Few hotels anywhere have a story like the Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino. At its heart stands the Gezirah Palace, built in 1869 by Khedive Ismail to host Empress Eugenie of France for the opening of the Suez Canal, and today its gilded salons and Moorish arches anchor a grand five star hotel set in around six acres of gardens on Zamalek, the leafy Nile island at the centre of Cairo.
The palace was commissioned for the Suez Canal celebrations and fitted out by European craftsmen, with cast iron arcades and interiors shipped from Berlin. After spells as a grand hotel from 1894 and later as the Omar Khayyam Hotel, which gave the casino its name, it was restored and reopened in 1982 as the Cairo Marriott Hotel, with two 20 storey towers, the Gezira and the Zamalek, added on either side. The arrangement works beautifully: you sleep in a modern, balconied tower room, then take breakfast, dinner and drinks in and around a genuine 19th century royal palace.
In our view this is the most atmospheric sightseeing base in central Cairo. The Egyptian Museum is about ten minutes away, the Pyramids and the Grand Egyptian Museum are comfortable day trip territory, and you come home to gardens, a heated pool and a proper choice of restaurants rather than a busy downtown street. It suits couples and history lovers especially well, and anyone who wants resort levels of space in the middle of a huge city.
Honesty matters here: this is a big, lively hotel, a Cairo institution where local families celebrate weddings and friends meet for coffee in the gardens. If you want a small boutique bolthole we will point you elsewhere, but if you want to feel part of Cairo life with five star comfort, few addresses come close.
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All bedrooms at the Cairo Marriott Hotel sit in the twin Gezira and Zamalek towers either side of the palace, and every room has its own balcony, a rarity in Cairo. Aspects take in the Nile, the palace gardens or the city skyline, and interiors are classic Marriott: plush bedding, a sitting area, marble bathroom, minibar, safe, tea and coffee making and 24 hour room service.
Choosing between the towers matters less than choosing your view and your floor: the two buildings are near identical, so we simply secure the aspect you want. Rooms with two double beds comfortably take three sharing or a family, and cots are available on request. Wi-Fi is free throughout.
The core category, with a comfortable sitting corner and a furnished balcony. City and partial view rooms are the easiest on the budget; the view categories below are worth the step up.
Looks down over the palms, lawns and pool of the palace gardens, the quieter aspect and a lovely outlook with morning coffee on the balcony.
The river, the bridges and the city skyline from your own balcony. Ask us to request a high floor; the outlook from the upper storeys of the towers is one of the best in Cairo.
Standard sized rooms with entry to the M Club on the 18th floor of the Gezira Tower, a lounge with Nile views serving complimentary continental breakfast, all day snacks and evening hors d’oeuvres. Soft drinks are included, alcoholic drinks carry a charge, and lounge guests must be 12 or older.
Proper suites with generous living space; some feature kitchenettes. The Diplomatic Suite at around 70 m² is more than double the size of a Deluxe Room and a sensible choice for longer stays.
The grandest quarters in the towers, with sweeping views and butler service in the Royal Suite. We price these on request.
We sell the Cairo Marriott Hotel on bed and breakfast, and breakfast here is a genuine event. The signature buffet is served in the Omar Khayyam Restaurant from 6 am, with a later finish on Friday and Saturday mornings, and mixes international favourites with Egyptian dishes. On fine mornings, which in Cairo is most of them, you can take it outside in the garden setting of The Egyptian Nights terrace.
With this many restaurants on site and Zamalek’s cafe scene on the doorstep, bed and breakfast is the basis we recommend: eat in a different palace venue each night or wander out and explore.
Fine dining in the opulent heart of the palace itself, with French and international dishes. In our view the most romantic table in the hotel, and one of the most atmospheric dining rooms in Cairo.
USDA prime beef cooked to order with farm fresh sides and indulgent desserts, widely rated among the best steakhouses in the city.
An intimate Italian with freshly baked bread and homemade pasta, from linguine to tortellini.
Smoked lamb chops, brisket, short ribs and sausages cooked low and slow for over 12 hours, plus sandwiches, sides and salads. Relaxed and generous.
Local delicacies cooked in front of you in the open air, with music drifting through the gardens. The place to eat Egyptian food on your first night.
Spacious outdoor seating in the palace gardens and a long all day menu. A Cairo institution for coffee and people watching, whatever the season.
Sandwiches, salads, freshly brewed coffee, homemade cakes and chocolate, served amid the palace arches around the clock. Very handy after a late flight.
Evenings here need no encouragement: piano in The Lounge, bands at Harry’s, music in the gardens at The Egyptian Nights, and the casino open late. All venues are licensed.
The outdoor pool sits within the palace gardens and is heated, so it stays comfortable through Cairo’s mild winter as well as the long hot summer. Sun terraces and loungers surround it, greenery screens it from the city, and The Waves snack bar keeps you supplied with cold drinks and light bites without leaving your lounger. For a city hotel, the amount of open air space here is remarkable.
The hotel’s Saray Spa is one of the best regarded in the city, with 13 treatment rooms, indoor relaxation areas, a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi. The menu leans into the region: Moroccan and Turkish hammam rituals sit alongside Swedish, deep tissue and hot stone massages, body scrubs and wraps. Our customers tell us the hammam experiences are the ones to book, ideally after a dusty day at the Pyramids.
A 24 hour health club keeps gym regulars happy with cardio and weights equipment, so an early workout before a day of sightseeing is never a problem.
The casino that shares the hotel’s name offers slot machines and gaming tables in suitably regal surroundings. It is a discreet, grown up affair rather than a Las Vegas floor, and adds a certain glamour to evenings here.
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