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.
History
editUntil 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
editThis section lists the tourist establishments according to the administrative region to which they belong:[15][16]
Attica Region
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
Bibliography
edit- 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
edit- ^ Thanasis Diamantopoulos (29 June 2024). "Hotels "Xenia": The story behind the post-war tourism" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
- ^ "The rise and fall of Xenia hotels" (in Greek). LiFO. 15 September 2019. Archived from the original on 24 June 2023.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Giorgos Lialios (3 September 2018). "The renaissance of the legendary Xenia Hotels" (in Greek). Kathimerini. Archived from the original on 29 June 2024.
- ^ "Hora Sfakion accommodation – Xenia Hotel". Archived from the original on 3 April 2015.
- ^ "Ιnhospitable state for 44 «Xenia hotels»" (in Greek). 24 January 2005. Archived from the original on 2 October 2011.
- ^ Fessa-Emmanouil, Eleni. "The architect Aris Konstantinidis and the EOT's Xenia hotels" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 26 February 2024.
- ^ Vamiedaki, Viki (4 June 2022). "Xenia: The legendary history of the jewels of Greek architecture" (in Greek).
- ^ "Hotel "Xenia" in Andros: An example of indifference for the greek modern architecture". 25 February 2007. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022.
- ^ Christos E. Dimakis. "Photographs of the abandoned Xenia hotel in Paliouri, Chalidiki (1962/ today)" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
- ^ Tratsa, Maxi (1 September 2018). "Seeking a second life for the Xenia" (in Greek). To Vima.
- ^ "Xenia: The history and design of an innovative program" (in Greek). 4 January 2024.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Athinakis, Dimitris (7 August 2018). "Xenia, the long pending issue of Andros island" (in Greek). Archived from the original on 9 May 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Xenia hotels of Macedonia" (in Greek). 20 July 2016. Archived from the original on 7 May 2023.