A luxury hotel belonging to a Saudi businessman forbade alcohol and is taking steps to conform to Islamic norms. The country’s authorities do not wish to allow the trend, already apparent in other Gulf States, to spread. Western clientele remains a top priority in Egypt.

By Daikha Dridi, Cairo

The Grand Hyatt Cairo has been undergoing a virtual metamorphosis since its owner, Abdel Aziz Ibrahim, decided in a sudden and almost theatrical manner on 26th April to forbid the sale of alcoholic beverages. As rumour would have it, the Saudi businessman, as if in a trance, stormed into the hotel and ordered that all the alcohol be emptied immediately. The next day, the scandal was in all the papers. Some bartenders told reporters that it took them almost 24 hours to pour all the contents of the premium bottles of alcohol down the drain. The establishment’s head of marketing confirmed that the loss “was immediate and enormous”. Travel agencies were obliged to cancel reservations. The head of one such agency admitted having to cancel over 1,000 reservations right after the alcohol was banished. Lastly, according to the same marketing head, “the majority of the hotel’s clients are Westerners so if we’re unable to provide them with alcohol, we’ll have to find alternative ways to make a profit.”

Some bartenders told reporters that it took them almost 24 hours to pour the contents of all the premium bottles of alcohol down the drain. Indeed, officials within the Ministry of Tourism suspect that the owner already has other ways in mind for making a profit. For example, he could make the hotel an “Islamic tourism” destination.

Thirty establishments are living examples of this trend

According to their promoters, the opening of luxury hotels where Sharia law is still enforced is a trend that began in Gulf countries and spread, particularly after September 11. In Dubai, these palaces, where alcohol and nightclubs are forbidden, not only have pools for women but also entire floors exclusively for women. In Morocco, a nightclub-free 5 star hotel opened in 2005. In Turkey, these “alternative hotels” became more and more widespread in the late 90s, numbering around 30 today. Their success is due to the increased prosperity of a new social class of religious conservatives. As Geneva remains a favourite destination for wealthy Gulf tourists, the Emirate hotel chain Shaza is savouring the idea of opening a palace of that type there.

But even if “Islamic tourism” is only a momentary trend in some Muslim countries, it does not please Egyptian tourism authorities one bit. While a working arrangement seems to have been found between the Hyatt chain based in Chicago and the Saudi hotel owner, the Egyptian hotel association has given a clear ultimatum to the hotel’s management: the hotel must either reinstate alcohol or watch its 5 star rating dwindle to a dismal 2 stars! Egyptian law (a 2006 ministerial decree) does require that hotels with a rating above 2 stars serve alcohol. “Even if the Grand Hyatt chain accepts alcohol being forbidden there, as far as we’re concerned the case is far from closed as Egyptian law is clear and it would seem that Mr. Ibrahim is giving serious thought to lifting the ban,” declared the head of quality control to the hotel association, Siham Soliman. The organisation’s president, Mr. Fathi Nour, who is also an adviser to the Minister of Tourism, responded in the press with outright indignation the day after the incident.

Fear of losing traditional clientele

For tourism professionals in Egypt, there is no room for hesitation, even when faced with the possibility of developing a potentially lucrative industry. “Our doors are closed to Islamic tourism. We are not an Islamic destination and that is an area of tourism in which we have no interest,” stated Siham Soliman. Indeed, while Egypt is currently investing in new tourism ventures such as conference tourism, and health tourism, the probable success of “Islamic tourism” would be a virtual nightmare. “We fear that this trend could grow and that this in turn would make us lose a significant portion of our traditional clientele. We receive many Arab tourists who have never protested against the presence of alcohol in our hotels. For those who do not care to be around alcohol, we have alternative packages such as apartments in hotel complexes, which are very popular among Gulf tourists. Why then should we impose a ban on alcohol on our other clients?”