Cairo’s five- star Grand Hyatt hotel has agreed to a compromise with American chain Hyatt and owner Abdel Aziz Ibrahim to return alcohol to the hotel’s flagship rooftop restaurant. The move comes weeks after the Saudi owner banned alcohol sales at the elite hotel. After the Egyptian tourism ministry threatened to downgrade the hotel from five to two stars in accordance with its standards for rating hotels, authorities decided to reinstate alcohol. However, alcohol will remain off limits at the hotel’s other 11 restaurants as w ell as in the 716 mini-bars in the rooms and suites. The hotel managers say Booze can be ordered through room service. The Saudi owner made the decision to ban alcohol in line with his conservative views on Islam, which sparked controversy in the Egyptian capital. Travellers from Arab and international locations view Cairo as a more liberal version of the Middle East where all walks of life can be enjoyed.
In a defiant act, the hotel poured around 2,500 bottles of booze worth US$ 300,0 00 down the drain in a unilateral act of alcohol banishment.
