Accommodation: Make yourself at home

Jerusalem’s 21st Floor: 360 Suitop Hotel offers elegant apartment-style accommodation

By SHARON UDASIN
Updated: AUGUST 9, 2015 14:59
Interior design at the 360 Suitop Hotel (photo credit: PR)
Interior design at the 360 Suitop Hotel
(photo credit: PR)
Entering your luxury holiday apartment on the 21st floor of the central Jerusalem high-rise building City Tower, your eyes are immediately drawn to the ancient domes and ramparts of the Old City – and the telescope poised to augment that picturesque view. One of 14 such apartments located in the aptly named 21st Floor: 360 Suitop Hotel, the duplex apartment-style accommodation aims to attract families and business travelers.
Opened in May, the hotel’s apartments are equipped with full kitchens, pristine bathrooms and ample space to host meetings or enjoy family time. But perhaps the most striking feature of the new establishment is the view, unique to each room due to the 360-degree style layout of the hotel. The windows in our apartment faced east, with the Mount of Olives, the Dome of the Rock and the Seven Arches Hotel all in plain sight through the expansive glass panes.
The 14 apartments come in three shapes and sizes – Platinum, Prestige and Presidential – each equipped with varying facilities and a different price range. The four Platinum suites are about 55 square meters, with a small living room, bar and kitchen accompanying the bedroom, at NIS 1,100 to NIS 1,200 per night. The four Prestige apartments are about 75 square meters at around NIS 1,400 per night, with a combined living and dining room in the expanded space.
Ours was a Presidential apartment. The hotel has six such 90x95 square meter apartments – with two bedrooms, separate living and dining rooms and a small luggage storage room, running at about NIS 1,600. Furnishings were brand new and spotless throughout the suite, with luxuries such as a full Jacuzzi in the upstairs bathroom and a dishwasher among the sleek kitchen appliances. A plush rug adorned the living room’s hardwood floor, underneath a modern designed coffee table that stood between a large-screen TV and a sofa that was easy to 13 August 6, 2015 weekend sink into after a long day. This sofa, and another in the second bedroom upstairs, could expand to comfortably sleep two adults. An elaborate chandelier hung over the adjacent dining room, perfect for hosting business meetings or inviting guests to a home-cooked dinner.
The master bedroom featured an elegantly carved ebony wood vanity, with matching night tables, armoire and framed mirrors. An inviting queen-sized bed, promising guests a comfortable night’s sleep, dominated the center of the room. We were assured that the pillows, which were much too soft, were in the process of being replaced.
A welcome surprise in the bedroom was a long window, rendering the expansive dining room windows below – and their striking view of the Old City – visible from the foot of the bed. Although 21st Floor occupies just one story of the centrally located City Tower building, enthusiastic manager Eyal Shargay provides full-time concierge services, greeting all guests personally and providing a tour of their temporary abode. The hotel staff can arrange private excursions of the city, offer restaurant recommendations and order services such as massages, hair styling and manicures right to your suite.
“Even though we’re small, I think it’s an advantage,” Shargay says. Finding the entrance to the building can be slightly confusing, even though City Tower is the only highrise of its size in the vicinity. The address of the building is 34 Ben-Yehuda Street, but the entrance is on the Mordechai Eliash Street side. Prior to their arrival, guests receive an explanatory letter, complete with photos of the building entrance and an elevator code, as well as a map to a private parking facility across the street. Daily parking at the lot costs NIS 90. At first, 21st Floor served its guests complimentary breakfasts, but it has now phased out this offering. Instead, it will offer discount coupons to nearby cafes, Shargay explains. Guests can also cook in their own kitchens or order a breakfast basket to be delivered to their rooms from one of the restaurants below. On Shabbat, residents can pay in advance to have breakfast at an adjacent hotel.
Looking out at the view of the city, Shargay describes how the owner of 21st Floor “had a vision,” transforming a portion of the building that was “ruined” into an innovative option for visitors to the capital. “He said, ‘Something like this does not exist in Jerusalem. This concept is new, and there is a market for that, and I’ll take my chances.’” Shargay adds, “I think that from a tourist point of view, he succeeded.”
The writer was a guest of the hotel.