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Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor
Luxor, Egypt · Sofitel · High Luxury
Inaugurated on 19 January 1907 with a picnic in the Valley of the Kings followed by a gala dinner, the Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor was designed by architect Leon Stienon in Edwardian colonial style for hoteliers Charles Baehler and George Nungovich, collaborating with Thomas Cook. In 1922, Lord Carnarvon took a suite here while Howard Carter used the noticeboard as his news ticker for the Tutankhamun discovery; the international press corps booked out the hotel as 'Tut-mania' swept the world. Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, and King Albert I of Belgium were also guests.
- 86 rooms
- Opened 1907
- Neighborhood: Luxor City
- Architect: Leon Stienon
About Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor
- Howard Carter announced the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb to the world's press corps from this hotel in November 1922, using the bulletin board as his official news ticker; Lord Carnarvon, his patron, was resident in a suite at the time.
- The hotel's inauguration in January 1907 included a picnic at the Valley of the Kings as the opening ceremony — a flourish that defined the Winter Palace as both a luxury hotel and the operational base camp for Egyptology's golden age.
- Among the first guests was Lord Carnarvon, who came to adore the Winter Palace so much he called it his second home and made it his Luxor base for the 17 years of excavation that led to Tutankhamun's tomb.
- The entire Egyptian royal family used the Winter Palace as their annual summer retreat, and later guests included Agatha Christie, Winston Churchill, and French Prime Minister Georges Clemenceau — reflecting the hotel's role as an intersection of archaeology, politics, and literary celebrity.
History
Sofitel Winter Palace Luxor is among the most historically significant hotels in the world, built along the Nile in Luxor in 1907 by British hoteliers who transformed it into the premier winter retreat for European Egyptologists and aristocracy. Architect Leon Stienon designed the Edwardian colonial palace for hoteliers Charles Baehler and George Nungovich. Lord Carnarvon and Howard Carter famously used the hotel as their base when they discovered Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, announcing the discovery to the world press from its corridors. Guests have included Winston Churchill, Agatha Christie, and multiple European royals.
The setting
6-minute walk to Luxor Temple.
Restaurants and bars
- Royal Bar — Bar · Bar
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