We all know Israel’s hospitality industry had barely recovered when it was heavily hit by Oct. 7. Yet one of Jerusalem’s flagship hotels, the Inbal, is attempting to find a niche to distinguish itself in a reduced market.
Indeed, Inbal CEO Roni Timsit told In Jerusalem that the hotel’s heavy focus on international tourists had an immediate effect on business due to canceled flights following the massacre, as well as during the heightened conflicts with Iran. “We responded proactively by launching targeted campaigns for the domestic Israeli market,” Timsit said.
Before the Israel-Hamas War began, the Inbal saw approximately 80% international guests and 20% domestic, but this shifted drastically, with Israelis making up approximately 60%-70% in the past year, Timsit said.
Many of the remaining international guests are from North America, with many visiting family who live in Israel, including relatives serving in the IDF.
The hotel last underwent a major renovation in 2019, Timsit noted, including adding two new floors featuring Premium Rooms and Suites, a new lobby, and an upgraded swimming pool. Additionally, last Passover, the hotel renovated all of its remaining guest rooms.
Jerusalem stone blends into modernity
However, the standout of the hotel is its food and drinks services. Approximately a year ago, Bar 22 opened, offering a luxury drinks experience to pair with the flagship 02 Restaurant, as well as the other food and drink options on offer, headed by Hotel executive chef Kfir Hadad and 02 Restaurant chef Avraham Freizen.
Arriving at the Inbal, I noticed that the entrance hall and lobby merge Jerusalem stone walls with modern fixtures and furniture.
The check-in was quick and pleasant, and I was taken to my room, a Grand Premium, with a spectacular view of the Old City walls.
A welcome package was waiting for me in the living area of the room, including a fruit platter, wine, and pastries.
The room itself was well designed with plenty of storage areas, including a fridge - essential for keeping drinks cool in the summer - as well as comfortable sitting areas both inside and outside on the balcony.
The bathroom was segmented into a washing area with a bath and shower off to one side and a toilet on the other, adding to the comfort of the layout. Hotel bathrooms can often feel like they are trying to force things into a small space, but this was the opposite.
After relaxing on the balcony for a short while, I went downstairs to explore the lobby areas.
The main entrance has a few sofas and couches with some coffee tables, but the main public seating area is located between the 02 Restaurant and Bar 22, with many more tables and chairs, all comfortable.
The highlight, though, is for those who have access to the Executive Lounge.
Located on the ninth floor, the lounge, which requires you to scan your room key to enter, is for adults only and comes with a generous selection of hot and cold foods and drinks.
Its main attraction, though, is the space to sit and relax. While many hotels have such lounges, the Inbal really excels in having arranged it into separate rooms and areas, including a balcony terrace, ensuring that it never feels too busy.
A hotel focusing on food and drink
It became clear from the staff who guided me to my room that the hotel’s main focus is its food and drink offerings.
The food at the 02 Restaurant was varied and exquisite.
The first starter offered was an Armenian cucumber salad, with pickled cucumbers, pickled onions, nectarine, aioli, chili slices, hazelnuts, mint drizzle, and a cashew yogurt (NIS 62).
There was a good balance of mint, the kick from the chili, the sharpness from the pickled onion, the sweetness from the nectarines, and the crunch from the cucumbers. I found it refreshing on a warm night after a hot day and a long shift at work.
The next starter, a red tuna tartare, arrived on a slice of fluffy, thick bread with a lemon-based drizzle and aioli (NIS 62).
The bite started milder, with the fish flavor hitting stronger with each chew. The bread was quite thick, making it a complicated bite, but all was delicious.
The next starter tasted was cured picanha, charred celery root, cashew labaneh, and a pecan gremolata (NIS 78).
This was my least favorite of the starters for two reasons:
Firstly, it was served in only half the bowl, which is a style that I personally dislike. However, the presentation itself was attractive, with the picanha rolled up.
Secondly, I personally dislike cashews and pecans, and so the nuts covering the whole dish were just not to my taste.
However, the charred celery root had a powerful, smoky flavor, while the picanha was deep and rich and full of flavor.
Possibly my favorite dish of the whole experience, the sirloin roast beef starter, served with an assortment of pickled onions, cucumbers, and radishes, as well as egg salad (NIS 72), was perfect for my taste.
The beef was pull-apart soft, with a deep beefy flavor. Some may find it too strong, but with the provided pickles and egg salad, the dish comes with its own palate cleanser.
The main dish was lamb cutlets with roasted kohlrabi and a scallion salsa (NIS 90/100gr.). I ordered two cutlets, weighing approximately 250 gr., and a side portion of fries (NIS 34).
The fries were warm, crunchy, with skin on. However, they came quite salty. I personally like this, but others may find it too much.
The lamb was delicious, but it sat on a bed of oil, which meant that it did cause a slight drip when picked up, if one is not careful. However, it was perfectly cooked and seasoned.
Kohlrabi is maybe one of the most underrated vegetable side dishes, and this dish was able to highlight why.
For dessert, I was advised by the waiter to try the sticky date pudding with caramel toffee and almond ice cream (NIS 56).
A spin on a popular British dessert, sticky toffee pudding, but with a date base to add that Middle East twist, it was warm, rich, and fluffy in texture.
The ice cream came over an almond crumb, and looked so attractive that, despite not liking almonds, I had to give it a taste. The texture was more like thick cream than like ice cream, and I highly recommend it to someone who likes the taste of almonds more than I do.
I finished my meal with a lemon cream that came with a burnt meringue, blueberries, and almond crumble (NIS 62).
The cream had a strong hint of both milk and lemon flavors balancing each other, with the char of the meringue offering flavor variety. The cream was thick and kept its shape once dug into.
The 02 Restaurant did the hotel proud, while also not being notably more expensive than other prestigious meat and fish restaurants in Jerusalem.
Bar 22, an experience even for a nondrinker
Bar 22 was an experience for me, as someone who almost never drinks alcohol. In fact, this proved to be a good test for the occasion, as I believe a true test of a bar staff is their ability to create off-menu nonalcoholic drinks that are still delicious.
I was upfront with my barman about not usually drinking alcohol, and decided to order a variety of alcoholic drinks that I thought I might like, as well as one nonalcoholic drink, which I asked him to design for me.
The barman asked which fruit flavors I would usually seek out, so when I told him citrus, he designed one based on the flavor profile provided.
After being offered a pina colada ice-cream shot aperitif while I waited, I was served my four drinks, all of which were delicious.
One, the Classic Paloma based on Patron tequila and red grapefruit (NIS 47), was tasty, but too alcoholic for my personal liking.
It was dressed with a mango chili chip on top, which was delicious, starting off sweet and then with chili notes rising in the background - a perfect cocktail companion.
I then tried the Market Charm, a spiced rum, honey, passion fruit puree, and lime juice drink (NIS 54), which was served with a foam topping.
There was a sharp citrus flavor without heavy alcohol overtones. For a nondrinker aiming to taste a cocktail, this is one of my top recommendations.
However, possibly my favorite cocktail of all time (and I think my barman agreed with me) is a Singapore Sling, so noticing it on the menu, I had to order it.
The classic cocktail, composed of gin, Cherry Heering, Cointreau, and Amaro di Angostura (NIS 56), did not disappoint. It came in a tall glass and was the only cocktail I drank that was served with a straw. It remains my favorite, and for good reason.
My off-menu nonalcoholic drink was pineapple with citrus added and a basil leaf served in a whiskey tumbler (NIS 38).
It was very sharp with a strong basil leaf flavor cutting through in a cleverly balanced tone. It also came with quite attractive sugar “roses” and was a true sign of skill from the bar staff to create.
In the morning, I went downstairs for breakfast.
The main breakfast area is famously well stocked with everything you expect to find at an Israeli hotel breakfast, including fresh warm bread (which was delicious), a large variety of cheese and fruit, and eggs made to order.
The standout was the breakfast’s tabun oven offerings, which included various types of pizza that appeared very popular with the hotel’s younger guests.
The food, served buffet-style, was fresh and high-quality, and nobody felt rushed.
Personally, though, I decided I would like a quiet breakfast experience rather than the bustle of a buffet, and so went to the Executive Lounge to relax.
The lounge during breakfast offered trays of hot food, including shakshuka, as well as bread, smoked salmon, spreads, cheeses, and fruit, in addition to its usual servings of hot and cold drinks.
All the facilities on offer you could wish for
After breakfast, I walked around to explore the facilities that the hotel offers.
Underground, the hotel has a well-laid-out conference and business suite floor that I stumbled on while trying to find the swimming pool and spa.
The hotel also has a gym with plenty of exercise machines for those guests who do not want to miss out on their daily workouts, and a spa that offers all of the treatments you could hope for, including aromatherapy, body scrubs, deep-tissue massages, hot stone treatments, and reflexology.
The pool area was well laid out, in an attractive outdoor space, and with comfortable deck chairs.
At the time, it was not too busy, and so space was no issue, but in peak seasons, or when tourism fully returns to Israel, there is a chance it would be too small to facilitate guests from all 300+ rooms that the hotel has.
Intriguingly, to the left of the main entrance, adjacent to the lobby, the hotel hosts stores certified by the Tourism Ministry and Israel Antiquities Authority to sell biblical artifacts - another example of the Inbal juxtaposing historical Jerusalem and Israel with the modern-day.
The Inbal, a hotel or a food experience?
That being said, the hotel’s main facilities are something regularly on offer at top hotels in Israel, and have almost become expected among guests, especially international ones, who are used to top-level facilities at hotels around the world.
The staff appears to believe that the hotel is seeking to stand out as a food and drink experience, and it certainly achieves that.
However, while the hotel’s food and drink are exquisite, including the other food on offer at the Jerusalem Street Food Festival during the spring and summer seasons, and the winter’s Soup Festival, reservations for the 02 Restaurant and Bar 22 are available to non-hotel guests.
While Timsit confirmed that “every effort” is made to give priority to hotel guests, the ability to book as an external guest means that the Inbal may be shifting from a hotel with high-quality food to a high-quality food experience with available accommodation and other facilities attached.
In such a congested marketplace with a reduced customer base, this may not be a bad idea.
The writer was a guest of the hotel.