jerusalem

Waldorf=Astoria plans New Location in Tel Aviv

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, Real Estate Developments

The Waldorf-Astoria is a veritable New York City landmark. But what was once a single establishment has since grown, under the direction of Hilton Hotels, into The Waldorf=Astoria Collection.

In addition to the flagship location in Manhattan, four more opened in the United States (including the Arizona Biltmore, La Quinta in California, the Dakota Mountain Lodge in Utah and the Grand Wailea in Maui), but the expansion isn't limited to America alone. The Calalieri in Rome joined the collection in 2008, which was preceded by the Qasr Al Sharq in Jeddah. The roster has since expanded to include dozens of locations, but Saudi Arabia isn't even the only country to put The Waldorf on the map in the Middle East.

Visitors to Jerusalem will invariably notice the construction of the latest location in the Israeli capital, opposite the boutique Mamila Hotel and the modern David Citadel, and just down the street from the historic King David. But soon that development is set to be joined by an additional location in Tel Aviv.

The Mediterranean development is planned for the Tel Aviv beachfront on a plot next to the expansive Tel Aviv Hilton. Although details of the project have yet to be confirmed, the Jerusalem location is set to feature 220 guest suites along with 30 residential condos.

[Source: Yedioth Aharonoth]

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Tags: hilton, hotel, israel, jerusalem, tel aviv, waldorf, waldorf astoria, waldorfastoria

A Hanukkah Surprise For Israeli Archaeologists

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

During Hanukkah, children, like the ones shown above, often receive gelt in the form of gold foil-covered chocolate coins. But some Israeli archaeologists got some gelt of their own this week when a British volunteer found a hoard of gold coins from the 7th century in Jerusalem on Sunday right around the start of the Hanukkah holiday at sunset. The hoard of 264 ancient gold coins minted during the early 7th Century was found in Jerusalem National Park. It is one of the biggest and most impressive gold coin finds ever discovered in Jerusalem. The coins were in a collapsed building that dates back to the 7th century, the end of the Byzantine period and they bear the face of Heraclius, who was the Byzantine emperor from 610 to 641. On one side, the emperor is wearing military garb and is holding a cross in his right hand. On the other side is the sign of the cross. The excavation of the building is continuing as archaeologists try to find out more about the building and how it was destroyed.

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Tags: coins, gelt, gold, israel, jerusalem