“Greece is coming out of this crisis showing hopeful signs for a gradual return to the tourism levels seen before the pandemic,” CEO of French hotel giant Accor, Sébastien Bazin, told newspaper Kathimerini. The company’s revenues from its rooms in Greece have doubled this summer compared to that of 2020, he revealed.

Bazin was in Athens for the inauguration of the Athens Capital Center Hotel MGallery Collection, one of the most awaited hotel openings in the city this year, a sister hotel to the prominent Grande Bretagne, created in partnership between Accor and Lampsa Hellenic Hotels S.A. Accor is currently also investing in several more hotel ventures in the country.

Accor currently operates or cooperates at the franchise level with six hotels, with a total of 1,046 rooms, in Greece. “In addition, we are expanding with five new units boasting another 586 rooms, and we’re seeing the potential for many additional investments in hotels in all categories, including luxury units,” the CEO told the journalist from Kathimerini, and also expressed the company’s wish to work both with the Greek government and the private sector and play a central role in “determining the future state of travel and Greece’s position as a global tourism power.” Without revealing whether Accor will be investing in the developments at the old Athens airport, Elliniko, he said about the multi-billion-euro project that “it will make significant change to the city as a top city break destination”.

The Accor hotel group owns, manages, and franchises hotels and resorts with brands such as Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel, Novotel, MGallery, Pullman, Swissotel, Mercure, Adagio and others in more than 5,100 locations in 110 countries.