This banner draped over St. George Hotel must be pissing Solidere off so much. They now threaten legal actions against media people who publish photos showing “Stop Solidere” in them when covering some event at Zaitunay Bay!
Fadi Khoury, owner of St. George, is probably the only man who dared to stand against Solidere and their malpractices on the waterfront, who in their turn blocked the hotel’s access to the sea.
waiver form via Beirutiyat
Great post.
Solidere: (Verb: to Solidere) The appropriation and privatization of publicly owned property or space by the state in collusion with business interests who generate revenues by restricting access or charging a high fee for access
Examples
Tania has solidered hiba’s car. she took it at night and started renting it out to strangers.
Mom, Samer solidered my sandwiches and started selling them to his friends.
hahah good one!
Great one Charbel, it would be interesting how the same verb translates into Arabic 😉
This is amazing! It must be published officially and tought in schools and added to the dictionary, perfect!
They’re all fools. The St Georges guy rents his space out for $10,000 per night (I know that info because I tried to rent it for an event) and they still keep that “Stop Solidere” banner up there. They’re just as bad as one another.
Solidere destroying everything in the country and St Georges for renting out a non-functional space for $10,000.
Go figure.
IMHO St George’s owner is free to set the price he wants for renting his venue, and $10,000 for an outdoor venue is quite normal nowadays by the way. I was checking outdoor venues back in 2011 for my wedding and almost all the prices I got in Metn and Keserwan were starting at ~$10,000.
Yes, but the outdoor venues are functional. I’m talking about the ballroom venue within the hotel – that’s been closed for years. How does that make sense? Paying 10k, no generator, no parking, no lights (we would have had to bring our own), no chairs, nothing. 10k just for the untouched ballroom space that’s only rented by very rich people who, in all probability, work for or with solidere.
The irony is uncanny.
The ballroom has not been closed for years. The hotel has been through the war and is the victims of a plot against its being rebuilt. It was partly destroyed again due to the bomb in 2015!
Come on Annonymous, you don’t have to use it or rent it but it’s not for the rich it for all, most events have been for non profit organisations… The rich like Solidere…..
We have lost during the war and since Hariri and are loosing just for the principle of upholding the truth and our rights..
I am late, sorry, but the post is marvellous… I love it! It’s encouraging to know how much we piss off Solidere, the monster that terrorises Beirut..
For me your comment is welcome. It would be nice if you showed yourself though.
Anyway just for your info the place is not done because of Solidere.
We offer it for free to people like the International Tango Festival. I am not surprised now that they run away from putting a picture of Saint George as it is with what should be the emblem for all real Lebanese “Stop Solidere”. The Lebanese flag should be replaced by that at lease until we get rid of this monster.
Your event is intended to make you money some, why don’t you want us to make a little money in order to survive? As long as the unfinished ballroom has hosted many events and looks really nice when it is done up…
Glad they’re pissed! Do they think having a waiver form will actually draw people’s attention away from it?
We all know the truth of how Solidere was established even if most want to turn a blind eye to it. People’s lives were ruined because of them… ma bi sir 3leyon chi from one small banner.
Mr. Anonymous this is not the subject they are talking about.
In down town Solidere is still destroying (solidering) the historical heritage, that belongs to the whole Lebanese people.
Why don’t they simply revive the place ?
Because Solidere and there sponsors are making sure the hotel does not get built since they control the country your country. The minute Saint George lets go Solidere will landfill the Rest of the Saint George Bay whose name they are trying to subversively change by calling is names…
This really is a great shame that the St George Hotel is not restored to it’s former glory. As a regular visitor to Beirut in the late 1960s/1970s we always
enjoyed our times at this wonderful institution. In the summer of 1972 my business partner Richard Enders organised his entire wedding in Beirut and the reception was held in the St George where I had the privilege to act as his best man. All was arranged with the kind help of Fady El Khoury. Richard flew his 35 British guests out from London with MEA and returned them in a private plane back to the UK via Cyprus where the second part of the festivities took place at the Dome Hotel Kyrenia.
It will be wonderful to revisit beautiful Beirut again blessed with a restored St George Hotel.
Hey! How nice to hear from you Roger! Hope your well? You bring back such nice memories! I’m in London often, let’s get together sometime. SMS me your telephone number on +961 3 691267.
Unfortunately we have been having a bad time with the advent of Solidere backed by Chirac and Hariri and a mafia that controls Lebanon.. Not for much longer.. Solidere must end in 2019 if we do not manage to end it before..
Fady!! You are a driver, a pioneer in your attitude! The only character which is absent in the lebanese society is courage. Courage comes out from culture, knowledge, integrity and virtue. I don’t know where your energy and stubborness is flourishing but keep doing this great job. If few people are influenced by your opinions, well ….. That is considered victory!
Like the dispicable odor of sukleen that we are breathing now, I hope in 2019 we’ll see the sukleenization of solidere! God bless you!
All please follow us on Saint George Hotel Yacht Club and Marina and see how Solidere tried to kill me on the video which we have published about a week ago and which has attracted already some 100000 people
Fady
So brilliant to hear from you after, would you believe, 40 years when you and Ellie Abdullah visited Sylvi and l in Beaconsfield in the UK. I will let you have my contact info by SMS. I am based in the oil rich country of Norway now and used to visit London and the UK every couple of weeks but now it is more like 3 or 4 times a year. Are you still in Paris or back in Beirut?