Boutique Greek hotels market ‘authentic’ experience
Greek hotels are having to up their game after realising they can no longer rely on big tour operators to sell their rooms.
Greek hoteliers said they were forced to slash prices by up to 40% to lure overseas visitors in 2012 in what was one of the most difficult years for the country’s tourism industry, see previous story.
Hotel entrepreneur Panos Paleologos says hotels should concentrate on offering an authentic experience rather than ‘standardisation’ while also upgrading their facilities with personal touches.
Paleologos, who founded hotel management firm, hotelBrain, in 2000, is advising family-owned and boutique hotels to become global players rather than thinking of themselves as Greek.
He said: "The only thing Greek hotels had to do in 2002 was to arrange a deal with a big tour operator. But the model has changed in tourism.
"We can’t offer the big swimming pools and the expensive refurbishments because there is no finance. But Greece has a fantastic landscape and hotels must offer an authentic experience.
"Everyone needs marketing and branding. These hotels need to see themselves as ‘hotels of the world’ not ‘hotels of Greece’, with local expertise.
HotelBrain is expanding into Lebanon with one of the first boutique hotels in Beirut and is also looking to Turkey and Cyprus.
Diane
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