Hotels are mushrooming in downtown Athens as the summer season draws closer, confirming recent Bank of Greece estimates of at least 10 new units going into operation in 2019.

The majority of these new hotels are located in the vicinity of central Syntagma Square, such as the Elia Ermou Athens. The new four-star hotel, which recently opened its doors to guests, is on its namesake Ermou Street, a stone’s throw from Parliament, and has 123 rooms and nine suites.

The stronger the competition grows, the greater the effort of chains and entrepreneurs in the sector to offer guests a different product, in terms of design, facilities and themes. Such a case is Ergon House Athens, of the Ergon group, that is located in a property belonging to NBG Pangaea Real Estate on Mitropoleos Street, also near Syntagma. This new hotel will be the first to cater specifically to culinary enthusiasts, as it will also include a food market among its services.

Likewise, Blend Hotel, another recent arrival on Aiolou and Vyssis streets, is in the 19th century building where chocolatier Pavlidis served his first cup of hot chocolate back in 1852.

Two more hotels are set to open in the next few weeks on Syngrou Avenue, namely Athens BC and Niche.

This article was first published by ekathimerini.com.