Staying in the old Palymra involves taking a trip back in time. Walking into the hotel's entrance, the paint on the walls is not quite fresh anymore and your are instantly transformed into a traveler from the beginning of the last century. The old guest book of the hotel has witnessed a long list of illustrious visitors: European emperors, commanders of the Ottoman Empire, Lebanese and European politicians, painters, performers, singers, and writers. Prince Frederick Carl of Germany wrote in 1883: "When we finally came to the Hotel Palmyra, having spent eight nights of storm in tents, we found ourselves in paradise".
All the rooms' furniture is antique, from brass beds to wash stands which add to it an ambiance and a feeling rarely found in today's hotel culture.
A new wing has been added; an old Lebanese house renovated and converted into a restaurant, bar and five rooms in keeping with the traditional Palmyra style. The furniture remains antique but the bathrooms have new designs.
