NEW Hotel is a hip and trendy boutique hotel right in the center of Athens. I stayed for 3 nights during my first visit to Greece at the end of January. NEW Hotel Athens is the first hotel designed by the famous designer duo Fernando and Humberto Campana. Part of the Yes! Hotels Group, NEW Hotel tries to create a Young, Enthusiastic and Seductive atmosphere. Read on to discover if it becomes my new all-time favourite hotel!
Location
When I finally arrived at NEW Hotel Athens after a 3,5 hour flight and a 45min metro ride, it had already gotten dark. One thing I noticed immediately was the superb location of this hotel. It’s located in Filellinon Street, within walking distance of Syntagma Square and the Parliament. Acropolis and Monastiraki are not even a 15-minute walk away! The rest of the city can be easily explored by taking a short subway ride.
Upon arrival, one of the employees of NEW Hotel spontaneously offered me a glass of water while I was waiting to check in.
Check-in: We speak your language!
On many hotel websites you read they ‘speak your language’, most-likely meaning they have an international staff so they can provide service in the local language, English and if you’re lucky in French, German or Spanish. But in the case of NEW Hotel, this sentence could be taken quite literally. At the front office, Pavlos was taking care of my check-in. He noticed I was from Belgium and asked if Dutch was my native language. He mentioned that his mother was Dutch so he could speak the language too. Obviously I don’t expect the reception staff to speak my language: English would have been perfectly fine, but the fact that Pavlos insisted on explaining everything to me in Dutch was something I highly appreciated and shows the competence of the staff.
My room
I initially went for a Superior room. I usually choose this type of room when I’m traveling solo because on those solo occasions I tend to spend more time inside the hotel than when traveling with my girlfriend or in group. Upon arrival, Pavlos explained to me that I was upgraded to the Studio since they had that room available anyway. What a pleasant surprise! Check out this short video I made from the Studio room:
As I already mentioned, the hotel is designed by the Campana brothers and so are the rooms. Rooms are decorated according to three main themes: Karagkiozis shadow theater puppets, vintage postcards, and Greek ‘evil eye’ charms. My studio had the evil eye theme.
The Studio room measured 30sqm so almost as large as their Junior Suite and featured electronically controlled curtains and sunscreens. Bathroom was neatly designed with the glass bathroom door doubling as the shower door. The solid-brass washbasin in the shape of a fragmented piece of rock is the real eye-catcher here. I love it when hotel rooms are an experience on their own. Who would even want to sleep in a dull business hotel when you have NEW hotel!? I was traveling solo and so the balcony-to-person-ratio was 2:1! That’s right, two balconies: one on the front overlooking the church and one on the side.
My Studio room was on the fifth floor but the busy street was still noticeable. Athens is one of those cities that never sleep. Traffic noise could come from both sides because of the floor-to-ceiling glass doors from the two balconies, which are obviously a bit less soundproof than thick walls. I’m used to living in a busy street at home so I didn’t really bother me. Still I feel like I should mention it for people who aren’t used to city life.
Eat and drink
Breakfast was served in the stunningly designed NEW Taste restaurant. Breakfast was solid, a combination of buffet with the most obvious options, and side dishes that can be ordered from a menu.
Most of my evenings were spent at the Art Lounge, the penthouse-style rooftop lounge with killer views over the Acropolis and Mount Lycabettus. The lounge has an enormous library with over 2000 books on art! Combine this with a great selection of alcoholic beverages and you have a recipe for an enjoyable night in Athens.
The real showstopper: the staff!
What I liked the most is the friendliness and professionalism of the staff. They hold the door open for you and ask you how your day was when you arrive back at the hotel. They are the real stars of NEW Hotel! Girls at the reception are easy to talk to and go out of their way to help you with anything you might request. The 5-star hospitality truly makes it the best luxury hotel in Athens.
Perhaps the only thing that this hotel is lacking would be a pool, but I didn’t miss having a swim during my time in NEW Hotel at all. The Spa and Wellness area easily makes up for the lack of pool. It has a jacuzzi and steam bath to relax in after a long day in the city. And if you still need some more relaxation, a large variety of massages and treatments are offered.
Verdict
Well I’ve come to the conclusion that from now on, I have a new favourite hotel: NEW Hotel Athens!
Ben’s Score: 9/10
