Thessaloniki: An old preserved building in the heart of the Macedonian capital is being converted into a 5-star hotel

One of the well-known preserved buildings in the centre of Greece's second city, owned by the businessman Costas Amoiridis, is to be converted into a 5-star hotel.

The former hotel, located at the corner of Mitropoleos 21 and Komninon 9 in Thessaloniki, will undergo a complete transformation following an investment expected to exceed €5 million.

Given the lengthy and demanding licensing process due to the building’s protected status, the reconstruction proposal has been submitted for approval to the relevant authorities at the Ministry of Culture.

The plan includes restoration and redesigning the fourth floor and adding a fifth floor to expand the hotel’s main spaces into a luxury unit.

The investment plan for the property envisages an increase in capacity to 52 rooms for the former hotel, which was closed in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic, and had been operating continuously with hospitality use until then.

The new 5-star, which is now gradually attracting more investment in the field of hospitality in the upper categories, is expected to also include dining areas and a gym.

The old Tourist Hotel has a history of more than 100 years. It was classified as preserved in 1983 and built between 1921 and 1922. It was used as a hotel on the upper floors and shops on the ground floor, which it maintained from its construction until the cessation of its operation.

As mentioned in relation to its construction more than a century ago, hotel reconstruction was common in the area after the catastrophic fire of 1917 in the centre of Thessaloniki.

The hotel previously had a capacity of 35 rooms, having been fully renovated in 2003 to close in 2020 and then be sold.

In 2020, amid a pandemic, Philekpaidefuti Etairia, as co-owner of the property with the Papaioannou family, proceeded to a tender process for its sale, with the building finally ending up in the Amoiridis family.

Based on the new restoration study, which should receive the green light, among other things, from the Central Council of Newer Monuments, the capacity will increase with the addition of additional spaces.

The property currently has 2,000 sq.m. main areas with additional basements of over 400 square meters. A key element of the study is to highlight the special architectural and building elements of the property, such as the old staircase.

Stefania Souki is a columnist for New Money. Translated by Paul Antonopoulos. 

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