The Hotel Rym is located in Béni Abbès, also known as the Pearl of the Saoura or White Oasis, located in a town who belongs to Béchar, Algeria, and is part of the important hotel group El-Aurassi.

Designed by the French architect Fernand Pouillon, one of the most important architects and city planners after II World War, characterized by a perfect harmony between the several buildings and their surroundings, a fact that is present in all the works he set.

Fernand Pouillon, (May 14, 1912 - July 24, 1986), is known for his concern with optimizing costs without giving up the quality, especially through the use of local materials. The integration of the works in the surrounding environment and the selection of materials with utilitarian and aesthetic concerns made him present throughout the entire process, from design to the conclusion of construction work. This characteristic can also be attributed to all the restrictions that existed in the postwar period, with the urgent reconstruction and limited budgets.

His departure to Algeria, at the time a French colony, was related to political and judicial problems in France, where he later received pardon from the French Prime Minister. Algeria was a kind of a laboratory where Fernand Pouillon had the freedom to try other types of architecture, especially the construction of 3 cities for social housing, between 1953 and 1957 and where he designed and renovated several hotels and seaside resorts.

Opened in 1973 after approximately 4 years of construction, the Hotel Rym is located next to the great dune of Beni-Abbès and has a privileged view of a huge palm tree with the shape of a scorpion. The structures, with traditional inspiration, are present in several elements such as arches, domes or handmade tiles with sand-colored clay.

This hotel was also the stage for Bernardo Bertolucci's film "Un thé au Sahara" (The Sheltering Sky), where several scenes were recorded in 1990. The drama is about a couple who travels to North Africa hoping to rekindle their marriage but quickly become victims of various dangers. This film was the winner of 1 Golden Globe in 1991

The renovation of this hotel unit was financed by Crédit Populaire d’Algérie. This renovation is part of the project of the National Agency for the Development of Investments (Agence Nationale de Développement de l'investissement), since the EGH El-Aurassi group has the State as a shareholder in 80%. This group has 4 hotel units: Hotel Rym, Hotel Mehri in Ouargla, Hotel Boustène in Ménéa and Hotel El-Aurassi, with the same name as the group.

The work carried out by FCM in this Hotel will enlargement, renovation and modernization of all the buildings that compose the hotel, making possible a capacity of 111 rooms and 4 senior suites. Seven bungalows, one open-air theater, one swimming pool and several technical areas (one transformer substation and two technical areas) will be built from scratch to meet the growing needs of the guests. The Hotel Rym has a total area of 22,148m2.

All façades will be preserved, preserving the architectural work and the identity of the space, but all the interiors will be reformulated, from the new layouts to the new coverings.

The special technical networks are also in charge of FCM, as well as hotel equipment (kitchen and laundry) and furniture (rooms and common areas).

The following quantities of work are planned:

• Demolitions and disassembly: intervention area 7,850.00 m²
• Excavation on rocky terrain: 2,300.00 m³
• Reinforced concrete: 1,150.00 m³
• Roof waterproofing: 4,060.00 m²
• Treatment and rehabilitation façades: 7,000.00 m²
• Frames: 1.400,00 m²
• Interior trim: 7,850.00 m²
• Exterior arrangements (paving): 3.500,00 m²
• Outdoor areas, including green spaces: 14,300.00 m²

All the decoration is also in charge of FCM through, VIAMEC, a company of the same group. All the furniture and decoration was chosen considering the durability, comfort and modernist design in perfect harmony with the surrounding space and adapted to both the local culture and international tourism. All the materials, colors and fabrics were carefully chosen.

The Hotel Rym will be able to respond and satisfy both national and international clients at the level of tourist services. Together with the renovation, a more aggressive and constant advertising policy is planned throughout the year, both for Hotel Rym and for all the hotels in the group, in order to combat the normal seasonality of the sector, which is perceived as a positive boost for the whole area.