The Grande Bretagne represents the essence of hospitality in Greece for more than 134 years. Since it reopening in 2003, the promises of excellence have even been exceeded. The Hotel was proud to be again host to the world of sports on the occasion of the Olympic Games that took place in the country of origin in 2004.
The Hotel Grande Bretagne offers the best location in Athens with spectacular views to the Acropolis and sets a spectacular example in the international hotel business, offering pure luxury in service and living.
The Grande Bretagne has reached a new era of defined excellence. Your stay shall be crowned by every conceivable amenity and impeccable service.
The Hotel Grande Bretagne is not simply a luxury hotel in Athens (surely the most luxurious establishment in Greece) - it is an institution in itself. Ever since it opened its doors to receive the first visitor in 1874, the Grande Bretagne has been a point of reference in the social, political and economic life of Athens and, by extension, of the whole Greece.
Crowned kings and princes, Heads of State, Prime Ministers and Ministers, business tycoons, prominent names in Literature and the Arts, renowned journalists, well-known theatre actors and film stars and many other travellers were regular patrons of the hotel which became the Greek State's official guesthouse.
Athenian society embraced the hotel. The Grande Bretagne, in the way of the great luxurious hotels in the rest of Europe, was always the venue of the Greek capital's important social gatherings. Receptions, balls, cotillions, marriages, fashion shows and banquets were regularly held in the hotel's halls, while the lounges, salons and the bar were the meeting place of businessmen, politicians and journalists at the same time as being a favourite haunt of cosmopolitan Athenians.
It should be noted that, with the exception of the 36 new rooms added on the sixth and seventh floors in 1974 and the creation of the GB Corner and new bar in 1976, no major modernization had been carried out on the Grande Bretagne’s premises since the mid-1950’s, when the wing overlooking Constitution Square was rebuilt. As a result, the hotel's furniture, and its interior decorating in general, were beginning to show signs of "time fatigue", while all of its installations had become antiquated.
In this respect, the year 2000 marked an important milestone in the Grande Bretagne’s recent history as it heralded the entry of Hyatt Regency SA in the capital of Hellenic Hotels Lampsas SA. Through the Athens Stock Exchange, Hyatt Regency acquired a majority stake in the company, allowing it to control the Board of Directors and implement a radical renovation of the hotel's premises. In 2005 Hyatt, following a restructuring of its strategic planning, sold its shares in the owing company of the Hotel Grande Bretagne to the Laskaridis shipping family, who were already major shareholders in Hellenic Hotels Lampsa SA. Following this transaction, the Laskaridis family controls in excess of 60% of the equity.
The Grande Bretagne has been restored to its former glory and transformed into an establishment capable of meeting the modern requirements of hotel hospitality, while simultaneously contributing to the upgrading of Athens' hotel infrastructure. Finally, it is not by accident that Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc., the large international corporation in charge of the hotel's management for the next twenty-five years, has listed the Grande Bretagne in its “Luxury Collection", which includes some of the most luxurious hotels across the globe. Approximately 82 million euros were invested to create a state-of-the-art, five-star hotel worthy of that title. Reconstructed from top to bottom, it features 290 rooms and 31 suites, all of them newly refurbished, and redecorated in keeping with the old Grande Bretagne’s traditional style. These are completed by modern networks and facilities, the hotel's premises also housing three restaurants, two swimming pools, a spa, spacious halls and conference rooms as well as all other comforts expected of a European deluxe hotel of the twenty-first century. For all guests the Hotel Grande Bretagne offers a special treat with the impressive SPA area, designed to relax and refresh body and spirit. Discerning travellers from all over the world are invited to revitalize their energy in elegant recreation areas, dive into the freshness of the indoor and outdoor pool or indulge in a wide range of beauty and wellness treatments.
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