By A. Tsiblakis
Greek lender Alpha Bank is in negotiations with a consortium comprised of Temes and Turkey’s Dogus for the sale of the iconic Athens Hilton, confirming previous reports by “N”.
Temes is controlled by the ship-owning Constantakopoulos family,while Dogus Group is the Turkey-based business empire managed by tycoon Ferit Şahenk.
In a letter to its subsidiary Ionian, which owns the hotel, Alpha Bank states that it has selected the consortium as its preferred investor.
The sale price will reportedly be set during negotiations, along with other significant issues, i.e. if the new owners will be able to expand the hotel-resort in the heart of Athens.
The Athens Hilton features 16,000 square meters of interior space, with the building co-efficients allowing for more construction.
The Hilton-brand first arrived in Greece 53 years ago, with Conrad Hilton himself at the inauguration. Today the landmark hotel features 506 rooms and 22 conference halls. It underwent a full renovation in 2003 ahead of the Athens 2004 Olympic Games.
The Constantakopoulos family today operates what is arguably Greece’s biggest and most cutting-edge resort zone, the Costa Navarino in extreme southeastern Greece – a lifelong vision and project by late shipowner Capt. Vassilis Constantakopoulos.
