Saudi sheikh bans alcohol at Cairo Grand Hyatt Hotel

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

CAIRO (AFP) — A luxury Cairo hotel has stopped the sale of alcoholic drinks on the orders of its Saudi Arabian owner, who is a practising Muslim, the assistant manager said on Friday.

Owner Sheikh Abdel Aziz Ibrahim bin Ibrahim visited the five-star Grand Hyatt Cairo on Saturday and ordered all alcohol stocks be destroyed and banned its sale to conform with Islamic law, which forbids alcohol consumption.

No alcohol has been sold since the start of the week, assistant manager Nivine Sami told AFP.

"But the decision has not definitively been made yet. Discussions on this subject are ongoing between the hotel chain and the owner," she added.

A tourist official who spoke on condition of anonymity said the hotel could be stripped of three stars if it...