The Mena House Hotel is a historic hotel founded in 1886, located just outside Cairo, Egypt. It is owned by Legacy Hotels, part of the Talaat Mustafa Group.

The Mena House was originally a hunting lodge; it was a two-story house nicknamed the "Mud Hut." It was built in 1869 for the Egyptian Khedive Ismail Pasha.

Due to political issues, in 1883 Ismail sold the lodge to Frederick and Jessie Head as a private residence. The couple discovered the building during their honeymoon, and once purchased, they expanded it. In 1885, it was sold to the English couple Ethel and Hugh F. Locke King, who began converting it into a hotel and opened it to the public in 1886 under the name "Mena House." The hotel is named after Mena, the founding father of the first Egyptian dynasty, or King Menes. In 1890, the hotel opened the first swimming pool in Egypt, and that same year it was announced that the hotel would be open year-round. In 1920, an additional 30 rooms were added.

During World War I, the hotel was requisitioned by Australian troops and was occupied again by Australians in 1939. Toward the end of the war, it was converted into a hospital for wounded Australian servicemen. There is a known story of an Australian officer during World War I who was caught chasing a woman through the corridors of the Mena House hotel. He was completely naked. When asked, he quoted the army regulations stating that an officer may wear any costume appropriate to the sport he is currently engaged in.

The plans for Operation Overlord, the invasion of Europe, were discussed by Churchill and Roosevelt. Operations in Southeast Asia required consultations with General Chiang Kai-shek. The Mena House became the headquarters for the conference and the meeting place for all British and American chiefs of staff. The Mena House was a fortress, with about 500 anti-aircraft guns protecting the surroundings. There was even an RAF observation post on top of the Great Pyramid of Khufu.

There is an interesting story related to this meeting: Dr. Zaki Souedan, a physician with an international reputation, worked at a clinic near the hotel. He was often asked to look after guests and, of course, sometimes the staff. During the 1943 conference of Churchill, Roosevelt, and Chiang Kai-shek at Mena House, the chef was feeling unwell and had to visit the doctor several times. One evening, the chef came to pay the bill: he brought a large jar of caviar as a gift for the doctor. Zaki looked at it in surprise and asked where it came from. "Well," said the chef, "Stalin sent three jars to Mena House for Mr. Churchill, and I thought two would be enough for him."

Charlie Chaplin spent an entire week at Mena House, finding the place so inspiring that he constantly worked there on the script of a new film. At the end of his stay, he hosted a cocktail party on the terrace.

Sir Peter Ustinov, actor and writer, was fascinated by the story of King Zog of Albania and Queen Geraldine, who spent seven months at Mena House in 1946. The personal secretary of King Zog had a huge safe for treasures, specially brought from Cairo, so large that it had to be dragged to their apartments on the outer wall of the building.

Harry Mulisch, author of the bestseller "The Procedure," tells that his main character Victor Verker spends a lot of time at Mena House, where he meets Jacqueline Onassis and a group of friends ("I saw the masters of the world").

William Faulkner, the famous American writer and Nobel laureate, stayed at Mena House during the filming of "Land of the Pharaohs."

The film crew of "The Ten Commandments" stayed at Mena House for three months during the filming of the movie back in 1954.

Omar Sharif, the pride of Egypt, a charming and elegant Hollywood movie star, once said: "I’d rather play bridge than make a bad film," was a regular at Mena House and a favorite of the staff.

Much of "The Valley of the Kings" with Robert Taylor and Eleanor Parker was filmed at Mena House. Roger Moore, who stayed here during the filming of "The Spy Who Loved Me" in 1977, confessed in the guestbook during his second stay: "How nice it is to be here as a guest and not running around as Agent 007!" The bartender Aziz Fouad was responsible for Agent 007’s martinis. Charlton Heston (there is a photo of him with riding coach Mohammed Allan Gabry in the treasury book) appreciated upon his return that the lobby had not changed "since I used to ride out to the garden every day after filming 'The Ten Commandments.'"

The Oberoi Group took over management of the hotel in 1972, and it was renamed Mena House Oberoi. A major renovation was completed in 1975. In December 1977, Egypt and Israel met at Mena House seeking a peaceful settlement (representatives of America and the United Nations were also present) following Anwar Sadat’s peace initiative. Menachem Begin occupied room 908, while Jimmy Carter stayed in Churchill’s room, and Sadat in Montgomery’s room. The hotel was completely closed to the public and open only to delegates. Every visitor, including children, required a pass badge. Thanks to security services, a suitcase bomb was detected in time. Only kosher food was served to the Israeli participants. Jimmy Carter spoke at the meeting. On this occasion, Mena House management presented each Egyptian and American president with keys made of pure gold in gratitude for the privilege of hosting the guests. Carter, however, returned the gift the next day, as the U.S. president (at that time) was not allowed to accept gifts valued over $50. The results of this conference led to the Camp David Accords, which restored Egypt’s sovereignty over the Sinai Peninsula.

In 1889, the Prince of Wales Albert Victor stayed at the hotel.

In 1894, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and his wife stayed here. In 1909, the future King George V and Queen Mary attended a banquet here. Around 1914, Winston Churchill stayed at the hotel. In 1939, it was frequently visited by King Farouk of Egypt. Many heads of state stayed at the hotel, including King Gustav of Sweden, King Umberto of Italy, Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, and English military commander Field Marshal Montgomery. The wing where Montgomery stayed still bears his name. Other famous guests such as Agatha Christie, Ivan Trush, Roger Moore, Cecil B. DeMille, Charlton Heston, Frank Sinatra, David Lean, and Evelyn Waugh stayed at Mena House Oberoi.

Sources:

https://www.arabnews.com/node/1504871/lifestyle

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mena_House_Hotel

https://famoushotels.org/hotels/mena-house