypt are pegged to launch over the next five years.
Hilton Cairo Heliopolis and the Waldorf Astoria are set to open later in 2018, although no set date has been announced
