The Four Seasons Hotel Damascus () is a 297-room

five-star hotel Hotel ratings are often used to classify hotels according to their quality. From the initial purpose of informing travellers on basic facilities that can be expected, the objectives of hotel rating have expanded into a focus on the hotel experie ...

and was part of the

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

-based Four Seasons luxury hotels and resorts from 2005 to June 19, 2019. It is located in the central district neighborhood of

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, near the Barada River, on Shukri Al Quatli Street.

History

The hotel was financed by Saudi prince

Al-Waleed bin Talal Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud (; born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, and a House of Saud royal. In 2008, he was listed on ''Time'' magazine's ''Time 100'', an annual list of the hundred most influential people ...

and was constructed by the local Fouad Takla Company. It opened on December 1, 2005. Al-Waleed later sold his stake in the hotel to

Syrian Syrians () are the majority inhabitants of Syria, indigenous to the Levant, most of whom have Arabic, especially its Levantine and Mesopotamian dialects, as a mother tongue. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend ...

businessman Samer Foz. The Syrian government is the second largest stakeholder in the hotel. Four Seasons Hotels severed its management contract with the property effective June 19, 2019, due to US sanctions on Foz. The US government accused Foz of war-profiteering and doing business with the Syrian President,

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

. The United Nations and several of its agencies used the hotel, which had the best security rating by UN's standards in Damascus, for their principal residences and offices during the civil war. In 2021, the United Nations spent $11.5 million at the hotel. As of 2023, the hotel continues to operate using the Four Seasons name and logo, though it is no longer recognized as part of the chain.

Gallery

Barada River and Four Seasons Hotel in Damascus.jpg, The hotel viewed from a distance Barada river in Damascus (April 2009).jpg, The Barada River near the hotel

References

External links

Four Seasons Hotel Damascus official Facebook page
2005 establishments in Syria Hotels in Damascus Hotels established in 2005 Hotel buildings completed in 2005 {{Syria-hotel-stub