Headshot of Lyse Doucet next to the cover of her book The Finest Hotel in Kabul.

Lyse Doucet SOLD OUT The Finest Hotel in Kabul

Sunday 2 November 2025

Crowne Plaza Hotel

The BBC’s Chief International Correspondent traces five decades of Afghanistan’s dramatic recent history through the story of Kabul’s Inter-Continental Hotel, and offers a vivid and deeply humane window into the life of ordinary Afghans. When the Hotel opened in 1969, it reflected the hopes of the country. Now it’s a dilapidated, shrapnel damaged shell. But its decaying grandeur still hints at ordinary Afghans’ hopes of stability and prosperity.

Talking to Clare Clark

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