Hill International for Project Management has completed development of the Nile Ritz-Carlton Hotel, at a total cost of about EGP 1bn, according to Waleed Abdel Fattah, Hill International’s Senior Vice President and Regional Manager.
Misr Hotels Company, affiliated to Investment Ministry’s Holding Company for Tourism, Hotels and Cinema (HOTAC), owns the Nile Ritz-Carlton Hotel. It started the hotel’s development operations in mid-2011, which continued until the end of July 2015.
Abdel Fattah said that developing the Nile Ritz-Carlton has changed it into one of the most prominent hotels in the region. He added that the hotel consists of 13 floors, including 327 rooms and 52 suites at different levels. The official date for operating will take place at the end of next September.
During the opening ceremony, HOTAC Chairman Mervat Hataba anticipated that the minimum amount of revenues generated will reach $30m annually, in favour of Misr Hotels Company.
Investment Minister Ashraf Salman inaugurated the Nile Ritz-Carlton’s development project last Thursday and its delivery to the managerial company. Tourism Minister Khaled Rami and HOTAC officials were also present at the inauguration.
Salman explained that finishing the hotel’s development and starting its operations represents an addition to Hill International. This comes especially as the company has worked hard on the development during the critical circumstances Egypt has been facing, keeping in mind that the hotel is close to Tahrir Square.
Abdel Fattah added that the project’s developmental operations were implemented over several phases. The first phase included the designs, and engineering consultancies. The second one included the foundation phase, for which Power Egypt was responsible.
The third phase included the demolition and removal operations of the front and back areas, in addition to the networks’ separation, which the Arab Contractors Co. implemented in full. As for the construction operations, both Orascom and the Arab Contractors executed these operations.
The fifth phase included the architectural as well as the electromechanical work, which was executed by the Arab Contractors Co.
The hotel overlooks the River Nile in Downtown Cairo. Former President Gamal Abdel Naser inaugurated the hotel in 1959, and it became the meeting place for leaders and artists.
US company Hilton was responsible for the management of the hotel for 50 years until the Ritz-Carlton agreed to be responsible for its management for the next 20 years.
