Hotel Experience: The first internationally prestigious event in Athens, that explores the future of tourism through the lens of experience

BUSINESS HOTELS TOURISM

The organization of the annual Hotel Experience conference and exhibition, held on October 5-6, 2024, at the Athens Conservatory, surpassed expectations. The event brought together global leaders in architecture and hospitality, along with tourism entrepreneurs. Over 4,000 people attended in person, while more than 3,000 participants from Europe and the USA followed online.

This unique and largest gathering in Greece focused on the evolving tourism landscape of both Greece and Europe, attracting local and international visitors. The event featured 70 distinguished speakers, including architects, hospitality entrepreneurs, investors, social scientists, and institutional representatives from Greece and abroad, who discussed opportunities and future prospects.

George Spanos, Natalia Strafti and Konstantinos Deriziotis in one of the most interesting panels of the conference

With architecture as a unifying theme, the conference explored the economic, social, and developmental dimensions of the industry, analyzing trends that enhance visitor experiences.

At the heart of the discussions was the idea that a hotel stay should be an integral part of a traveler’s journey—deeply connected with local culture, enriched by cutting-edge technology, and committed to sustainability. Every detail in a hotel contributes to the overall atmosphere and quality of service.

Hotel Experience: Trends and Insights for the Future

The conference highlighted the importance of a “return to roots,” expressed in various ways through travel, as emphasized by several speakers.

The connection between people and the land, particularly in rural Greece, remains crucial in preserving the unique identity of each place—an identity that cannot be replicated or stolen, as noted during the panel on Intangible Cultural Heritage.

An intriguing idea presented was that of a storytelling museum, serving as a narrator of local history and culture, linking visitors to the destination and offering a unique sense of place.

Simultaneously, it was suggested that Greece should confidently pursue a monopolistic position in tourism for long-term gains that would benefit society as a whole.

One potential tool for achieving this could be educational campaigns aimed at Greece’s domestic audience.

As tourism growth is inevitable, effective management is essential to align with the trend of “experiential travel,” projected to surpass $1 trillion by 2025.

Wellness, a dominant trend, is reshaping not only spaces but also operations, even impacting HR practices.

Speakers emphasized that wellness benefits all visitor segments, focusing on community, physical movement, and nourishment for both body and soul.

Greek architects are gaining a cosmopolitan perspective by working on hybrid projects that combine primary and tertiary sectors, emphasizing minimal land use.

They are also developing projects abroad, utilizing relationships with international clients and promoting excellence within Greek offices.

A new reality emerged during the panel on scale: international entrepreneurs are now requesting the “Greek style,” particularly Cycladic, for projects outside Greece.

Greek architects are exploring this trend and seeking criteria for its application.

New hoteliers, with local knowledge and hospitality experience, are creating new concepts for existing or new hotels, guided by the question, “What is Greekness?” as well as a focus on “locality” on a very specific scale. Architects are actively participating in expert “dream teams,” adding value to the vision, while major hotels are becoming conceptual spaces with impressive financial results. “Design Hotels” are creating a “necklace of experiences”, in collaboration with hotels such as “Dexamenes” in Kourouta Beach, “Manna” in the mountainous area of Arcadia and “Vora” in Santorini island, offering travelers a journey through Greece, with stays in these remarkable accommodations as key reference points.

International guests -Adam Tihany, Double Decker, Paola Navone, Werner Aisslinger – reinforced the theme of multifaceted collaborations, presenting examples from the global hospitality scene, such as the custom-built luxury expedition ship Seabourn Pursuit and the 25Hours Hotels by Christoph Hoffman. Hoffman demonstrated how a cohesive vision is communicated to creators, each excelling in their role. Christos Passas of Zaha Hadid Architects and Maria Vafiadis of MKV Design highlighted the contrasts in architectural storytelling between new, “tabula rasa” destinations like Dubai and places with a rich, pre-existing history and identity, such as the Greek islands. Leon Avigad and Serdar Kutucu discussed radical design changes according to new lifestyles and community building goals.

The Hotel Experience Exhibition

The exhibition, inspired by iconic cinematic hotel atmospheres such as The Shining by Stanley Kubrick (1980), In the Mood for Love by Wong Kar-wai (2000), and The Grand Budapest Hotel by Wes Anderson (2014), transformed commercial booths into hotel rooms. Other exhibition spaces mirrored key hospitality areas like Reception, Foyer, Pool, and Elevator, creating a cinematic hotel atmosphere.

The goal was to offer a multisensory experience, immersing visitors in a hotel-like environment that was both intriguing and mysterious. The architectural design, lighting, and scenography created an unexpected and engaging setting.

The exhibition began at the Reception, introducing visitors to the delicate hotel atmosphere through cinematic references. This led to the main lounge area, where most of the booths were located, evoking the central hub of a hotel. Alongside the lounge’s extensive carpeted corridor, reminiscent of Kubrick’s The Shining, the booths—designed as hotel rooms—offered a visual and thematic journey.

The production and curation of Hotel Experience were led by Design Ambassador and Archisearch under the direction of Vassilis Bartzokas, in co-production with Aris Marinakis Architectural Editions. Art direction and experience design were handled by Flux-Office, with production design by Design Ambassador.

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