Thursday March 28th, 2024
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MO4 HQ Vs. Semiramis Pavilion

We spent a day at the Semiramis' new high-tech business and meetings hub, and now we hate our office.

Staff Writer

We at CairoScene are lucky to attend some pretty wicked events and venues here in Egypt. We’ve been front row (and backstage) at concerts, on the list for exclusive events and even occasional jet off for private parties and product launches. That being said, nowhere has felt as swanky as the InterContinental Semiramis’ new Pavilion.

It’s not often that we as a collective group get to venture out of the office for a field trip, but last week that’s exactly what we did as the whole MO4 team headed downtown for a day of working and eating and working and eating and eating some more at the iconic hotel’s new state-of-the-art business and meetings centre. Our favourite new office away from office, the Pavilion makes taking your laptop to your favourite coffee shop for a treat while you work feel worse than that time you got publicly dumped. Hell, it even makes our pretty cool office feel like Tora prison. To help you understand our love affair with the Semiramis Pavilion, let us compare it to our office:

Aesthetics

MO4: Offers amazing panoramic views of the Nile from the 23rd floor, AC from 1974 and seating (when available) also pulls inspiration from the 70s in the form of bean bags.  

Semiramis Pavilion: Luxury chic meets practical high-tech! With onyx walls, chandeliers, sculptures, a library and several conference rooms and meeting spaces, it’s roomy, yet warm. Their open plan kitchen would leave Martha Stewart green with envy and adjustable lighting makes it hangover-friendly.

Food

MO4: With every restaurant at our fingertips, we waste countless hours deciding what to order. We usually end up choosing the greasiest, most calorie-packed option, leaving us in comas from 3pm onwards. Packed lunches are also allowed however it is highly recommended you bring your own plates, cups, and cutlery and then check on your food every 30-minutes to make sure someone hasn’t pinched it.

Semiramis Pavilion: Gourmet all the way! A welcome breakfast from the Pavilion’s gorgeous kitchen (located directly outside of our meeting room) puts most hotels to shame. It included Belgian waffles, fresh fruit, organic yogurt, mini croissants, pains au chocolat, Danish pastries, carrot cake and all sorts of coffees, teas and juices. As if our hosts weren’t gracious enough, a full day at the Pavilion also includes a scrumptious afternoon snack (caprese bruschetta, crab and avocado salad, exotic fruits and mini tarts) AND a lunch filled with healthy, hearty foods that kept us going all the way until 6PM – lasagna, pan-seared fish, grilled chicken, vegetable skewers, spicy potato wedges and what felt like all the salads in the world. 

Technology

MO4: Some of our keyboards precede the internet and sometimes our internet precedes dial-up in speed. Some of us use our personal laptops which has an two advantages; no company tracking and you can take your work home with you at the end of a long day. 

Semiramis Pavilion: No leaf went unturned when it came to kitting out the Pavilion, it is truly a tecchy’s wet dream! With touch screen plasmas, projectors, gaming systems, individual connectivity ports, high speed wireless and paperless meeting capabilities as well as climate and lighting control in every room, you could pretty much live there for the rest of your life and not feel out of touch.

So it’s pretty clear where we’d rather be. Thank you Semiramis, we want to be just like you when we grow up.

For more information on the Semiramis Pavilion, check out their Facebook page here and follow @ICSemiramis on Twitter.