Xenia (Ξενία) was a nationwide hotel construction program initiated by the Hellenic Tourism Organisation (Ελληνικός Οργανισμός Τουρισμού, E.O.T.) to improve the country's tourism infrastructure in the 1960s and 1970s.[1][2][3][4] It constitutes one of the largest infrastructure projects in modern Greek history.

The logo of the hotels

History

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Until the 1950s, Greece featured only a few major hotels, mostly situated in the country's great cities, and a few smaller ones in islands like Corfu or Rhodes. In 1950, EOT began a program to construct and operate hotels across the country, especially in the less-travelled areas. Locations were specially selected and the architecture combined local knowledge with standardized elements. The buildings were embedded in the landscape, but at the same time followed a modernist style.[5][6]

The first manager of the project was the architect Charalambos Sfaellos (from 1950 to 1958) and from 1957 the buildings were designed by a team under Aris Konstantinidis. Many private hotel projects in Greece were inspired by the Xenia hotels and the program had reached its aims in the early 1970s.[7][8] In 1974 the construction program was complete. The Xenia program itself was officially terminated in 1983, and the hotels were given over to private operators or eventually sold off.[9][10]

Some hotels are still operated privately under the Xenia name.[11] Many of the program's hotels have been designated as historic monuments for their architectural value. Three have been demolished, while other surviving examples have been substantially altered or are in a dilapidated state.[12][13][14]

Xenia hotels

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This section lists the tourist establishments according to the administrative region to which they belong:[15][16]

Attica Region

  • Xenia Poros (1964), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Spetses (1960), Architect F. Vokos

Central Macedonia Region

  • Xenia Edessa (1963), Architect I. Rizos
  • Xenia Paliouri (1962), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Platamon (1960), Architect F. Vokos
  • Xenia Serres (1960), Architect K. Stamatis
  • Xenia Ouranoupoli (1959), Architect P. Sakellariou

Western Macedonia Region

  • Xenia Florina (1958), Architect G. Nikoletopoulos
  • Xenia Kastoria (1952), Architect Ch. Sfaellos
  • Xenia Kozani (1963), Architect K. Levidis

Eastern Macedonia and Thrace Region

  • Xenia Xanthi (1964), Architect G. Nikoletopoulos
  • Xenia Drama (1961), Architect K. Stamatis
  • Xenia Samothrace (1954), Architect K. Spanos
  • Xenia Thasos (1955), Architect Ch. Sfaellos

Epirus Region

  • Xenia Igoumenitsa (1959), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Arta (1958), Architect D. Zivas
  • Xenia Ioannina (1958), Architect F. Vokos

Western Greece Region

  • Xenia Nafpaktos (1980), P. Architect Manouilidis
  • Xenia Olympia (I) (1963), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Olympia (II) (1966), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Missolonghi (1953), Architect I. Triantafyllidis

Thessaly Region

  • Xenia Kalabaka (1960), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Larissa (1959), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Skopelos (1961), Architect F. Vokos
  • Xenia Skiathos (1963), Architect G. Nikoletopoulos
  • Xenia Portaria (1957), Architect K. Kitsikis
  • Xenia Tsagkarada (1955), Architect Ch. Sfaellos

Central Greece Region

  • Xenia Ypati (1956), Architect Ch. Sfaellos
  • Xenia Karpenisi (1959), Architect F. Vokos
  • Xenia Delphi (1953), Architect D. Pikionis
  • Xenia Skyros (1955), Architect G. Doxiadi

Peloponnese Region

  • Xenia Nafplio (1958), Architect I. Triantafyllidis
  • Xenia Sparta (1958), Architect X. Mpougatsos
  • Xenia Vytina (1965), Architect K. Mpitsios

North Aegean Region

  • Xenia Samos (1958), Architect K. Stamatis
  • Xenia Chios (1958), Architect K. Stamatis
  • Xenia Mytilene (1961), Architect I. Antoniadis

South Aegean Region

  • Xenia Mykonos (I) (1962), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Mykonos (II) (1953), Architect P. Vasiliadi
  • Xenia Andros (1958), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Paros (1955), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Kos (1959), Architect F. Vokos
  • Xenia Patmos (1960), Architect M. Dalla
  • Xenia Kythnos (1970), Architect E. Tsiller
  • Xenia Sifnos (1961), Architect A. Papageorgiou

Ionian Islands Region

  • Xenia Corfu (1955), Architect Ch. Sfaellos
  • Xenia Argostoli (1955), Architect Ch. Sfaellos
  • Xenia Zakynthos (1955), Architects: E. Voureka; P. Vasiliadi; P. Sakellario
  • Xenia Cephalonia (1955), Architect Ch. Sfaellos
  • Xenia Lefkada (1978), Architect A. Michalakis

Crete Region

  • Xenia Karterou (1963), Architect A. Konstantinidis
  • Xenia Heraklion (1961), Architect G. Nikoletopoulos
  • Xenia Chania (1961), Architects: I. Tzompanaki; S. Kountouri
  • Xenia Rethymno (1961), Architect Aik. Dialisma

Bibliography

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  • Donat, John: "Architecture of the Xenia Hotels" in World architecture, Volume 3, 1966. Page 145ff
  • Books, L. L. C., ed. (2 April 2017). Hotels in Greece: Grande Bretagne, Porto Carras, Xenia, Makedonia Palace, Titania, Hilton Athens, President Hotel Athens. General Books LLC. ISBN 9781158399420 – via Google Books.

References

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  1. ^ Thanasis Diamantopoulos (29 June 2024). "Hotels "Xenia": The story behind the post-war tourism" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
  2. ^ "The rise and fall of Xenia hotels" (in Greek). LiFO. 15 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023.
  3. ^ "The architecture of the Xenia Hotels: The organization, the basic compositional principles and the course of Xenia" (in Greek). 13 August 2009. Archived from the original on 6 May 2023.
  4. ^ Giorgos Lialios (3 September 2018). "The renaissance of the legendary Xenia Hotels" (in Greek). Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Hora Sfakion accommodation – Xenia Hotel". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
  6. ^ "Ιnhospitable state for 44 «Xenia hotels»" (in Greek). 24 January 2005. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
  7. ^ Fessa-Emmanouil, Eleni. "The architect Aris Konstantinidis and the EOT's Xenia hotels" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024.
  8. ^ Vamiedaki, Viki (4 June 2022). "Xenia: The legendary history of the jewels of Greek architecture" (in Greek).
  9. ^ "Hotel "Xenia" in Andros: An example of indifference for the greek modern architecture". 25 February 2007. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
  10. ^ Christos E. Dimakis. "Photographs of the abandoned Xenia hotel in Paliouri, Chalidiki (1962/ today)" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
  11. ^ Tratsa, Maxi (1 September 2018). "Seeking a second life for the Xenia" (in Greek). To Vima.
  12. ^ "Xenia: The history and design of an innovative program" (in Greek). 4 January 2024.
  13. ^ "The contribution of the Greek National Tourism Organization (EOT)". tourismmuseum.gr (in Greek and English). Museum of Tourism. Archived from the original on 21 February 2024.
  14. ^ Athinakis, Dimitris (7 August 2018). "Xenia, the long pending issue of Andros island" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 9 May 2023.
  15. ^ Kachrila, Eirini-Maria. "Spatial, morphological and economic criteria for the development of Xenia hotels in Greece" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 18 October 2023.
  16. ^ "The Xenia hotels of Macedonia" (in Greek). 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023.