Downtown Tussle

The Conflict Over The Undeveloped piece of land in Tahrir Square is nearing resolution, according to Ali Abdel Aziz . Chairman of the Holding company for Tourism, Hotels and Cinema (HOTAC).

The Land, situated in the middle of Tahrir Square, is named “Egoth” after the Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH), which owns 15 hotels throughout Egypt and is in turn owned by the government through HOTAC. EGOTH sold the land to an Accor-NSGB consortium, along with permission to build a 650-room hotel on the site.

Cairo’s governor Abdel-Azeem Wazir has said that another large hotel in Tahrir would worsen congestion in one of the most crowded areas of the city; he announced in early April that he would present a proposal to Accor-NSGB alliance to reduce the size of the planned hotel to 250-300 rooms. If the alliance accepted the proposal, plans will be submitted to the governor for his approval to begin building. Meanwhile, HOTAC has said that it wants to alter the contract with Accor-NSGB regarding the land, shifting from full-ownership to along-term benefit contract.