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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Ruth Michaelson

Desperate Egypt sells off historic hotels as it dives deeper into debt

A Mena House hotel luggage label.
A Mena House hotel luggage label. Photograph: Jennifer Kennard/Corbis/Getty Images

As dusk fell over the verdant grounds of the Marriott Mena House hotel, the reflection of the Great Pyramid of Giza grew darker in a pool built to reflect the last of the seven wonders of the world.

A band played a smooth jazz rendition of the Eagles’ Hotel California on the grassy lawns as guests assembled for dinner, while the staff attempted to project a sense of business as usual, despite the hotel’s recent acquisition by an infamous Egyptian real estate tycoon, Hisham Talaat Moustafa, and two powerful Emirati conglomerates.

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