Five-Star Hotel Opens in Booming Kabul
The Afghan capital, Kabul, got its first five-star hotel amid a building boom fueled by international aid, profits from the opium trade and foreign investment.
The opening of the Kabul Serena Hotel drew President Hamid Karzai, ambassadors, foreign aid workers and the building’s sponsor, the Aga Khan, spiritual leader of the world’s 20 million Ismaili Muslims.
Its 177 rooms rent for $250 to $1,200 a night -- a fortune in a city where a government worker earns $50 a month. But the hotel provides jobs for 360 Afghans.
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