Following the mass “arrivals” of new units in 2019, plans for new hotels in Athens and the rest of the peripheral units of the country, have not been abandoned. International luxury hotel chains such as Mandarin Oriental, Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, Edition Hotels, 1 Hotels and Rocco Forte, are some of the well-known international luxury brands, which currently have their eyes on Greece.
Their goal is to gain a presence for the first time, either in the much-discussed Athenian Riviera, through the grand project of Elliniko, or in Greek tourism “champion” destinations, such as Mykonos, Crete and Santorini. In the last, just yesterday, the luxurious Radisson Blu Zaffron Resort opened in Kamari, Santorini, while from the spring of 2022, Hilton is expected to make its appearance, after the signing of the franchise cooperation with the company Alexandros Ltd for the creation of Sea Breeze Santorini Beach Resort, Curio Collection by Hilton.
The ratio goes up
According to hotel sources, Greece is behind in the field of luxury tourism compared to other Mediterranean destinations and much more in “branded” presences. This is exactly what the big foreign chains that make contacts for their placement in the destinations of the so-called “first line” are rushing to use. According to the same sources, out of the total of 10,052 hotel units that Greece had at the end of 2020, only 651 are classified in the 5 star category.
However, the ratio rises if the number of rooms is taken into account precisely because of the larger size of the units in the higher categories. Specifically, about 1 in 5 rooms, ie 93,687 rooms out of a total of 438,294 nationwide, corresponded at the end of last year to a 5-star hotel unit throughout Greece. This number is increasing even during this year, as investments in upgrading the hotel potential have been continuous in recent years, even in the midst of a pandemic.
In Athens, in the last three years, more than 2,650 new beds have been added to the hotel sector of the city center (30 new units), while new hotels have been inaugurated even in the midst of a pandemic. For example, the 5-star Athens Capital Hotel – M Gallery of the Accor group opened, while the new boutique hotel of the chain The Modernist in Kolonaki also opened.
In addition to the new arrivals, other international luxury hotel chains that are already in Greece also have plans to further expand their presence in our country. Among them is One & Only which invests in “Asteria Glyfada”, Four Seasons which is interested in expanding to Mykonos, as well as the luxury brands of the Accor groups (Sofitel and MGallery) and Hilton.
