Courtyard houses in the Old City, new five-star openings, and the famous names that are no longer what they claim. A map of what is documented.
Syria has more places to stay than it did two years ago, and the best of them are not hotels in the way most countries mean the word. They are Damascene courtyard houses, some of them four hundred years old, converted room by room by families who own them.
This page is a map of what is documented rather than a ranking. We take no commission from anyone, nobody pays to appear here, and where we have not confirmed something ourselves we say so.
Several hotels in Syria still carry international brand names they are no longer entitled to use, because the chains cut ties under sanctions and the buildings kept the signage.
The Four Seasons Hotel Damascus has not been managed by Four Seasons since 19 June 2019, when the chain ended its contract after US sanctions on the property’s owner. Four Seasons says so plainly on its own website. The hotel continues to trade under the name. The Sheraton Aleppo is in the same position: Starwood severed its connection under sanctions, and the hotel has used the Sheraton name and logo since reopening in 2018 without permission from Marriott, which now owns the brand.
This matters practically. You are not booking into a chain, there is no loyalty programme, no central reservations, and no corporate recourse if something goes wrong. Judge these places on what they are, not on the sign above the door.
Inside the Old City walls, mostly in and around the Christian quarter near Bab Touma, a cluster of restored houses operate as small hotels. Names that appear consistently in traveller reporting include Beit al-Mamlouka, Beit Al Wali, Beit Zafran, Beit Rumman, Old Vine, Al Zaytouna, Via Recta and Talisman.
They share a shape: a plain door in a lane, a courtyard with a fountain and citrus trees, a handful of rooms around it, breakfast under the orange trees. Most have eight to twenty rooms. This is the reason to stay in the Old City rather than near it.
New openings are documented too. SANA reported the opening of the five-star Khan Suleiman Pasha Hotel in Old Damascus in January 2026, and a 1736 caravanserai has reopened as Khan Wahoud after six years of restoration.
Evidence is thinner outside Damascus. Aleppo has functioning hotels, including the Sheraton Aleppo noted above, but the picture changes faster and is harder to verify from outside the country.
The Baron Hotel, which opened on Baron Street in 1911 and hosted Agatha Christie, Nasser, de Gaulle and the famous unpaid bar bill of T.E. Lawrence, is not operating. It survived the war damaged and dusty, with broken windows and an uncertain future. It is a landmark rather than a place to sleep.
For the coast, Homs, Hama and smaller towns, ask your operator rather than booking blind. They know what is open this month, which is not something a website can tell you reliably.
Green pill: confirmed open and taking bookings Amber pill: listed but not yet verified Red pill: closed, or status unknown Every entry shows the date we last checked No commission, no paid placement, never hosted
The things that differ from booking a hotel anywhere else.
International platforms do not reliably cover Syria. Book directly with the property, or let the licensed operator arranging your trip do it.
Cards do not work anywhere in the country. Bring the whole cost of your accommodation in clean US dollars, along with everything else.
Several hotels trade under international names the chains abandoned under sanctions. No loyalty programme, no central reservations, no corporate recourse.
Expect stairs rather than lifts, uneven floors, variable heating and rooms that differ enormously from one another. Ask for photographs of the actual room.
The best Old City houses are small. In spring and autumn, book well ahead rather than arriving and looking.
Damascus nights get close to freezing and courtyard houses are often poorly heated. Ask specifically what the heating is before you book for December or January.
In this order, and expect it to be slower and more personal than you are used to.
Inside the Old City walls or outside them. That single choice shapes the whole trip more than the hotel does.
Most of these places answer email, WhatsApp or their own Facebook page faster than any booking platform.
Rooms in converted houses vary enormously. The published photographs are often of the best one.
Get it in writing: breakfast, taxes, airport transfer, and whether the quoted price is in dollars or pounds.
A specific question, not a general one. Old houses are cold in January and hot in August.
Especially if your visa or flights are not yet settled.
Enough for the full stay in clean US dollars, since there is no card payment and no ATM to fall back on.
Yes, including a cluster of restored courtyard houses inside the Old City walls, larger hotels in the modern centre, and new five-star openings such as the Khan Suleiman Pasha, reported by SANA in January 2026. Booking is usually direct or through an operator rather than through international platforms.
No. Four Seasons ended its management contract on 19 June 2019 following US sanctions on the property's owner, and says on its own website that the hotel is no longer managed by Four Seasons. The building continues to trade under the name, but there is no chain behind it.
Not reliably. International booking platforms do not cover Syria properly. Contact the property directly by email, WhatsApp or its own page, or let the licensed Syrian operator arranging your trip handle it.
No. The Baron opened in 1911 and hosted Agatha Christie, Nasser and de Gaulle, and still holds T.E. Lawrence's unpaid bar bill, but it came through the war damaged and empty and is not operating. Its future is uncertain.
Cash, in US dollars. Cards are not accepted anywhere and there are no ATMs available to visitors, so bring the full cost of your stay with you in clean notes.