Athens Hilton – Curtains on January 31st – Conrad is coming

An iconic hotel, the Athens Hilton, closes on January 31st and is expected to reopen with a new face in late 2024.

The building complex that currently houses the hotel is being completely renovated to create a multidimensional destination with new uses, by Ionian Hotel Businesses SA, a subsidiary of the TEMES Group.

This is a strategic investment, amounting to 130 million euros, which aspires, as the company states, to contribute to the emergence of Athens as a top choice in Europe, for visits and permanent residence.

The new destination introduces a complex development model, which will include -in addition to the hotel operation- houses, a modern members’ club, multiple restaurants and themed shopping areas, creating an ecosystem of unique experiences.

The new model is expected to give significant added value to the tourist product of Athens, but also to the local economy, while it will be a factor of upgrading the wider area.

The development of the destination presupposes the radical reconstruction of the existing building in order to accommodate the new uses but also to apply best sustainable practices according to the international LEED Gold certification. The construction envisages the employment of up to 800 people, while during the operation, more than 600 employees will work there.

The reconstruction of the building complex includes:

• the creation of the new luxury hotel Conrad which will have 280 rooms and suites

• the creation of 50 luxury homes, which will operate under the brands Conrad Residences and Waldorf Astoria Residences belonging to Hilton

• the total renovation of the top floor which will host gastronomy and entertainment experiences.

• poolside extension, which was included in the original design of the 1960s

• the creation of themed commercial spaces, entertainment and wellness facilities, as well as a modern members club in areas of 5,500 sq.m.

This is a large-scale project, which will preserve the architectural heritage of the building and the timeless facades designed by Giannis Moralis unchanged and in fact will further highlight these. Work began in late 2020 on parts of the hotel which ceased operations and the entire reconstruction is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Due to the extent and nature of the work as well as the need to maintain the safety of employees and visitors, it is not possible to continue the parallel operation of the hotel, which will cease on January 31, 2022.

In this context, the company, taking into account multiple social and economic criteria, offers a specially designed voluntary exit program for hotel staff, which will be completed by the end of January 2022.

At the same time, those employees who wish, will have the opportunity to work after evaluation, in other tourist activities of the Group, such as the new hotel unit of Costa Navarino, as well as the hotel and other businesses that will operate within the new Athens destination at the end of 2024.