The American Colony Hotel, Jerusalem’s hidden landmark
The Israeli government recently authorised hundreds of tenders for the construction of new hotels in Jerusalem and Israeli settlements ringing the city. Aside from creating a tricky tourist situation since the bulk of new hotel construction will be on territory deemed occupied by the international community, the move demonstrates the city’s need to expand its aging hotel infrastructure. One hotel, the American Colony, in the eastern part of the city, has a storied history of diplomatic intrigue and luxury not usually associated with the city’s limited hotel options.I visited the hotel this week for Monocle 24 and found a place from another time. The American Colony is perhaps a remnant of a forgotten era in which journalism and diplomacy was marked by intimate conversation, not the constant buzzing of mobile phones and impersonal social media. An afternoon coffee in the hotel’s comfortable lobby still evokes the intrigue and glamour of newspapers’ golden age. Original air date: 23 August 2012