Just outside the Old City Walls in Jerusalem, almost a dozen rooms inside the 19th century St. Vincent DePaul Monastery are all set to receive pilgrims as well as tourists as part of the new Dar Mamilla guest house. With walls made of exposed stone with high arched windows and private bathrooms stocked with organic olive oil soap and mirrors with a handmade mosaic framework, the rooms resemble boutique hotel than basic accommodations.
“We wanted to create a modern and natural feel,” says Clara Borio, Manager of Pro Terra Sancta, a Roman Catholic non-profit organization that runs Dar Mamilla, which opened in November. “And no, there is no curfew. People are on vacation, they need to feel free.”
As tourism is constantly rising here, new Christian guesthouses are moe and making its way and others are also expanding and revamping to better style accommodation to house the growing number of visitors, but also their changing standards.
“Pilgrims today are looking for Wi-Fi, and amenities like coffee machines and minibars, along with good views and food,” says Yosef Barakat, general director of the Vatican-owned Notre Dame Center, a 131-year-old guesthouse that lately refurbished its rooms and public spaces, and is waiting for the approval of a building permit to start 145 rooms additionally, bringing its total to about 300. The guesthouse provides foot massages for all the worn-out pilgrims, and its rooftop Cheese and Wine restaurant provides a private-label wine, more than 40 types of imported cheese, and sweeping views of the Old City and surrounding landscape.