Reading Time: 5 minutes It is a sad time for the hospitality sector in Lebanon, as we hear of the closures this May of Food and Beverage (F&B) outlets such as Hamra’s Dar Bistro café and bookshop, Minet el-Hosn’s upscale fine-dining venue Balthus, which had been in operation for 20 years, and Tawlet Hamra, which had operated for just…
Q&A with Kamal Mouzwak on the impact of COVID-19 on Tawlet and Souk El Tayeb
Reading Time: 5 minutes After being closed down starting March 11 for almost eight weeks, due to measures taken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Lebanon’s restaurants were allowed to re-open on May 4 as part of a phased easing of the lockdown. To learn more about considerations F&B operators were taking into account before reopening, Executive chatted beforehand…
Lebanon’s economic crisis weighs heavy on F&B outlets and hotels
Reading Time: 5 minutes In Lebanon’s service-oriented economy, the hospitality and tourism sector is largely considered a beacon of strength. Its direct contribution to GDP by end of 2018 was 6.5 percent (according to the World Travel and Tourism Council) and it employs 150,000 people, the biggest employer after the public sector, per the tourism syndicates of Lebanon (the…
Lebanon’s F&B operators face an economic crisis and low tourism
Reading Time: 7 minutes The once mighty food and beverage (F&B) sector is today falling under the weight of the current economic crisis—the dollar shortage, increased cost of living due to exchange rates, and lower purchasing power—and lack of tourists, with no respite in sight. Once optimistic F&B operators, who had always insisted that the sector was resilient enough…
Lebanon’s hotels facing a bleak last quarter
Reading Time: 5 minutes During the winter holiday period hotels are typically full of life, from locals dining at the in-house food and beverage outlets, to tourists checking in to their rooms at the lobby—everything and everyone is covered with a festive sheen. This year, however, if October and November performances are any indication, a busy festive season will…
Le Gray’s general manager’s four years in Beirut
Reading Time: 6 minutes Lebanese born and raised, George Ojeil was the hotel manager at the Intercontinental Hotel in Amman, Jordan, when he was offered the position of general manager (GM) of Le Gray Beirut, which he describes as a “very sexy product which any hotelier would love to run.” What further facilitated the decision to accept Le Gray’s…
Five star hoteliers preparing for forecasted boost in tourism from Saudi Arabia
Reading Time: 5 minutes The rising temperatures in Beirut signify a rapidly approaching summer, typically a peak tourism season in Lebanon and one that five star hoteliers in the country are eagerly anticipating. Tourism in Lebanon has been slowly getting back on its feet over the past four years—thanks to a diversification of markets that included European and South…
The nightclub business in Lebanon
Reading Time: 6 minutes When The Axis of Evil comedy tour performed in early 2008, Lebanon—for the first time in its history—did not have a president, and was in the midst of a politically unstable and tense period that culminated with the Doha Accord later that year. Despite the situation, Maz Jobrani, one of the group’s stand-up comedians, humorously…
Lebanese DJs on the music scene in Lebanon
Reading Time: 10 minutes Beirut’s local DJs have been creating a buzz among the country’s music-loving community. Some are co-owners or resident DJs at some of the biggest clubs in the country, others, such as those profiled below, circulate the scene playing different sets at Beirut’s electronic music clubs. From playing sets and producing music, to sound engineering and…
Lebanon’s electronic music entertainment business
Reading Time: 8 minutes Electronic music is a worldwide trend—and for those who keep up with it, it must seem as though Beirut is hosting a headliner or an emerging artist who is topping the charts in Europe or the US every other week. Even those who do not follow the scene will have found it hard not to…