Hotels & Accommodations

British investors presented plans last month for a vast, all-season resort on the island of Crete that is expected to cost 1.2 billion euros. Developers of the project described it as a world model of environmentally friendly development, and one of the biggest tourism investments ever carried out in Greece.

Two leading accommodation booking companies in the UK – with about 5,000 properties represented – are first to sign up to a new holiday accommodation safety scheme, according to recent on-line press reports. The Travelsafe health and safety accreditation system will mean hotels, apartments and villas face blacklisting if they fail to pass a new standards.

After almost three years of reconstruction at a cost of more than 20 million euros, the classic Royal Olympic hotel has been transformed into one the capital’s three most distinguished hotels. Finishing touches – a superb spa and an alluring roof garden – are set for completion late next month.

Attica hotel occupancy in 2006 increased 9.8 percent against the year before. Room prices were up 2.6 percent and revenue per room increased by 12.6 percent, according to Giorgos Tsakiris, president of the Attica Hoteliers’ Association, and Ioannis Retsos, the association’s secretary general.

Hoteliers are voicing strong opposition to a clause in the new investment incentives law that provides for subsidies of at least 15 percent for the construction of new hotels in Athens and Thessaloniki.

Expedia, the world’s leading online travel provider, is holding ten workshops in major cities throughout Greece. This initiative to help promote tourism in Greece and improve hotel competitiveness is a result of an agreement made between Expedia and the Hellenic Hotel Federation.

Amadeus has a new solution that travel agents and hotels can use to track and claim hotel booking commissions. Amadeus estimates that travel agencies lose more than 120 million euro each year in lost commissions.

The Papagiannis family, owner of the successful Possidi Holidays Hotel is expanding into the winery business. With an investment of 3 million euros, the family will develop the Domaine Claudia Papagianni winery in Arnaia Chalkidiki with vineyards extending on 250 stremmata.

Last month, Yes! Hotels group owned by Dakis Ioannou acquired the Olympic Palace Hotel in Athens, which brings the group’s collection of boutique hotels up to five.

The Piraeus Theoxenia Hotel, which opened in September 2006, is the new addition to the Theoxenia Palace Hotels luxury chain.