khabah

Interesting news: St. Regis has signed to take over the state-owned Al Masa Capital hotel in the New Administrative Capital currently under construction outside of Cairo. The hotel, the first to open in the New Capital, has 270 rooms, 90 suites, 60 hotel apartments and 14 presidential villas. Word has it that the original, long-delayed St. Regis Cairo on the Nile Corniche has had its operational license revoked in its entirety since the diplomatic spat with Qatar, who owns that project, isn't going anywhere.

No official press release from Marriott yet, but sources here and here have broken the news.

khabah

Fly_IAD

Whats nuts to me is that for the years of delays given the situation why cant there be some clever change of ownership or simply a sale so that the ready for business (for a long time) St. Regis Cairo can just open !?

khabah

For Qatari Diar, this is a high-profile and expensive-to-develop asset that was almost ready before the idiot Blockade happened so they’re clearly hanging on. As an Arab, I can say that most Arabs are stubborn, which is why Qatar won’t sell, Egypt and Saudi-backed company won’t back down and at the end of the day, a management contract is a piece of paper in a rich man’s world.

khabah

Fly_IAD

You nailed it! Wait, your saying some people in the Arab world are stubborn, Im shocked

TGLoyalty

such a shame because it’s local people that lose out on jobs, Locals lose out on revenue from more tourists arriving in the area and a large hotel that would be a bit of a landmark for the country gets old before it’s even put to use.

the blockade doesn’t seem to be having the effect that was expected/wanted.

khabah

Announcement's out today: rebranding to occur in spring 2020. Mods, can you rename the thread "The St. Regis Almasa" please?

khabah

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The St. Regis Almasa

Marriott International signs agreement to bring its iconic St. Regis Brand to Egypt with the St. Regis Almasa

28 January 2020 - Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) (www.Marriott.com) announced that it has signed an agreement to open a St. Regis in the New Administrative Capital of Egypt, just outside of Cairo. In the second quarter of this year, The St. Regis Almasa is expected to occupy an existing luxury hotel at the entrance of the up-and-coming city that is slated to become the administrative and financial hub of Egypt.

The 434-room Almasa Royal Palace is planned to be rebranded as a St. Regis in Spring 2020.

Also present during the signing ceremony were General Mohamed Amin Ibrahim Nasr, Advisor to the President of Egypt for Financial Affairs and Liam Brown, Group President Europe, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.

With the population of greater Cairo expected to double in the next few decades, the government in Egypt announced plans to build the New Administrative Capital. Almasa Royal Palace, which the owner has operated for the past two years, is located adjacent to a 42,000-square-foot convention center that hosts official government conventions and events, as well as official foreign presidents' visits.

The hotel consists of 270 rooms, 90 suites, 60 apartments and 14 villas. Other facilities include outdoor and indoor swimming pools, a gym, spa, club house and 20 food and beverage outlets.

When it opens, The St. Regis Almasa is expected to encompass the hallmarks of the brand such as its rich traditions and rituals, and signature St. Regis Butler Service. Through a phased approach, areas across the hotel will undergo a refresh to deliver an on-brand experience in New Cairo whilst remaining open to guests.

Source: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/annou...is-almasa.html

mileageking

The St. Regis Almasa Opens its Doors in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital.

Looks like a nice category 5 property. Photos on MR website. Rates from USD147/night. Metropolitan suites $343, Astor suites $490.

The St. Regis Almasa Opens its Doors in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital - EIN Presswire (einnews.com)

ElevatorEnthusiast

Moderator team, can we please change the name of this thread to "Almasa" instead of "El Masa" to reflect the official name of the property? Thanks!

ElevatorEnthusiast

What an...interesting property! Perhaps whenever the New Administrative Capital is more complete and more closely aligned with the rest of Cairo, this property will make more sense. However, as of now, it's just a St. Regis with both pros and cons isolated away in the desert. If the property was perfect, then I could see why folks might make a destination out of this, but alas, perfect it is not. Here are my pros, cons, and photos:

Pros:

• Upgraded to an Astor Suite (higher than the base suite type) multiple days before arrival
• The Astor Suite is large - honestly too large - with a four-person dining table, large couch and chairs, desk, way too large bedroom with plenty of dancing space, and a bathroom with shower that wraps around to the bath tub
• Parts of the design are "charming" - it looks a bit like someone wanted to replicate a palace but comes out unique enough to almost distract from the ridiculousness of it all
• Bed is generally comfortable - amazing plush pillows, soft / just-right mattress, covers are decently thick (but honestly should be thicker)
• Shower pressure from the rainfall head was amazing
• Welcome gift was quite nice - really enjoyed the madeleines (super soft and moist) and cheeses (I was unsure of what flavor the macarons were, but nice thought)
• Service was nice - most of my interactions were with Alaa, the butler who checked me in and out, escorted me to my room, etc
• No issue with the 2 PM late checkout I requested
• My rate included breakfast, so I picked 1000 points as my welcome gift
  • Breakfast was good - buffet and made-to-order eggs
  • Nice cinnamon bun with icing and pretzel-shaped donuts
  • Omelet with beef bacon and cheese was tasty
  • Cappuccinos were good
• Offered free transportation to the airport upon departure (more on that in the Transportation section below)
• USD-to-EGP exchange rate used was fair

Cons:

• The bathrooms are honestly just ugly, and the separate sinks barely have any room to actually put items on (bad design) - this really cheapened the feel of the room
• The whole hotel feels way too big and seemed to only have about 5-6 other guests (honestly) - even the hallways had random spaces with large couches, etc.
• Their credit card machine declined my card 3 times (honestly, I'm not sure why they tried 3 times) - I asked them to use another machine, and not surprisingly, it worked
• I felt like the bed linens could be a bit scratchy, especially at the foot of the blanket where there was a rough crease
• Service verges on the pushy side - "how would you rank the hotel? Oh, a 9.5 is not good enough." "are you sure you don't want to extend your stay? One night is not enough."

Transportation: The NAC at this point is basically a big transportation black hole. You can get Ubers to take you there, but good luck finding one to pick you up. The hotel knew this and told me at check-in that I could get free transportation to the airport upon departure, which I thought was very nice. I told them that I was actually going to the Westin Cairo as my next hotel (which is closer to the NAC than the airport is). They said they would have to figure out a price but would make sure that it was the best price. OK, that's fine - I didn't hear anything about this overnight, so I messaged Alaa on WhatsApp and asked him what the price would be around 11 AM. He told me he would get back to me and then came back a bit later and said it would be 68 USD. I was shocked and told him that was far too high - was he planning on taking me there in a Maserati? This is Cairo not New York City. I looked at my Uber app, and the dreaded NO CARS AVAILABLE message was front and center. He mentioned he could give a 10 percent discount, but I asked him if the transportation to the airport was still free, which he confirmed it was. I told him that I would take the free transportation to the airport and then get an Uber from the airport to the Westin for 6 USD. He said that sounded like a good and smart idea and booked my airport transportation for 2 PM. Sure enough, I was whisked to the airport in a Toyota with patterned leather seats (nicer than any other Toyota I've been in) for free. I then walked in Departures and down to Arrivals where I got an UberX (ended up being a nice Corolla) for about 6 USD to the Westin. I guess I get the scalability side of going back and forth between the airport, but the whole thing felt a tad wasteful, but hey, it's nice that I got out of there for 6 USD, and the hotel was not obliged to transport me to the airport for free.

Overall, I don't really see any reason to return since the hotel is currently so remote. It was interesting, though.

Photos:

Bravada04

Fantastic review! We have been pondering so many different places for a change of pace. We always venture south or have fallen in love with Asia - I have been dead set on Vietnam for a second trip and wanted to visit the JW in Phu Quoc. Once I start looking at the map there is so much to visit and had my eye on Egypt for something totally different. This St. Regis obviously is a great bargain but just reading the reviews etc., - YOU hit my exact thoughts on your review on what I would have expected. Actually, probably the closest review I have ever read that just mirrored my mind/thoughts without being there.
Now I have totally changed gears over the last few weeks and am actually looking at Istanbul for some time then over to Malta then off to Greece then home. This is totally out of the norm and I mean totally left field. I am taking going from HOT vacations to something totally different. Actually cool/cold in February but this is when we always take 2-3 weeks. Sounds crazy but I can't wait much longer over the cold winters in YWG - it might not be hot but we are far away and will make the best of it experiencing another part of the world, the culture and food.
Thank you for your review - it was perfect timing. I would be interested in your opinion / feedback on your thoughts on Egypt etc., Not sure if you are a regular or not?

ElevatorEnthusiast

It's my first time in Egypt and technically Africa - though, not my first time in the Middle East as I've done the UAE twice, Qatar, Jordan, and Istanbul. Egypt is the easily the most different destination I have been to so far. Even just the experience of being on the roads is a sight to behold with every Uber ride like a roller coaster. It is also one of the cheapest destinations I have visited recently - though, of course, it isn't hard to find an opportunity where you'll get taken advantage of. I've avoided that so far, but I also haven't spent much time out of the hotels and didn't attempt any tours. Will I come back anytime soon? Probably not. Am I glad I came? Absolutely.

ShayB

Useful review. Any recent stays and reviews? I am debating between this location and Ritz Carlton Nile. It will just be for one night.

ElevatorEnthusiast

I can’t imagine picking this property and its location over the Ritz Nile.

sickmint79

i'm here now, it's a nice place but i just left the property and walked around new cairo governorate (wonder when the last time anyone did that was) and there sure isn't anything to see or do. i toured egypt in december, this was a pass through but with a few days due to RJ only flying up here certain days of the week from asia.

dunno how much free time you actually had, but for one night ritz nile seems nice or i might just stay at the le meridien at the airport. few days in egypt and you've already explored a bit? hey this property is an aight place to hang out, as long as you don't expect to go leave it