Well, it seems like just yesterday that we were hoping for a Herods Jerusalem. And it seems like our prayers were answered. The 14 floor, 350 room Herods Jerusalem will be built right next to another Fattal hotel, the Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem. One of the focal points of the hotel will be the Vitalis Spa, which is expected to be one of the largest spas in Israel, located on the top 5 floors of the hotel. Also planned are a rooftop swimming pool and a large conference center. The hotel's construction is estimated to cost around $120 million.
Design of the "six star" hotel centers around a Jerusalem theme, "with the city's smells, with the city's clothing and with the city's atmosphere, but not so much a religious hotel." The city's smells? Forget exclusive perfumes that elegant hotels use to perfume their lobbies- Herods will be perfumed with sweat, urine, and Morrocan cooking odors!
Interestingly, Yoav Igra, who is the joint owner and architect of the Herods Eilat, noted that this will not be a religious hotel. This is likely as not to compete with the Leonardo, which is known for a highly religious crowd.
Also, it seems like the Herods chain are going for a city theme- Tel Aviv like Old Tel Aviv, Jerusalem like Jerusalem, Eilat like Eilat (more or less). This is a really cute idea, that will distinguish the brand from other luxury brands.
The only problem is the Igra will be the architect of the Jerusalem hotel as well. Hopefully, the municipality will prevent him from building a monstrosity like the Eilat hotel.
