Inside Jerusalem's Waldorf Astoria
Inside Jerusalem's Waldorf AstoriaLeora Soffer

The magnificent Waldorf Astoria is finally ready to open its doors and invite the people of Jerusalem to enter a magical symphony of elegance, tradition, sophistication and up-to-date technology.

The Waldorf Astoria has stayed true to its famous brand image and identity in offering everyone an unforgettable experience of personal service and value. A personal concierge which creates a relationship though communication and “service with a smile” from booking to departure has allowed this brand to retain a strong presence in the luxury market, and now Jerusalem hotel-stayers will benefit too.

The Waldorf Astoria is rightly proud of the delicate and detailed restoration they have achieved of The Palace Hotel, the longest project of its kind in Israel. The architects and interior designers were specially chosen to allow the facade and interior to reflect the era in which the building that once stood there was built.

The large clock by the regal staircase, a feature in all Waldorf Astoria Hotels, has four faces each with numbers in a different languages, representative of the different quarters of Jerusalem. This is symbolic of the hotel’s beliefs that every religion and ethnicity is welcome there both as members of staff and guests.

In the same welcoming spirit, every guest’s needs will be catered for accordingly - the gathering rooms allow for business meetings and private dinners, the library allows for peace and quiet, the business center and state-of-the-art spa, all contribute towards ensuring that the WA provides its guests with an unforgettable stay.

The lobby area, reminiscent of a Jerusalem courtyard, acts as the ‘Red Sea’ between the ‘King’s Court’ - an Oriental Middle Eastern themed Italian restaurant - on the right hand side, and ‘The Palace’ restaurant - a haven of Art Decor and exemplary example of intimacy and style. These restaurants, together with the delectable pastries handmade by the in-house pastry chef, will ensure that all culinary requirements are satisfied beyond imagination.

226 bedrooms, sized between 37 and 200 square meters (in comparison with other major luxury hotels in Jerusalem, whose largest rooms are 30 square meters) are serene and relaxing with 20% of them offering balconies - a rarity in the center of Jerusalem. The bedrooms each come with iPads  - which can be used at your liberty to control features in your room, order room service and surf the internet, large bathrooms, espresso bars, large TVs and free internet.

The rooms throughout the hotel boast Czech-made chandeliers and Italian furniture which stay true to the high quality of the hotel.

In particular the Ballroom - the most majestic room of the hotel, able to seat up to 900 people, and boasting chandeliers with 15,000 glass pieces - is sure to make for a sensational event.

But what really takes the hotel from a luxury building filled with style, design and beauty is the 300 members of friendly, helpful staff, handpicked from 10,000 applicants, who will ensure that the luxury dream is actualized for every member of the public who walks through the regal arches of the Waldorf Astoria, Jerusalem.