Far away places ……..

I collect hotel luggage labels, which I know marks me off as odd, especially as I have never visited any of the hotels in the collection.

But then as most of them date from the 1950s and 60s, and given that I was born in 1949 it’s unlikely that I would have ever ordered a meal in the Semiramis in Cairo or the Palm Beach in Beirut.

Move on a decade and it just possible that I might have scrapped up enough to sit in the hotel lounge sipping a G&T and people watching.

That said the Lebanon was sliding into civil war and Beirut was fast becoming a battleground.

The surprise is that both these “luxury” hotels are still doing the business in the 21st century, with the Semiramis announcing that it is “located 0.9 km from Egyptian Antiquities Museum, guests of 5-star Intercontinental Cairo Semiramis Hotel may find a night club and loungers on-site. This venue is just 550 metres from Garden City.

The accommodation is placed in the centre of Cairo, a stroll away from Tahrir Square. It is set in the shopping area, a few steps from Downtown Cairo. Intercontinental Cairo Semiramis Hotel is a short drive from Mosque of Ibn Tulun.

The hotel offers luxurious rooms furnished with ironing facilities, direct dial phone and smoke detectors. Enjoy the magnificent view over the sunset. Showers, a bidet and slippers, as well as a kettle, a microwave and kitchenware are featured.

A bar serves a buffet breakfast. Thai meals are supplied at the gastronomic restaurant. At the on-site Poolside bar guests can relax and enjoy cold drinks. Nile Terrace offers a rich choice of Middle Eastern, Arabic and Egyptian dishes daily. The nearest underground station, Sadat, is about 400 metres away. The property has a rooftop swimming pool as well as steam baths, various massages and facials. A gym area and fitness are also part of the sport facilities available”.

While the Palm Beach informs possible clientele that it “is located on the famous Corniche. Overlooking the Mediterranean Sea it is only 10 minutes from Beirut International Airport & few minutes walking distance from the Downtown”.

So that is it.

I am not sure hotels still do luggage labels, so I am grateful to Ann Scot Cooks who collected these in the 1960s and donated them to the collection, as a timely reminder of how travel used to be.

Location; Cairo and Beirut, circa 1960s

Pictures; the Semiramis, and Palm Beech Hotels, circa 1960s, from the collection of Ann Scot Cooks