nternational groups own and run many of Greece’s hotels, but recent
years have seen the Greeks themselves investing heavily in building
new establishments and taking over others.
One Greek group has expanded since its foundation two decades ago into
the largest hotel chain in the country. Grecotel,
which began in 1982 with one hotel in Crete, now has 23 hotels with
a total bed capacity of more than 13,000.
A new property, the Killini Spa Complex, is being totally rebuilt before
reopening this year. Part of Grecotel’s success has been the group’s
careful choice of location for its resort hotels, which all overlook
fine beaches and have won international acclaim in the tourism business
for their lush gardens.
There are now 10 hotels on Crete, including the exclusive Elounda Village,
with four pools, a wide range of watersports and relaxing, secluded
gardens.
On Corfu there are two Grecotel hotels, including the five-star Corfu
Imperial, and one each on the islands of Rhodes, Mykonos, Halkidiki
and Kos. Other hotels are in the Peloponnese, Attica, Kalamata and Thessaloniki
(the famous Macedonia Palace). There are three in the capital, including
the five-star Athens Plaza, built in 1981 and run by French company
Meridien.
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The
Athens Plaza was taken over by Grecotel in 1998, and was then closed
for five months for major refurbishment.
General manager Constantinos Zarikos
says: “We spent $5.8 million on the renovations and made a lot
of changes to the hotel. We compete with the biggest five-star hotels
in Greece, including the Marriott and Hilton. At the moment, we are
the leader.”
Mr Zarikos says about 60 per cent of guests are businessmen and women.
The Greeks account for the largest percentage of the hotel’s clientele,
followed by Americans – the majority on cruises who usually stay
just one night – and Cypriots. About one visitor in 10 is from
the UK.
The Athens Plaza hotel, which has 182 rooms and 23 suites, is situated
next to the Greek Parliament in Constitution Square. The building is
within walking distance of the business and shopping districts, and
its suites offer splendid views of the Acropolis.
Mr
Zarikos says the Olympic Games in two years’ time will provide
a welcome boost, not only for the hotel but also for Greece as a whole.
“This is a big opportunity for Greece to really make its mark on
the map and achieve a better position among European countries,”
he says.
“There will be a lot of money coming into Greece, and there is
also a lot of progress being made in developing our infrastructure,
such as the new airport, the new Metro and new highways.”
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