Page 30 - 2019 Mid Year Newsletter

Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens The re-development of Astir provided several
Hill is enjoying strong growth in hospitality
projects in Greece, among them the Grand Hyatt
in Athens, where the company is providing project
management support services to the investor
team, and for the iconic Astir Palace.
The re-development of Astir Palace is a hospitality
project of both global and national significance,
representing an internationally known destination
and a Grecian landmark. Astir Palace is an iconic
resort on the Athenian Riviera, and has long been
favored by elite international and Greek clientele.
Located 16 miles south of Athens along a pristine
shoreline of the Aegean coast, the new hotel brings
Four Seasons’ signature service to Greece for the
first time. Stretching across 30 hectares (75 acres)
of pine-dotted and scenic landscaped gardens,
the peninsula offers distinct natural beauty and
is subject to rigid zoning and environmental
conditions. The investor’s vision for the project
was to respect Astir’s history and identity, while
elevating it to contemporary standards and
transforming it into a genuine world-class lifestyle
destination.
More than €100 million was invested into
refurbishing and upgrading the resort’s facilities
alone. Features will include approximately 300
rooms, suites, and luxury bungalows; spa and
recreational facilities; state-of-the-art conference
and event spaces; infinity pools; beaches; a unique
beachfront promenade; and more. The concept
draws heavily on inspiration from the beauty of
the surrounding environment and local culture,
embodying a contemporary yet timeless luxury
design aesthetic with attention to detail, while
establishing a connection to the property’s history.
Emmanouil Sigalas, Hill’s Vice President and
Managing Director, Southern Europe, explains,
“The project was executed during a time of
turbulence for Greece, and our team’s vision was
to bring this major foreign direct investment to
fruition successfully.
“Investments like the Astir project help trigger
the economy, create jobs, and set a precedent for
attracting additional investments into the country.
Hill International Newsletter 2019 | Page 27
benefits for the Greek economy in general and
the local community in particular. These included
preservation of a landmark asset and upgrading of
its operation, creation of new and sustainable jobs,
opportunities for local suppliers, the program of
the investors, and revenues for the State and local
municipality.”
In terms of innovation, the construction
techniques, equipment, and material used were
based on international best practices and the high
standards of Four Seasons. “The project was a first-
of-its-kind locally in terms of the high hospitality
standards designed, procured, and constructed,
and arguably the first-of its-kind in the Eastern
Mediterranean Region. In essence, the project’s
value chain was created by implementing a global
project on a local scale, and this experience will
now transfer to other projects in Greece,” says Mr.
Sigalas.
“Importantly, through the Astir project, we also
aspired to signal a change in mentality by adopting
fundamental principles to guide similar projects in
Greece going forward: We believed in teamwork,
transparency, and ethics. Through the investment,
jobs were created, we amalgamated senior wisdom
with new blood, and Greek staff from abroad
repatriated. Despite challenges and occasional
setbacks, we all worked steadfastly to go the extra
mile for Astir and the project.”
The Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens opened
on March 29, 2019.