Greek Hotels Eyeing Dates for Reopening

Ilias Bellos | May 21st, 2020

Astir Palace on the Athens Riviera, which first opened in the late ’60s and was a favorite getaway destinations for celebrities, and reopened in 2019 as The Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel, features among the best newcomers in the world on Condé Nast Traveler’s 2020 Hot List.

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Buoyed by the government's move to reopen the country to tourism, Greek hotels large and small are finalizing plans to reopen.

Many hotel groups in Greece are ready to reopen some of their seasonal units as soon as the government finalizes the protocols for their operation to protect against Covid-19. At the same time year-round hotels are gearing up to start accepting guests again on June 1.

A large number of hoteliers have been waiting to assess the support measures by the government and likely demand based on the dates when international trips will be allowed per country, before making their final decisions for this summer.

With the government to allow the opening of seasonal hotels even before July 1, and with international flights picking up the pace as of next week with the prospect of full liberalization of intra-Schengen Area trips by end-June, a significant share of hotel groups could secure some occupancy.

Grecotel has already announced that seven of its major seasonal units in Attica, the Peloponnese and Mykonos will have their opening day between July 1 and 3. In the coming weeks it will announce the dates for its hotels on Corfu and Crete and in Halkidiki.

The Sani/Ikos group is also planning to open its units on July 1, with the formal announcement expected in early June, depending on government decisions, bilateral state agreements with other countries and air travel developments.

The Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel at Vouliagmeni in southern Athens will resume operations in the first week of June. Its beach has already opened and will probably be in full operation next weekend. Its restaurants will open on May 27 or 28.

It is understood that the Costa Navarino resort in the Peloponnese will be among the first to open; the same applies for Atlantica. The Mitsis group of hotels has also declared it is ready to open some units, depending on demand and active bookings, including those on its online system.

Likewise, the Aldemar group says it will start opening its hotels in the Peloponnese first and then on Crete, while it will add to its capacity depending on the situation in the market. The Hatzilazarou group is waiting to open its six units on Rhodes.

This article was previously published at ekathimerini.com.