Daily Times

Holiness is perhaps an under-rated quality in a hotel. What with the worldly trappings of room service, valet parking and chocolates on pillows – not to mention the Satanic temptation of mini-bars – they are normally unabashed temples of fleshly delights. The Mamilla Hotel in Jerusalem, however, is different. Don’t get me wrong: as a cornucopia of indulgence, with a spa, pool, sundeck, exquisite restaurants and winery, it is hardly a sackcloth-and-ashes sort of dive. But the Mamilla is just a stone’s throw from the Old City. Step out of the expansive, air-conditioned foyer into the bright sunshine, nod to the attentive doormen, wander for five minutes through ancient, butter-coloured stone walkways, and you will find yourself standing at what millions believe is the holiest site on earth. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Western Wall, the hotel seems to say. As the last remaining wall of the Second Temple, this is the most sacred location for Jews.

Published in Daily Times, February 16^th 2019.