The new era of luxury hotels in Athens
Luxurious vacations are a very interesting chapter in travelling. In every city, visitors can choose among dozens of luxury hotels, which promise to make their trip unforgettable. Over the past years, we have experienced a great growth of luxury hotels in Athens. In the past, luxurious holidays were accessible only to the rich and the choices travellers had were quite limited.
However, sometime in the last years, luxurious travelling experienced an incremental growth and attracted many more people who wanted to enjoy its privileges. However, in many cases the services offered had one and only purpose; to impress people and make them pay loads of money. Thankfully, this mindset has changed a lot (yet it still happens sometimes) and the concept of luxury hotels has been redefined in order to provide travellers with really exceptional services.
Outrageous prices, huge pools and extravagant design aren’t enough anymore to transfuse the term “luxury” to a hotel. Until recently, there were many luxury hotels in Athens that could offer only these luxury facilities to their guests. Of course, the facilities must be up-to-date, well-preserved and fully-equipped, but that’s not enough. If we had to describe in one phrase what a real luxury hotel is, that would be “it makes you feel like home, but even better”. The staff, the amenities, the services offered, the experiences proposed and the ambience of the hotel are the characteristics that matter the most.
Staff
It’s the most important element in every hotel; the only one that has the power to make all the disadvantages seem small or insignificant. The staff is the heart of every hotel and therefore when we refer to luxury hotels, it must be flawless. Cheerfulness, politeness, helpfulness, discreetness and warmth are necessary ingredients of a great staff, as long as they are authentic. Guests need to feel comfortable and to be treated as dear friends, not just as clients who will pay loads of money at check-out. Let’s be honest; no one is going to pay a fortune if the staff isn’t helpful, kind and ready to serve them with a big smile on their face. Plus, caring about guests’ problems and offering them quick resolutions add extra value to the customer service.
Personalized Services
Each guest is unique and has different needs. Some will need 24/7 room service, others will need laundry service and some may need a transfer. A luxurious accommodation must have as many services as possible and they must be perfect. Everything a guest may need, it should be available. Moreover, what really makes the difference is personalization. Knowing your guests’ preferences, calling them by their names, leaving a welcome note in their room, suggesting experiences and activities they may be interested in, all of these are examples of tailor-made services. Their purpose is to make guests feel unique; that’s what everybody is looking for when staying in a luxury hotel.
Ambience & Location
It’s quite tricky to define what constitutes a hotel’s ambience. It’s certainly the decoration, the style, the lighting, the location and many more things that we couldn’t even imagine. A cozy ambience is the key to making people feel like home. Everything should be curated carefully and with attention to detail in order to radiate the luxury and style people ask for, yet without exaggerating. The location is a factor that usually affects the hotel’s ambience. Though it doesn’t need to be the most popular or expensive one, the location should be safe, unique and typical of the place’s character. For example, the most typical place and the best area to stay in Athens as a tourist is the city center, therefore most of the luxury hotels in Athens are located there.
There are many more things that the guests ask from luxury hotels, like restaurants that serve gourmet cuisine, a variety of bars, various amenities and huge, fully-equipped rooms. Of course, all of these add value to the accommodation experience, but without the helpful staff, the personalized services and the welcoming ambience no hotel can be “luxury”.
