Ammon News - AMMAN - The King Ghazi Hotel, one of the oldest hotels in downtown Amman, may soon fade into history, according to its owner and founder, Mufleh Zu'bi.

Established in 1950, the hotel is one of many longstanding businesses that stand to be impacted by the recently enacted Landlords and Tenants Law, which nullifies leases signed before 1970 as of next December, requiring lessees to vacate their premises or sign new contracts at higher prices.

Located on Saadeh Street, the hotel occupies a building constructed in 1925 that formerly housed the Ministry of Justice and the Hamdan Café, where Sheikh Hussein Tarawneh held the first Jordanian national conference, according to Zu'bi.

Although today the King Ghazi Hotel, which offers rooms for JD6-7 a night, pales in comparison to the city's upscale hotels in terms of both price and luxury, Zu'bi said that in its heyday, the hotel was prohibitively expensive for most people.

"The price of renting a room was 50 fils a night, which was expensive for most people. Only high-class people were able to rent a room in the hotel," Zu'bi told The Jordan Times.

The 85-year-old hotelier said he had already opened a number of hotels in the capital before establishing the King Ghazi in 1950, and had a loyal clientele that included a number of prominent individuals.

"The solid relationship between my father and many notables of Jordanian tribes and prominent figures drew them to stay at the hotel, such as the late poet Mustafa Wahbi Al Tal, better known as Arar, Hamad Ben Jazi, Rashid Khuzai, Field Marshal Habis Al Majali and Najib Ben Darwish, an eminent tribal leader," Zu'bi's son, Khaldoun, said.

The elder Zu'bi said some of his clients were very attached to the hotel. One loyal client, he said, stayed in the hotel for 35 years and refused to leave until he became ill and was admitted to a nursing home.

He noted that the hotel was once a hub for people who lived outside the capital, who would come to Amman to shop and spend the night at King Ghazi before returning home the next day.

The old hotel, which consists of 13 rooms, displays some antiques and a traditional Jordanian salon, which preserve the old aura of the city, according to Zu'bi.

The hotelier described the neighbourhood in 1950 as a small and sparsely populated area, especially compared the dense and crowded commercial district it has since become.

"There were few buildings near the hotel, such as Petra Cinema, Prince's Cinema, the Post Office and the Husseini Mosque. Hashem, Koujuk and Azazieh were the first restaurants in downtown Amman," Zu'bi recalled, adding that the city centre during the 1950s consisted of just five roads: King Talal, King Faisal, Hashemi, Salt and Wadi Seer (now Prince Mohammad) streets.

"King Ghazi Hotel is a manifestation of the history of downtown Amman. It witnessed the area’s growth," he pointed out.

According to Zu'bi, Ata Ali, the owner of the popular sweets shop of the same name, used to sell his confection on the street in front of the hotel before setting up his store.

"When Hikmet Mahyar, the former chief of the downtown police station, was a policeman, he used to come by the hotel to check on immigrants that rented rooms here, as a routine procedure," Zu'bi told The Jordan Times.

Today, although the King Ghazi and other downtown hotels have been eclipsed by the upscale hotels that dot Shmeisani and Jabal Amman, Zu'bi said establishments like his are important landmarks in the city and still have value for those who cherish Amman's heritage.

"The new hotels have attracted more people. However, the old hotels have their own special character as they help revive the old days of the capital and preserve the aura of old Amman. Many tourists still rent rooms in these old hotels as they are close to the magnificent spots of the city centre," he said.

The hotel owner expressed concern that the provisions of the Landlords and Tenants Law may endanger the future of his nearly 60-year-old business.

For the King Ghazi Hotel, the new law may mean closure, Zu'bi said, as he would not be able to afford to pay a significantly higher rent.

“The owner of the building has the right to dismiss us,” ending a long history and one of downtown’s milestones.


(By Muath Freij/ Jordan Times)


**** Established in 1950, the 13-room King Ghazi Hotel is located in Saadeh Street in downtown Amman (Photo by Muath Freij)