Description

A large banner hangs on the vacant St. George hotel to indicate it did not capitulate to the Solidere real estate company that has built up much of the downtown and adjacent waterfront area. The building is across from a statue of the slain former Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri who headed Solidere. The ad has a tinge of irony, however, because it is not clear what St. George wants to stop exactly. The hotel club is an upscale location with a discriminatory door policy that excludes non-white and lower class entrants, while the Solidere area is an expensive commercial district out of reach for most Lebanese. So while the ad calls to stop Solidere, it is not against the concept brought by Solidere as much as it is staking a claim to an expensive piece of property.