Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem

Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem is a luxury hotel on King George Street in central Jerusalem, opposite Heichal Shlomo and the Jerusalem Great Synagogue, and overlooking Independence Park. The property occupies a prominent 22-story tower clad in Jerusalem stone and is notable both as a hospitality venue and as an element of the city’s post-1967 urban skyline. Construction began in 1968, shortly after the Six-Day War, during a period when West Jerusalem was expanding its modern hotel infrastructure. The building was designed by architect Mordechai Ben-Horin and developed by business partners Ludwig Jesselson and Hermann Merkin. The project incorporated hotel accommodation and apartments, and its height made it one of the most visually distinctive additions to central Jerusalem at the time. The hotel opened in 1973 as the Jerusalem Plaza Hotel. Its initial operator was Canadian Pacific Hotels, linking the property to a major Canadian hospitality company and to the international hotel-management model that was increasingly influential in Jerusalem. In 1986, the hotel joined Sheraton Hotels and Resorts and operated for more than two decades as the Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel. The property adopted the Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem name in 2008. This change reflected its incorporation into the Leonardo hotel portfolio associated with Fattal Hotels. The hotel was briefly presented under the Herods brand between 2016 and 2017, when it operated as Herods Hotel Jerusalem. It returned to the Leonardo Plaza name in 2017 and has continued to operate under that identity. The hotel has 279 rooms and two restaurants. Its offering is centered on full-service luxury accommodation, dining, and the provision of a centrally located base for visitors to Jerusalem. Its location near major civic, religious, and cultural landmarks gives it relevance to both leisure tourism and institutional or business travel, although the available reference material does not provide a detailed breakdown of its guest segments, facilities, pricing, or current management structure. The property’s history is characterized by successive operating and brand affiliations rather than by a change in physical identity. The transitions from Canadian Pacific to Sheraton, then to Leonardo Plaza, the short Herods period, and the subsequent return to Leonardo Plaza illustrate the changing structure of the Jerusalem hotel market and the consolidation of hotel brands under larger operating groups.

Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem emerged from the post-Six-Day War development of West Jerusalem. Construction of the tower began in 1968, when the city was adding modern commercial and tourism infrastructure. Architect Mordechai Ben-Horin designed a 22-story structure faced with Jerusalem stone, a material choice that connected the modern high-rise to the city’s established architectural character. The project was developed by Ludwig Jesselson and Hermann Merkin and included both hotel rooms and apartments. The property opened in 1973 under the name Jerusalem Plaza Hotel. It was operated by Canadian Pacific Hotels, giving the new Jerusalem landmark an international hotel-company affiliation from the beginning. With 279 rooms and two restaurants, the hotel was designed as a substantial full-service property rather than a small boutique establishment. Its position on King George Street, opposite Heichal Shlomo and the Jerusalem Great Synagogue and adjacent to Independence Park, placed it in the center of Jerusalem’s urban and visitor-oriented life. In 1986, the hotel joined Sheraton Hotels and Resorts and was renamed the Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel. This period associated the building with one of the best-known international hotel brands and formed the longest documented phase of the property’s pre-Leonardo identity. The Sheraton name remained in use until 2008. From 2008 to 2016, the property operated as the Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem. The Leonardo identity connected the hotel with the Fattal-associated Leonardo hotel portfolio. In 2016, it was briefly associated with the Herods Hotels brand, another Fattal-related hospitality brand, and operated as Herods Hotel Jerusalem. That phase lasted until 2017, after which the property reverted to the Leonardo Plaza name. The documented history therefore shows a stable Jerusalem hotel property passing through several operating brands: Jerusalem Plaza, Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza, Leonardo Plaza, and briefly Herods. These changes affected the hotel’s commercial identity and affiliation while preserving its role as a large luxury property in central Jerusalem. The available sources identify its accommodation capacity and restaurant count but do not provide a complete account of renovations, ownership arrangements, management personnel, financial performance, or current operating results.

• 2017

  Return to Leonardo Plaza name

  [1]Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org

  The property reverted from the Herods identity to the Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem name.

• 2016

  Temporary Herods branding

  [1]Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel was briefly associated with Herods Hotels and operated as Herods Hotel Jerusalem.

• 2008

  Leonardo Plaza identity adopted

  [1]Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org

  The property changed its name from Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel to Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem.

• 1986

  Sheraton affiliation begins

  [1]Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org

  The hotel joined Sheraton Hotels and Resorts and became known as the Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel.

• 1973

  Hotel opens as Jerusalem Plaza Hotel

  [1]Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org

  The property opened as the Jerusalem Plaza Hotel under the operation of Canadian Pacific Hotels.

• 1968

  Construction begins

  [1]Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org

  Construction began on the 22-story Jerusalem stone-clad tower in central Jerusalem.

A centrally located luxury Jerusalem hotel combining a landmark high-rise setting, full-service accommodation, on-site dining, and proximity to major civic and religious destinations.

• Hotel accommodation · 1973

  Guest rooms

  The hotel provides 279 rooms in a full-service luxury property in central Jerusalem. The accommodation product is supported by the building’s landmark tower setting and proximity to Independence Park, civic sites, religious institutions, and other destinations in the city center.

• Dining · 1973

  Hotel restaurants

  The property includes two restaurants as part of its hotel offering. The available reference material confirms the number of restaurants but does not specify their current names, cuisines, menus, or service concepts.

• 2016

  Brief move to Herods brandingStrategy

  Background

  The property was associated with Herods Hotels, a hotel brand within the Fattal-related hospitality structure.

  Action taken

  The hotel operated temporarily as Herods Hotel Jerusalem.

  Aftermath

  The property returned to the Leonardo Plaza name in 2017.

  Source

• 2008

  Transition to Leonardo Plaza brandingStrategy

  Background

  After more than two decades under the Sheraton name, the property changed its hotel-brand affiliation.

  Action taken

  The hotel adopted the Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalem name.

  Aftermath

  The Leonardo Plaza identity was used from 2008 to 2016 and again from 2017 onward.

  Source

• 1986

  Adoption of Sheraton brandingStrategy

  Background

  The Jerusalem Plaza Hotel moved into an affiliation with Sheraton Hotels and Resorts.

  Action taken

  The property was renamed the Sheraton Jerusalem Plaza Hotel and operated under the Sheraton identity.

  Aftermath

  The Sheraton name remained associated with the hotel until 2008.

  Source

1. 1Leonardo Plaza Hotel Jerusalemen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Leonardo Plaza Jerusalem - Fattal Hotelsfattal-hotels.com