King David Hotel

Infobox hotel
hotel_name = King David Hotel
מלון המלך דוד

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image_width =250px
caption =King David Hotel at night
location =Jerusalem, Israel
coordinates =
opening_date =1931
closing_date =
developer =Frank Goldsmith
architect =
operator =Dan Hotels
owner =Dan Hotels
number_of_restaurants =4
number_of_rooms =237
number_of_suites =
floor_area =
floors =
parking =
website = [http://www.danhotels.com/Luxury-Hotel-Jerusalem]
footnotes =

The King David Hotel ( _he. מלון המלך דוד) is a 5-star hotel in Jerusalem, Israel. The hotel was built with locally quarried pink limestone and opened in 1931. It was founded by Frank Goldsmith, father of the billionaire investor, Sir James Goldsmith. The King David Hotel is now a Jerusalem landmark and one of Israel's most famous hotels. It is owned and operated by the Dan Hotels group.

History

In 1929, "Palestine Hotels Ltd." purchased convert|4.5|acre|m2 on Jerusalem's Julian’s Way, today King David Street. Half the construction costs were paid by Albert Mosseri, an affluent Egyptian Jewish banker and director of the National Bank of Egypt, and another 46% by other wealthy Cairo Jews. The approximately 4% remaining was paid by the National Bank, which purchased 693 shares of the company between 1934 and 1943. [ [http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?c=JPArticle&cid=1182951030243&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull Egyptian bank sues Israel for dividends | Jerusalem Post ] ]

From its earliest days, the King David Hotel hosted royalty: the dowager empress of Persia, queen mother Nazli of Egypt and King Abdullah I of Jordan stayed at the hotel, and three heads of state forced to flee their countries took up residence there: King Alfonso XIII of Spain, forced to abdicate in 1931, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, driven out by the Italians in 1936, and King George II of Greece who set up his government in exile at the hotel after the Nazi occupation of his country in 1942.During the British Mandate, the southern wing of the hotel was turned into a British administrative and military headquarters. In July 1946 it was blown up by the Irgun, the pre-state underground led by Menachem Begin. A warning call by the Irgun to the hotel switchboard was made 15 minutes before the bomb went off (see King David Hotel Bombing).This act of terrorism resulted in the death of 91 people. An additional 45 people were injured. The bombing of the hotel produced the largest death toll of any single act of terrorism in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

On May 4, 1948, when the British flag was lowered, the building became a Jewish stronghold. At the end of the Israeli War of Independence, the hotel found itself overlooking "no-man’s land" on the armistice line that divided Jerusalem into Israeli and Jordanian territory. It was purchased by the Dan Hotels chain in 1958. The film "Exodus" was shot at the hotel in 1960. When Jerusalem was reunited following the 1967 Six-Day War, the hotel was expanded, with two additional floors.

King David Hotel today

Today, the King David Hotel is part of the Dan Hotel Chain, and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World and continues to accommodate foreign heads of state and diplomats visiting Israel. To mark the hotel's 75th anniversary, an exhibit of historic photographs is on display in the lobby. [ [http://www.dailyjews.com/articles/496_king_david_at_75.htm DailyJews - King David at 75 ] ]

References

ee also

*King David Hotel Bombing

External links

* [http://www.inisrael.com/danhotels/king_david/index.html The King David Hotel Jerusalem web site form inisrael.com Interactive Tourism Guide]
* [http://www.gojerusalem.com/SitePage.aspx?siteID=244&FirstCat=Accommodation&SecCat=Hotels&FirstCatVal=1&SecCatVal=2' King David Hotel information, dining and facilities - Go Jerusalem Travel Portal]
* [http://www.danhotels.com/Luxury-Hotel-Jerusalem The King David Hotel Jerusalem Official site]