First Grand Hyatt Hotel in Greece to Open in Athens
Date: May 2018
Location: Syngrou Avenue, Athens, Greece
Name: Grand Hyatt Athens – opening September 2019.
The Athens Ledra as is/was
No. of Keys: 310
Seller: The hotel will be located in the property where the former Athens Ledra hotel (formerly the Ledra Marriott) once operated, which Henderson Park, in partnership with Hines, bought at auction in June 2017 for €33m, following financial difficulty from the then owner, Asty SA.
Buyer: Henderson Park and Hines JV, who have appointed Kokari Limited of Y&T Daskalantonakis Knossian Group, to manage the property, and have now taken a franchise with Hyatt. Kokari manage top-notch hotels like the Metropol in Belgrade and the Sheraton Sofia.
According to Takuya Aoyama, vice president, development for Eastern Europe, Russia & CIS at Hyatt, the hotel chain had long sought to bring the Grand Hyatt brand’s luxury to Athens.
Following its renovation, the Grand Hyatt Athens will reflect its Greek culture through its architecture and innovative design. First-class rooms will welcome guests along with a rooftop bar and restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool and a view of the Acropolis.
Additional amenities will include best-in-class food and beverage venues, more than 11,600 square feet of meeting space as well as a spa and fitness center.
“Our investment into Grand Hyatt Athens was driven by its potential as a luxury asset with a historic heritage,” said Nick Weber, founding partner of Henderson Park.
“Grand Hyatt is one of the world’s leading premium brands and working with Hyatt on this hotel is an endorsement of our ambitious strategy and a strong addition to Henderson Park’s portfolio of iconic European hotels.”
On his part, Paul Gomopoulos, managing director, Hines Greece, underlined that the Grand Hyatt is a global brand with the calibre of offerings needed for the Greek market.
“We look forward to delivering an experience in Athens worthy of celebration,” Gomopoulos said.
THPT Comment: UK’s Henderson Park (and USA’s Hines) might be a relative newcomer to the hotel world, but they don’t hang around, with the two Hilton Metropole hotels in the UK, Le Meridien Etoile and Westin Paris-Vendome in France already under their belt, and we are sure more to come. €33m for this hotel was a steal!
First Seen: Greek Travel Pages