Lonely Planet Review

If you want to add your name to the long list of rich and famous who have checked in to this faded Art Deco beauty (the list includes Agatha Christie, King Faisal, the Shah of Persia, and Charles de Gaulle) make sure you book ahead. These days the hotel fills quickly with Iranian tour groups.

Opposite the old Hejaz train station, the splendid Orient Palace Hotel has been around since the 1920s. Depending on your level of enthusiasm for faded grandeur, it either retains plenty of period charm, or resembles a 20th-century medical institution. Off the old-fashioned lobby is an elegant ballroom-sized space with black and white tiled floor, regal-looking chairs arranged around the edge of the room and crystal chandeliers dripping from the ceiling. There is also an enterprising man who runs a tiny stall selling tea, Chicklets and sweets to hotel guests. The simple rooms are spacious and clean, although a bit fusty, and most have balconies overlooking the busy intersection. Use the green shutters, if you want some sleep.