The Windsor Hotel is a real-life hotel in Cairo, Egypt. The Windsor Hotel (فندق وندسور in Arabic, Hôtel Windsor in French) is a historic hotel in downtown Cairo, Egypt. The Windsor Hotel is the real-life hotel that Johnny Thunder and the Adventurers stay in during the events of Johnny Thunder and the Gift of the Nile. During the research process for Johnny Thunder and the Gift of the Nile, a real-life hotel was sought out for setting some of the Cairo scenes in order to make the film overall feel more believable. As this hotel existed in the past as a British Officers' Club, it served as a great way to set up a thrilling, yet modern, adventure.
Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino
Origins and Transformation
Originally constructed in 1893 as part of a royal baths complex, the Windsor Hotel is an example of colonial-era neo-Mamluk architecture. The Windsor was originally built in 1893 as Turkish baths for Egypt’s royal family. Its exterior facade bears strong resemblance to the interior courtyard facades of the 16th century Wikala of El-Ghouri, a caravanserai located in the nearby Khan el-Khalili souk. During its early years, it also served as an annex of the nearby Shepherd's Hotel, which no longer exists.
A Glimpse into Colonial History
Today, the hotel is renowned as a historic look into the bygone era of British Colonialism, as many of the hotel's furnishings date from this period. Yet those who are can often visit the Windsor, a onetime British Officer's Club, to catch a rare, nearly unchanged glimpse into Egypt's colonial past when England was at its height as a world empire. As this hotel existed in the past as a British Officers' Club, it served as a great way to set up a thrilling, yet modern, adventure.
Vintage Travel Posters line the foyer's walls
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Vintage travel posters line the foyer's walls. Upstairs guest rooms squeak underfoot from the original hardwood floors. Antique rotary phones are used to call the front desk, which uses a switchboard. The Windsor Hotel hosts a wood carriage, manually-operated, elevator that is still in use. An ancient elevator, enclosed in wrought iron gates, is operated manually by a liftman.
The Barrel Bar: A Historic Meeting Place
One of the hotel's more iconic locales and a popular Cairo meeting place, the Barrel Bar is notable for basing many of its furnishings around barrels, from the chairs to the lighting fixtures. And perhaps then the Barrel Bar will again become the place to be. Named after chairs here made from dark, wooden staves, it is among the most historically fascinating places to have a drink in Cairo. One can easily picture former British officer T.E. Lawrence, who organized Arab nomads into fighting forces in World War I, resting a drink on one of the low cocktail tables.
A proper British afternoon tea complete with breads or pastries is served as well by a barman who has been at the Windsor for 34 years amid the gazelle antlers on the walls and original lighting fixtures. Originally, the bar sequence for Pharaoh's Quest: The Curse of Amset-Ra was going to take place in an unnamed bar.
The Barrel Bar
Challenges and Resilience
As Egypt grapples with political strife that smothered the tourism industry, hotel proprietors such as those at the Windsor are holding their breath, hoping this week's vote on a proposed new constitution will help bring an end to a prolonged period of toil. But since an uprising three years ago, would-be guests have tended to stay away. Relatively few visitors have come to Cairo during the past three years.
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This week, Egyptians voted on a proposed new constitution that supporters like the Doss family hope will lead to a new political process that can help turn things around and maybe even bring tourists back to the capital. The hotel has long been popular with archaeologists, Egyptologists, academics and history professors, the owners said.
A Sanctuary in the City
"It's truly a sanctuary in the middle of the hustle and bustle," Doss Suter says. But its entrance, framed by decrepit lanterns and the hotel's original sign, looks like a haven lost in time as one peers into its glimmering lobby. The hotel on a street named Alfi Bey is by no means a luxury accommodation. Guests won't find flat screen TVs, in-room coffee makers, modern furniture, plush bedding or bathroom robes. But for as little as $36 a night one can pretend to be back in the days of Lawrence of Arabia and genteel hotel life.
The Windsor Hotel isn't easy to find tucked between lofty, dust-covered buildings, thick knots of motorbikes and crowded tea shops. A short walk from Tahrir Square, the center of the uprising that had led to three years of violence and uncertainty, the Windsor building was built in 1893 as part of a bath complex for Egypt's royalty and became a popular watering hole for British military men at the turn of the century.
Other historic hotels in Egypt
There is a whole lot of history packed into these vintage hotels in Egypt. From royal palaces to guest houses built for dignitaries, these hotels boast timeless elegance that transports their guests back in time.
If you are looking for the view of a lifetime, check out Mena House. Many of the rooms have a direct view of the Pyramids of Giza. It was later transformed into a hotel by an English couple and named after the founding pharaoh of the First Dynasty (Menes).
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Once a real royal palace, this hotel opened in 1869 as a guest house for dignitaries attending the opening of the Suez Canal that year. Although it’s now the Marriott Cairo Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, many locals fondly refer to this hotel by its old name, the Cairo Palace.
The Sofitel Winter Palace is a 5-star luxury hotel built in 1886 by British explorers perched on the Nile River amid luxuriant tropical gardens and ancient temples. Designed and decorated to resemble an early 20th century French or Italian palace, the hotel boasts grand hallways and airy sitting rooms, lush tropical gardens, and restaurants serving gourmet French food.
"Cairo" The Timeless Heart of Ancient Egypt | A Cinematic Journey Through History
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