Is this really Beirut’s moment of renaissance? Somehow the wonderful new Le Gray seems to stand for more than just another new hotel development. Downtown Beirut now has a world class luxury venue  which is attracting the smart and successful (and a few hangers-on like me) from all over Europe. It must have cost Campbell Gray and his backers a small mint to build this place, in the middle of a global recession.

Le Gray is surrounded by dozens of other new upmarket developments - mainly shops and apartment blocks - which leads one to think that big investors, and the rich Lebanese diaspora, have decided this is the time to place their bets on Beirut. The past is still all around, of course, in the shape of massive paintings of various local pols who have been assassinated recently. It’s still hard to believe that parts of this city were bombed to hell as recently as four years ago. But more of that in my next post.

BMI is the Biz

A few years ago, when all in the world seemed sunny, plucky old British Midland bought an outfit called British Mediterranean which flew to little-served Middle East, African and near-Asia cities. If you wanted to get to Almaty right away, British Med was just the ticket. This turned out to be a smart move, as oil and gas exploration came on-stream in Khazakstan and the rest of the Caucuses, and previously closed ME countries - Syria and Iran - began opening up to tourists. So now, BMI is the natural choice for the traveller who wants to spend four or five hours on a plane to venture beyond Europe’s borders - even for a long weekend. Given that few other carriers go to these places, BMI could have chosen to offer up a standard version of the crappy European business class you get from everyone - except an hour or two longer. But they haven’t done that. As we have discovered on trips to Cairo and now Beirut, this is an excellent service. The seats are wide, the legroom plentiful even for six-footers, and the menu, while not exactly Michelin inspired, is very tasty (below).

On top of that, you get the familiar, homely service from the BMI staff, which, as I’ve said before, is like being looked after by auntie!

Mr Gray invites..

Le Gray is the brainchild of the guy who owns One Aldwych in London, a small stylish hotel which has always been good to me! I toasted the start of 2010 at an excellent dinner in the Indigo restaurant upstairs. But Mr Gray has really outdone himself with his Beirut creation, which has already won so much acclaim around the world.

After passing into the small hotel lobby, the first thing you notice is the smart uniforms of the staff. They are all dressed in sharply cut grey suits with pinkish shirts, an excellent combination which I am now - somewhat ridiculously - copying at work.

Blue Bar

Don’t let that small lobby deceive you. Stepping into the glass elevator, you travel up a wide circular atrium which goes all the way to the uber-cool Bar Sixty Three (above), a kind of blue heaven which looks out on downtown Beirut from all sides, with cocktails to match (below).

Stylish Suite

We had executive suites at Le Gray, which has everything you’d expect of a contemporary hotel like this. Probably the best feature was the very long terrace (below), which was perfect for a leisurely breakfast.

Indigo on the Roof

Sticklers for brand consistency will love the fact that Mr Gray gives the same names to the restaurants in his different hotels. So there is also an Indigo restaurant in Le Gray Beirut, as there is in London. But the view is a little better. All you can see while dining at One Aldwych is the downstairs bar packed with boozed-up locals. In Beirut, Indigo is on the roof (hence the brand variation ‘Indigo on the Roof’), and you can see all across the city and the sea beyond as you tuck into some delicious local fish and white wine.

Infinity Pool

If you had to pick one feature which really makes this hotel, it’s the rooftop Pool Lounge where you can swim and laze around under the Beirut sun - all day if you want. But Beirut is far too exciting a city for that, as I will write about in my next post.

The fun in this town really gets going as the sun goes down.

The verdict

It’s been reported that a host of other luxury brands, including the Kempinski and the Grand Hyatt will soon be opening in Beirut (and the Four Seasons is already there). They will have to invest some to beat Le Gray, and the Scottish guy behind it all deserves huge credit for spotting the infinite new possibilities which now await Beirut, if they can keep the guns and bombs packed away.

Our ratings for BMI Business

1-5 stars

Cabin & Entertainment

***

On-board cuisine

***                                                                                                           

Service/staff

*****

Lounge facilities

*****

Our ratings for Le Gray

1-5 stars

Accomodation

****

Dining & Entertainment

****                                                                                                            

Service/staff

****

Location

*****

For more pictures of BMI and Le Gray, click here.