YOU ARE READING
People: taking in the view from the rooftop of The Alex with Konstantinos Santikos
SAVE
MENU
People

Dimitris Kossyfas | 19 May 2021

Where do we find you these days?

At The Alex working on the reopening of the hotel after a long winter lockdown. During this time we had the time to rethink our operations by adding more value to our guests and local community.

 

Tell us a bit about yourself

If I had to describe myself I would say hotelier, runner and tech enthusiast.

Being a second generation hotelier, i was raised in hotels so my career has always been in the hospitality business since I was a teenager. This hospitality “brainwash” has helped me understand that hotels have guests not customers and spending my summers around guests as a child I could understand the need to create products that have a guest oriented approach.

I am a big fun of running as it’s an easy way to exercise and stay competitive with your personal performance.

Technology has been a big part of my free time, especially exploring the new trends and following the innovative companies. I am a great supporter of blockchain and i believe that it will have a great effect in travel and hospitality.

The Alex Hotel, Athens - Rooftop 5
The Alex Hotel, Athens - The Superior
The Alex Hotel, Athens - Exterior

What’s your favourite food destination(s) in Greece and why?

It’s an easy answer but hard to pick just one. My two favorite destinations are Alonissos and Sifnos.

Alonissos is where my father started the hotel business and i have spend every summer of my childhood. The island is famous for the fish and lobsters as well as the cheese pie. The best part about this island is that every restaurant is owned by a family of fishermen. This guarantees the quality of fish served.

Now Sifnos is my favorite culinary destination in Greece. It’s something about this island that motivates chef’s to create and to innovate. The variety of restaurants from traditional to Michelin star quality is remarkable for such a small destination. I try to visit every year and I must say it never disappoints me.

 

What’s your favourite travel destination(s) in Greece and why?

I am definitely biased but the Sporades islands are a great destination as it gives you the opportunity to explore the Alonissos marine park islands, dive, eat well but at the same time have the cosmopolitan aspect of Skiathos in your itinerary.

Given that Skiathos and Alonissos are connected with my job i love visiting the smaller islands of the Aegean like Schoinousa and Kimolos or unique islands like Hydra.

Destination or restaurant you can’t wait to get back to?

After a long lockdown i am not very picky on the destination, i just want to be able to walk through the streets of an old town of an island in Greece and have a great dinner with friends. Everywhere destination in Greece is worth visiting.

The Alex Hotel, Athens - Rooftop

Tell us a bit about the story behind your hotel

The Alex was a city project that we were looking forward into creating. We felt that the city of Athens was moving towards the water and Piraeus was lacking quality accommodation.

We couldn’t have asked for a better location and view so it was easy for us to start telling our story. We wanted to create a hotel that it’s purpose is to upgrade the services provided to the neighborhood. Our goal is to create a hot spot for the neighborhood to come together and feel like home.

The neighborhood of the hotel, Kastella, is known as the fish culinary hot spot in Athens but up until the end of the 20th century was the home of strong shipping families. This glamourous aspect of the area was what inspired Aristotle Onassis to create a masterplan that would transform Kastella into the Monte Carlo of the East Med but unfortunately the plan was abandoned after the death of his son.

Our effort is to help revive the area and this is why we added Monte Kastella in the hotel name, which was the name that Onassis gave to his dream project.

What’s your favourite spot of the hotel and why?

Nothing compares to the rooftop NEST, it has an 180+ view of the Athens Bay all the way to Egina island.

How has COVID-19 impacted your hotel?

Covid-19 had a great impact to our operations as we had to shut down for a total of 8 months the past year. The combination of reduced traveling for both business and leisure with the shutdown has decreased out revenues. However, we had the time to reflect our operating procedures, create a ghost kitchen within the hotel with 3 different brands and add more services such as an EV charger and moving our breakfast to the rooftop.

What are your current and future plans about the hotel?

We are looking closely the changes that this pandemic has brought to travel. We are working on creating services that will cater them.

The Alex is an open house hotel and as long as this pandemic is ongoing we cannot be that open. We believe that as early as the beginning of next year we will provide the full services planned for both guests and locals.

BACK TO TOP
Related Articles for People
People: Eftihia Stefanidi on blending hospitality with art at Shila Athens
People
People: Eftihia Stefanidi on blending hospitality with art at Shila Athens
People: fresh hospitality at The Modernist with Kostis Karatzas
Hotelier Stories
People: fresh hospitality at The Modernist with Kostis Karatzas
People: the secret of country living by Konstantinos Markidis
People
People: the secret of country living by Konstantinos Markidis
People: Electra's beautiful hiking trails around Zagorohoria
People
People: Electra's beautiful hiking trails around Zagorohoria
Zagorohoria
People: discovering Athenian hospitality legacy at Asomaton with Minas Terlidis
People
People: discovering Athenian hospitality legacy at Asomaton with Minas Terlidis
Athens
People: our 5 things to wait for, post-lockdown
People
People: our 5 things to wait for, post-lockdown
Greece
People: my 2020 in restaurant visits
People
People: my 2020 in restaurant visits
People: Konstantinos Sofikitis named Street Photographer of the Year by Sony
People
People: Konstantinos Sofikitis named Street Photographer of the Year by Sony
People: Couple traveling all over America in a converted school bus
People
People: Couple traveling all over America in a converted school bus
People: Family-run wine making in Italy's Calabria region
People
People: Family-run wine making in Italy's Calabria region
Specialty Coffee Culture All Around
People
Specialty Coffee Culture All Around
People: Daybreaker movement beating that sunrise
People
People: Daybreaker movement beating that sunrise
People: How hiring a chef for your next meal at home can save the day
People
People: How hiring a chef for your next meal at home can save the day
People: Mapping the Mediterranean coastline on a helicopter
People
People: Mapping the Mediterranean coastline on a helicopter
People: Thomas and Mario crafting the best island escape at Scorpios Mykonos
People
People: Thomas and Mario crafting the best island escape at Scorpios Mykonos
Mykonos
People: The World According to Anthony Bourdain
People
People: The World According to Anthony Bourdain
People: Jamie
People
People: Jamie
People: taking in the view from the rooftop of The Alex with Konstantinos Santikos
1 of 5
2 of 5
3 of 5
4 of 5
5 of 5
PREVIOUS
NEXT
CLOSE