The prestigious Le Gray Hotel will not be receiving reservations on the dates of the confidence hearing scheduled this week in Beirut. To avoid the repetition of the previous scenario, the hotel has taken a pro-revolutionary stand.
On November 19th, 2019, a month after the beginning of the revolution, hundreds of Lebanese people blocked all entrances to the parliamentary session.
The commencement of that session was completely refused by the revolutionaries. Their attempts to block the ministers’ route to the government building resulted in scuffles between them and the anti-riot police, adding that several MPs arrived earlier than expected.
Many speculated that some of these ministers had spent the night at Le Gray Hotel in downtown Beirut in order to sneak in early and attend the parliamentary session.
Le Gray is a five-star hotel located close to the Parliament building, which made it a convenient choice for these MPs.
People then were furious at the hotel for allowing the MPs to book rooms in. Continuous efforts from the Hotel management to deny these accusations did not prevent the public scandal it endured.
The people of the revolution deemed it an anti-revolutionary stance from the hotel, which ensued with public shaming the Hotel had to face.
Obviously, the hotel can’t refuse politicians to use its permisses or book accommodations.
Henceforth, in order to avoid experiencing again an impossible situation and its consequences, Le Gray Hotel has now decided to close its doors to reservations during the coming parliamentary session.
On February 9, 2020, the management announced that the hotel will stop receiving reservations on Monday 10th, Tuesday 11th, and Wednesday 12th, yet without declaring the reason, other than the safety of hotel workers, customers, and visitors.
Le Grey’s restaurants will be also closed during these dates, which concur with the eve of the onset of the Parliamentary sessions. It will resume its business as usual on Thursday morning, February 13th.