Kanava Hotels & Resorts Enters New Era as EMPIRIA Group

Antonis Eliopoulos and Kalia Konstantinidou announcing the rebranding of Kanava Hotels & Resorts as the EMPIRIA Group.

One of Greece’s most prestigious hotels groups, Kanava Hotels & Resorts, entered a new era after rebranding as the EMPIRIA Group during a special event in Athens recently.

EMPIRIA Group, whose portfolio includes iconic hotels – such as the five-star Vedema, a Luxury Collection Hotel, the Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel and Istoria, a Member of Design Hotels on Santorini; and the Parilio, a Member of Design Hotels, Acron Villas and Cosme, a Luxury Collection Resort on Paros – is a step closer to owners Kalia Konstantinidou’s and Antonis Eliopoulos’ vision for quality and Greek hospitality.

Antonis Eliopoulos, Kalia Konstantinidou and Greek Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias.

“We are pioneers in delivering high-level experiences. For us the word ‘empiria’ is not translated and explained simply as meaning ‘experience’. We treat it as something much more, something much greater, special and unique. It is exactly what we offer. Unique, unforgettable experiences,” said Konstantinidou and Eliopoulos during the launch event attended by Tourism Minister Vassilis Kikilias and Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki, among others.

Greek Deputy Tourism Minister Sofia Zacharaki and Antonis Eliopoulos.

The owners of EMPIRIA Group, who have been active in Greek hospitality for three decades, said they were creating a “space for joy. This is the driving force that inspires and guides us in our every move,” they said.

“Our goal is clear: to be the leaders in the art of hospitality. To offer, consistently and uninterruptedly, high-level services such that they have the power to upgrade each individual hospitality experience.”

Konstantinidou and Eliopoulos went on to present their vision for the next era of the EMPIRIA Group and its special corporate identity which is conveyed through the carefully selected logo and is aimed at being recognizable and strong.

The whole EMPIRIA Group team.

The logo of Empiria Group (seen below) is accompanied by a clear symbol, a graphic design that has drawn its inspiration from Greek mythology. It represents a modern version of the symbol for Tethys, a Titan daughter of Uranus and Gaia and mother of the river gods and the elements of nature. The small wave and the spark was placed next to the name EMPIRIA to remind of the Group’s insular identity. The logo’s colors are those of wood, sea, sand, sun, land and vegetation, everything selected to emphasize the EMPIRIA Group’s deep connection with the natural environment.

EMPIRIA Group, formerly known as Kanava Hotels & Resorts, launched operations in 1993 with the opening of the Vedema, a Luxury Collection Hotel on Santorini. Since then, the group has expanded its activities on Santorini with the opening of Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Oia and Istoria, a Member of Design Hotels in Perivolos. The Group’s owners, Kalia Konstantinidou and Antonis Eliopoulos, in 2019, decided to broaden their horizons to the island of Paros and opened Parīlio, a Member of Design Hotels and then introduced Acron Villas the following year. In 2022, the couple opened Cosme, a Luxury Collection Resort, their third property of Paros.