Hilton Athens

The hotel officially opened on April 20th, 1963, as Athens' first international chain hotel. Conrad Hilton was present at the opening ceremony.[2] Guests at the hotel have included Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, singer Frank Sinatra, director Ingmar Bergman and actor Anthony Quinn.[2] Hilton Athens was the headquarters for the International Olympic Committee during the 2004 Summer Olympics. [7] In 2011 the organizing committee of the 2011 Special Olympics World Summer Games also took the hotel as their base of operations.[8] The hotel hosted Athens’ first contemporary art gallery, the Hilton Gallery, in cooperation with Marilena Liacopoulou. From 1968 until 1972 the Hilton Gallery was responsible for various historical exhibitions. Nowadays the hotel displays artworks and invests regularly in lobby exhibitions of artists from Greece and abroad.[2]

The Athens Hilton as seen from the neighbourhood of Pagrati.

The hotel was designed by a team of architects including Emmanuel Vourekas, Prokopis Vasileiadis, Anthony Georgiades and Spyro Staikos. Artist Yiannis Moralis, inspired by Greek themes, designed the reliefs of the building's façade.[2]

The hotel was constructed in the post-war period between 1958 and 1963. The combination of classical and modernist elements incorporated into the hotel's exterior, with its mix of modern and traditional styles, caused disagreements on architectural, urban planning, cultural and political issues.[9]

In 2003, anticipating the 2004 Summer Olympic Games, Hilton Athens was renovated by Greek architects Alexandros Tombazis and Charis Bougadelis.[2][6] The establishment was refurbished, and a new seven-storey northern wing was added. The completed new wing contains 74 rooms and suites, which add up to a total of 506 available hotel rooms. With its current 15 floors above ground, the building is 65 meters high.[6]

• Official Website