Le Gray - Beirut

Some people may have been surprised when the announcement was made in 2005 that hotelier Gordon Campbell Gray was to open a hotel in Beirut. But perhaps the industry should have learnt by now to expect the unexpected from this most charismatic and passionate of hoteliers. One Aldwych became an instant classic upon its launch in 1990. The typical industry response would have been to take the concept, and replicate it in another capital city – Paris, say, or New York. Instead, Campbell Gray headed for an idyllic beach backing onto a mosquito-ridden swamp in the Caribbean, where he set about developing a luxury resort at Carlisle Bay in Antigua. It was, of course, a very different property to One Aldwych, yet one equally imbued with Campbell Gray’s obsessive attention to detail, an ethos of impeccable yet informal service, and the elegant interior design of his friend and associate Mary Fox Linton.

His next move was similarly contrarian. Rather than developing another hotel from scratch, in some far flung corner of the world, CampbellGray Hotels took on a management contract for Dukes, a century-old property in the heart of Mayfair described by Campbell Gray as not so much a grande dame as “a maiden aunt with thick ankles.” It says a lot that the next hotel could just as easily have been a wildlife sanctuary in the Falkland Islands, a Scottish castle, or a retreat in the Moroccan mountains – all projects that have been under consideration at various points. But it was Beirut for which Campbell Gray, an inveterate traveller, fell hardest. Although the conflict with Israel in 2006 delayed the development by a couple of years, Campbell Gray says he never considered pulling out.

The Lebanese capital has long suffered from bad press internationally, with newspaper columns focusing on political instability rather than a burgeoning cultural scene and the regeneration of a city, which took place under the supervision of then Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s Solidere umbrella endeavours (Hariri was assassinated in 2005). Solidere is the publicly traded company founded to rebuild Downtown Beirut, an area that was razed during 15 years of civil war that raged there between 1975 and 1990. Hariri’s vision for Downtown called for massive rebuilding and restoration in an ambitious plan to transform Beirut into the economic centre of a new Middle East. Billions of dollars were poured into the city centre in a reconstruction effort that revealed significant archaeological sites, Roman and Hellenistic among them.

It was to this brave new Beirut that Campbell Gray returned (invited by Lebanese guests who were fans of his London hotel One Aldwych, and who were soon to become his partners as the owners of the Beirut hotel), after a first visit 15 years previously, and his nose for potential was piqued. “The city was infused with bustling energy and confidence, and its time for a renaissance was due,” he says. Overlooking Martyrs’ Square, (a central location with a history of political gatherings including most recently the Cedar Revolution sit-ins of 2005), Campbell Gray was shown a plot of Downtown’s prime real estate, and introduced to the work of Australian architect Kevin Dash, who had just completed the much admired Bank Audi headquarters nearby. It didn’t take him long to sign up as the hotel operating company, with Dash as lead architect and local practice AAA in support of Fox Linton Associates.

Founder Mary Fox Linton and Associate Peter Young spent their first trip familiarising themselves with the culture and country. “We went to see wonderful houses, as well as Beiteddine and Sursock Palaces,” says Young. “We sketched and photographed many architectural details, and the work in the hotel was inspired by elements that caught our eye on this initial visit.” Indeed, many of the photographs now located in the corridors of the hotel are the same pictures Young took on this inaugural tour.

Responsible for Le Gray’s interiors and furniture, FLA responded to their locale by applying a contemporary twist to traditional details. The result can be found throughout the hotel: in the slatted timber ceilings of the 87 guestrooms with floors cast in antique gold limestone, which matches the exterior stone cladding ‘jaumont’ from France. Campbell Gray says: “We invested in the best materials throughout the hotel, from the stone building to the fabric finishes of the furniture. This formula – excellent materials rendered in perfect proportions – is the base for the loose bits, the extras that fill the hotel. The materials used at Le Gray will only look better and better with time.” By the extras, Campbell Gray is referring to the removable fixtures and fittings, those interchangeable details that give the hotel its distinctive identity.

At Le Gray, these include walnut writing desks, sofas with leaf print fabric specially designed by FLA, and soft furnishings in three colour schemes (mauve, blue and green). Guestrooms are spread over four floors (levels 2 to 5), whilst level 6 is home to the restaurant and bars: ‘Indigo on the Roof’; ‘The Pool Lounge’; and ‘The Cigar Lounge’. All radiate off an atrium which dramatically thrusts through the core of the building.

This is the third Indigo restaurant in the CampbellGray group, following Indigo on the Beach in Antigua, and the original Indigo in London. “This Indigo is all about the views,” says Young. Indeed, the perspective of Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque from the sixth floor is unsurpassable. “The restaurant leads diners through a series of experiences,” explains Young. “The challenge is always to locate the restaurant within a city or environment, and here that was achieved with the views. At the entrance guests are faced with a semi-open kitchen, half encased with slate tiles that give texture and contrast to a space where the soft grey ceilings, antique gold limestone floors and full glass walls are all beautifully finished.” Past the kitchen, diners are introduced to a wine wall and can eat inside or al fresco on the terrace, near to the mesmerising infinity pool. Cast in 40mm thick toughened glass, it sits atop the roof like a block carved from ice, commanding views over both the Mediterranean and the snow-capped peaks of the Lebanese mountains.

The aptly named Bar ThreeSixty sits atop the central glass atrium and has the feel of an ice queen’s palace, with colour added through lighting, the wooden floor and a grand piano.

In line with his own love of art Campbell Gray has introduced 540 pieces by artists from around the world to decorate both the guestrooms and corridors. A small elephant located in the lobby by Lebanese architect and artist Nadim Karam, has achieved mascot status. “Multicoloured and fun, children delight in it,” says Campbell Gray. “This elephant follows on from a history of sculpture in the lobbies of our hotels. There is a dog by Justine Smith at One Aldwych, and moving forward there will be an animal in every lobby.”

The hotel has been heralded a success, setting a new benchmark in boutique hospitality for the Levant and pioneering a change in the mix of potential visitors. So much so that it is already expanding. Space on the first floor, initially dedicated for retail, will open in 2011 as an exhibition gallery, and there will also be an Asian restaurant, lounge, twelve additional guestrooms, and five meeting rooms.

“Lebanon is a mushrooming market for Europe,” says Campbell Gray. “Our fourth largest guest numbers are coming from the UK.” Sensitive to this fact, Campbell Gray is already working on a second hotel there – a beach club, restaurant and spa in nearby Damour, due to open in 2012.

Rooms    87 guestrooms
Dining    Indigo on the Roof, Gordon’s Café
Drinking    Pool Lounge, Cigar Lounge, Bar ThreeSixty
Leisure    PureGray Health Club & Spa
Facilities    Boardroom