This time last year, much of the sporting world was wringing its hands over the coming Summer Olympics in Athens, wondering whether the Greeks would get their act together in time. Ultimately, the Games came off without a hitch, even to widespread praise. But the hoped-for boom in tourism for the host city – which underwent a thorough makeover for its moment in the international spotlight – never materialized.
Whether it was the uncertainty leading up to the Games, the unappealing prospect of vacationing in Athens during its sweltering summer or reports of price-gouging by hotels, the city did not get a boost in visitors.
Now, however, might be the time to visit Athens. The city that Melina Mercouri once described as a tired old lady in need of some lipstick not only has a sparkling modern airport (complete with wireless zones for laptops), a state-of-the- art subway system and a convenient new tram network but also a crop of either refurbished or new hotels with rates that, according to tourism officials, are usually less than 30 percent of the prices charged during the Olympics.
“Right now we’re at the crest of the wave,” said Timothy Ananiadis, general manager and managing director of the Hotel Grande Bretagne, which housed much of the Olympics royalty in August. “We’re still riding on goodwill and on the promotion from the Olympics. We’ve got, maximum, two years to capitalize on this moment.”
About two-thirds of Athens’ 70,000 hotel rooms were renovated for the Games; 1,500 upscale and luxury hotel rooms were added.
Trendy boutique hotels have opened in newly gentrifying neighborhoods that fan out from the spruced-up Omonia Square; budget hotels possess new amenities and a new sheen; and dowdy downtown classics have been refurbished to their past glory.
Take the Hotel Grande Bretagne. After a renovation that lasted a year and a half, the luxury 19th-century hotel at Constitution Square, (011-30-210) 333-0000, , has been transformed from tired shabbiness to quiet opulence. It now has 327 rooms, down from 400, and they are not only bigger, but also feature double-pane windows, high-speed Internet connections and a classic overstuffed style with richly colored curtains and plump duvets. All this costs $295 to $365 a night, at $1.35 to the euro, for rooms that during the Olympics went for $1,200.
The Grande Bretagne is far from alone in offering such deals.
With occupancy rates low – as attested to by hotel managers and tour agencies in the absence of official figures – many hoteliers are more than happy to bargain. “Now we’re getting even better prices,” said Irene Moschoudi-Vassilatou, a manager at InterMed Travel Consultants in Athens who said she had three times more bookings for February than for November.
She attributes the surge in interest to the jolt of realism that hit the hotels during the abrupt slump in business after the games.
Hotels had to lower what were viewed as outlandish rates or risk a dramatic loss of business. Essentially, the rates at many hotels are roughly what they were in 2003.