Morcos Nassar Palace is located in the old city of Bethlehem, just a five-minute walk from the Nativity Church. It is considered one of the ten most important heritage places in Bethlehem. The three-story palace is about 520 square meters. The beautiful, colorful drawings that decorate the ceiling make it really unique. Our guests would enjoy the calm atmosphere as well as the beautiful garden.
Morcos Nassar Palace was built between 1899 and 1910 by the famous and first architect in Palestine “Morcos Nassar” who studied in Paris. He built it as a residence for the Nassar family. After 1948, many families left the country and immigrated to the USA, Latin America, and Europe as well. Morcus Nassar’s three sons lived there for about five decades before selling it and immigrated to the USA with their families.
The new owners of the Mansion sold it to others and it kept being sold from one family to the other until L’Arche Bethlehem bought it in 2013 to be used for Ma’an Lil-Hayat project for people with intellectual disabilities. It was renovated in 2014 under the supervision of RIWAQ and the Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation CCHP. Then it was again renovated in 2021 under the supervision of CCHP to be used as a Boutique Hotel.
Ma’an lil-Hayat Boutique Hotel is a project of Ma’an Lil-Hayat / L’Arche Bethlehem community that was founded in August 2009. Ma’an Lil-Hayat brings together people with and without intellectual disabilities who share life through structured creative activities, celebration and mutual relationships of friendship and trust. Ma’an lil-Hayat is a project of the International Federation of L’Arche communities.
Ma’an Lil-Hayat Boutique Hotel in Bethlehem is the first hotel of its kind to be staffed by persons with and without intellectual disabilities. The objective is to provide top-class high-quality accommodation for local and international guests. The hotel focuses on getting a sustainable income for the continuation of our Ma’an lil-Hayat community for people with intellectual disabilities.
Our vision at Ma’an lil Hayat Boutique Hotel is to have Palestinian adults with intellectual disabilities prepared and employed to best serve our international and local guests.
The mission of our hotel is to provide outstanding lodging facilities and services to our guests by people with and without disabilities which gives job opportunities for adults with intellectual disabilities as well as to make known their gifts and talents by working together toward more human society.
A Memorandum of Understanding that aims at providing the foundation and structure for collaboration between the Ma’an lil-Hayat community – L’Arche Bethlehem and Associations Albergo Etico Italia ONLUS. Albergo Etico is a social enterprise that is helping Ma’an Lil-Hayat/L’Arche Bethlehem in opening a boutique hotel under the concept of a social enterprise. The mission of Albergo Etico is to offer job opportunities and the chance to express talents and help young people with intellectual and physical disabilities to enter the world of employment. Albergo Etico is a hotel and restaurant service provider serving customers in Italy and Australia. Their business concept is to provide young men and women with and without a disability, a chance to become a part of the working society by training them in the hospitality sector and providing them with full-time jobs.
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