Marriott reopens in Islamabad: Inquirer

By Nasir Jaffry
Agence France-Presse

ISLAMABAD--The luxury Marriott hotel in Islamabad was set to reopen Sunday, just three months after it was destroyed in a suicide truck bombing that killed 60 people, the worst attack in Pakistan this year.
The attacker rammed a truck containing 600 kilograms (1,300 pounds) of high explosives into the outer gates of the hotel on September 20, sending shockwaves through the capital, especially in the expatriate community.
Sadruddin Hashwani, 68, the owner of the Marriott and one of Pakistan's richest men, pledged immediately after the attack that he would rebuild the 289-room hotel, making it a "fortress" and "even better than before."
Three months later, an army of 2,000 laborers have restored the hotel to its former luster. A grand piano and glistening chandeliers grace the new lobby. The old one, which had a glass atrium, shattered in the attack.
The facility -- located near Pakistan's parliament and other key government buildings -- is also now surrounded by a massive security wall.
"The hotel will be fully functional from today, with the re-opening of all eight restaurants, coffee shops and the conference rooms," Khawar Jameel, a spokesman for Hashwani's Hashoo group, told AFP.

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