‘Selina’ Hospitality Brand Announces Plans to Enter Greek Market

Selina brand hotel in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.

Selina, a global community of boutique destinations “built for today’s nomads to live, work and explore” anywhere in the world, on Monday announced plans to enter the Greek market.

According to an announcement, the company is currently seeking urban properties in cities like Athens and Thessaloniki, in addition to “hidden gem locations” across the Greek mainland and Crete, Cyclades, Dodecanese and Ionian islands.

The Selina hospitality brand combines beautifully-designed accommodation with coworking spaces, wellness, recreational offerings and local experiences.

“We are very excited to bring Selina to Greece. Tourism is the largest export activity in the Greek economy and with an expected 30 million tourists to visit the country in 2018 – exploring a wealth of established and emerging locations – we feel like it’s a natural choice,” Rafael Museri, co-founder and CEO of Selina, said regarding the brand’s launch in the Greek market.

Selina brand hotel in Jaco, Costa Rica.

The company is currently holding talks with potential investors with plans to sign 2,000 beds by the end of 2018 and up to 10,000 beds across Greece during the next five years.

“Selina has welcomed more than 150,000 guests to our locations over the past year and we look forward to showcasing the best of Greece to this growing audience of global travelers,” Museri added.

Selina currently operates urban, beach, jungle and mountain-side locations across seven countries in Central and South America, with expansion plans underway in North America and Europe. Selina has recently secured properties in Portugal, Hungary and Poland, with plans to open in 40 countries in the next five years.

Selina brand hotel in Cancun, Mexico.

According to the country manager of Selina in Greece, Stavros Tolias, Greece is among the first European countries to introduce the Selina brand.

Tolias underlined that Selina hopes to create up to 1,000 jobs in Greece.

“We believe our unique hospitality concept will attract foreign and local travelers alike. We’re excited to contribute to the burgeoning tourism market with the creation of interesting, culturally-inspired locations that engage and support the local community in which they exist,” he said.

The Selina brand identifies and acquires long term leases of existing properties in attractive locations, which are then renovated in collaboration with local artists, designers and craftsmen and filled with newly hired and trained team members in a transition that can take just 90-120 days.

According to the announcement, Selina is currently building a network of contributors in Greece with local artists, designers and experts from different industries set to design and create locally-inspired concepts.