Monuments and antiquities

Gerd El-Naggar* asks the Egyptian government to invest in the historic hotels that border Egypt's greatest antiquities, for they are monuments in their own right

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Old Cataract in Aswan

For several years, I had not been to Upper Egypt, so I was very impressed with the vast improvements that have taken place since I last saw the area: the airports are clean and attractive from Luxor to Aswan and to Abu Simbel; the access roads are beautifully surrounded by oleander bushes and flowers and the previous encroachments by surrounding slums have to a great extent been removed from the vicinity of temples and monuments. Obviously, the Ministry of Culture and Ministry of Tourism have done an outstanding job over the past few years, and justice is now done to these magnificent sites that contain some 30 to 40 per cent of the world's antiquities. It was indeed a happy discovery.

I had asked my travel agent to reserve rooms in the Old Winter Palace in Luxor and the Old Cataract in Aswan. I had invited members of my family, who decided to visit Egypt for the first time, and I wanted to give them the opportunity to see what I consider must be two of the most beautiful hotels in the world. What can possibly match the view from the terrace of the Old Cataract at sunset, or the 1902 dining room, or the gardens of the Old Winter Palace and its historic rooms?

Personnel were as always friendly and helpful. The food in both hotels was excellent, although the service at times was slow. But we were on holiday, and not in a hurry.

It was the experience of staying in the guest rooms, which made me sadly disappointed. In one hotel, there was not a drawer in which to place clothes, not a piece of writing paper or an envelope, no note pad, no shower caps in the bath room -- a heap of towels, but no wash cloths. In another case, the entry door to the room itself had a lock that was nearly unmanageable. In another of our rooms, there was great difficulty in running hot water. The carpet in front of one of our rooms was dangerously torn across, and presented a real trap for anyone walking on it.

I decided to write down all of these trivial and petty details on a hotel questionnaire, which I had to hunt for, since none was placed in the room. These small details are what make a difference in the feeling of comfort and wellbeing to a hotel guest. People come here from all over the world to enjoy the rare beauty of Luxor and Aswan in winter and to see the world's most remarkable antiquities that surround these places. These prestigious hotels are therefore treasures in themselves and ought to be treated as respectfully as the monuments and temples nearby.

Optimistically, I hoped that my words would reach the right authorities, and that my attempted constructive criticism would make a bit of difference. So I was very happy today to receive a very kind letter from the general manager of one of the hotels in question. He had taken my words to heart, and informed me that both hotels will now appoint a "gouvernante" as of the middle of January 2006, and that all my points had been well noted. I was further informed that the owner of the hotels is the Egyptian government. This piece of news I consider most welcome, since the ministries of culture and of tourism have done such an excellent job of looking after the antiquities, temples and museums of the entire area. Perhaps a joint effort of these institutions might help keep these prestigious and historic hotel landmarks in the very best of shape? Apparently a great deal of money is needed to renew the guest rooms in a desired fashion. So I allow myself to suggest that Egypt should copy the philosophy of other countries, like Malaysia and Morocco, which have created very famous hotels, and where the price may be high but the rooms are always booked months in advance. There will always be customers willing to pay for what is famous, and what carries five-star quality status.

I hope that if my family and I decide to reserve rooms in the Old Winter Palace or the Old Cataract, we shall find everything in perfect order. Insha'allah!

* The writer is of Norwegian origin, residing in Cairo, Egypt.