Tel Aviv's Elkonin Hotel rises from the ashes

Recently, a few newspaper articles have been published about several boutique hotels reopening in Tel Aviv. 

The Braun Hotels chain launched Villa Braun Rothschild, a classic 19-room boutique hotel in a preserved building on Yavne Street, near Rothschild Boulevard. But it doesn't compare to the Elkonin Hotel, which is nearby. 

In addition to high-ranking guests such as David Ben-Gurion, Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann, in its previous heyday, King Abdullah of Jordan and others arrived at the hotel in carriages.

After several incarnations, the building was converted into residential apartments in the early 1930s, until it was neglected and the place was taken over by several workshops. In 2013, a renovation and expansion process began and now the reopened hotel owned by entrepreneur Dominic Romano is part of MGallery, which operates 107 boutique hotels worldwide.

The hotel has six floors with 44 rooms designed by Adriana Shore.

Service is provided by waiters, most of whom speak French. The hotel has a restaurant inspired by the renowned late chef Joël Robuchon, which serves breakfast and dinner. 

The spa is run in collaboration with the Clarins spa center chain and includes five treatment rooms and a hammam. On the hotel roof is a pool with a balcony overlooking the tiled roofs of Neve Tzedek, Tel Aviv's first neighborhood, and the Mediterranean Sea.