Al Habtoor Group closes its operations in Lebanon due to “hostile campaigns”

Al Habtoor Group decided to proceed with closing its operations in Lebanon, citing the prevailing conditions in Lebanon, and after conducting a comprehensive internal review.

The group stated in a statement, “This decision comes against the backdrop of the prolonged state of instability, the continuation of hostile campaigns, public attacks, and defamatory practices directed against the group and its businesses, in addition to the legal procedures currently underway between (the Al Habtoor Group) and the Lebanese government.”

The statement said: “Over an extended period of time, the group was keen to maintain its operations, protect its employees, and safeguard its investments, despite the increasing challenges. However, the cumulative effect of these factors has made continuing operations unsustainable at the present time.”

The Al Habtoor Group confirmed that “despite the difficulty of this decision and the humanitarian and professional dimensions it carries, it came after a long path of steadfastness and commitment, noting that since the beginning of the Al Habtoor Group’s presence in Lebanon and the opening of its first hotel in 2001, the group has dealt with its investments and employees with the logic of partnership and responsibility, and not with the logic of immediate profit.”

She continued: “During long years of successive wars and crises, the group bore huge operational and financial burdens, and continued to fulfill its obligations towards its employees, and dealt with this stage as a humanitarian case before it was a commercial case, in light of the absence of an official decision and the state’s failure to provide the minimum level of stability and necessary protection.”

She added: “However, this approach is no longer possible to continue.” With the worsening situation, the continued institutional failure, and the absence of any radical solutions to address the existing imbalances, (Al Habtoor Group) finds itself forced to take the decision to stop its operations in Lebanon, stop the ongoing drainage drain, and lay off all its employees, in order to preserve its rights and interests, and to prevent further unjustified attrition.”

The group explained, “The decision to stop all of its work, including closing its hotels, comes in this context, as a necessary legal and operational measure, and falls within the package of measures adopted by the group to protect its rights and investments, and the stakeholders associated with it, within the framework of the existing legal path. Al Habtoor Group confirmed that it fully reserves all its rights, and continues to take the necessary appropriate legal measures, in accordance with international agreements and relevant legal frameworks.