Grecotel


Grecotel Hotels & Resorts is the largest hotel chain in Greece. According to the Greek market statistics, Grecotel S.A. ranks as no.1 Greek hotel group with 4% of  total 5-star and 4-star hotel turnover, as well as the largest share by number of rooms in the luxury hotels, 6,000, while employing 6,700 employees for season 2019.
Grecotel manages a collection of 32 luxury hotels & resorts all over Greece and is part of the N. Daskalantonakis Group of Companies, which includes among others city and resort affiliated hotels, the Agreco traditional farm in Rethymno, Agreco Farms authentic gourmet food products and selected organic delicacies as well as herbal body care products, and the Danilia traditional village and museum in Corfu. The Group consists of six distinctive collections – Exclusive Hotels & Resorts, LUX.ME Hotels & Resorts, Luxury Hotels & Resorts, Family Hotels & Resorts, Premium Hotels & Resorts and City Hotels.

History

According to Reuters and other sources, Grecotel was founded in the 1980s as a resort hotel management company by German tour operator TUI Group and the Cretan brothers Nikos and Takis Daskalantonakis. According to other sources, Grecotel was founded by German tour operator TUI Group in collaboration with Demetrios Pieridis in 1981. Immediately after, Nikos & Takis Daskalantonakis acquired 50% of the shares of Grecotel, from Dimitris Pieridis.
Currently, in Grecotel, Chairman of the board is Mr Nikos Daskalantonakis, Deputy Chairman and CEO Mrs Mari Daskalantonaki and General Manager Mr Vassilis Minadakis.
Grecotel has grown to support 12 tourist destinations in Greece, Athens, Athens Riviera, Crete, Corfu, Rhodes, Kos, Mykonos, Halkidiki, Alexandroupolis, Peloponnese and Larisa in central Greece.
In 1991, Mr Nikos Daskalantonakis, Managing Director of Grecotel S.A., was voted by Thomson Tour Operations as "The Hotelier of the Year 1991" for his achievements in improving quality tourism in Greece.
In 1996, the Grecotel Privilege Club loyalty scheme was founded. Today it has over 500,000 members after being relaunched in 2015.
Grecotel is considered amongst the factors that contributed decisively to the promotion of Rethymnon as well as of Crete.
Grecotel is the first Mediterranean hotel company with a professional Culture & Environment Department, having received funding from the European Union to implement the first-ever environmental audits in Mediterranean hotels.
In 2002, Agreco Farms, a Traditional Cretan Farm opened its gates in the village of Adele, near Rethymno. The farm was created by Nikos Daskalantonakis, as part of his vision of offering guests the best of Crete, his birthplace, and to encourage local farmers to use organic methods to grow produce for the area’s hotels. Agreco Farms covering 40 hectares, has developed a program to rescue rare local varieties and produce organic local products, all used at the Grecotel restaurants.
In the same year, Grecotel opened its representative office in Moscow.
In 2003, Grecotel realized an investment program of 40 million euros.
In 2004, Grecotel launches 10 new hotel units.
In the same year, N. Daskalantonakis Group - Grecotel together with Aramark appointed as official caterers for the Athens Olympic Games Athletes Village, and its hotels became official members of the games hospitality network.
In 2007, Grecotel was awarded with 21 "Morpheus" awards to the Philoxenia Tourism Awards and received the Philoxenia Audience award.
In the same year, Grecotel opened Amirandes Exclusive Resort in Crete which was created according to 6-star hotels international standards.
In 2009, Grecotel Creta Palace is remodeled.
In 2013, Grecotel remodeled the El Greco Hotel, the current LUX ME White Palace, and the Greta Palace hotel.
In 2014, Grecotel opened a new 5-star property in Crete, The White Palace, and the Pallas Athena Boutique Hotel in Athens.
In 2018, Grecotel completed an investment project exceeding €42 million and creating 630 new jobs. Grecotel employs 6,300 people..
In the end of 2019, Grecotel Hotels & Resorts manages 32 hotel units all over Greece: Amirandes, Astir Alexandroupolis, Grand Hotel Egnatia, Cape Sounio, Caramel, Marine Palace & Aqua Park, Casa Marina & Aqua Park, Corfu Imperial, Creta Palace, LUX.ME Daphnila Bay Dassia, Eva Palace, Filoxenia, Grand Leoniki Residence, Ilia Palms & Aqua Park, Kos Imperial Thalasso, Casa Marron, Larissa  Imperial, Mandola Rosa Suites & Villas, Meli  Palace, Mykonos Blu Villas, Μykonos Blu, Olympia Oasis & Aqua Park, La Riviera & Aqua Park, Pallas Athena, Margo Bay & Club Turquoise, Plaza Spa & Suites, Lux Me Rhodos, Royal Park, Villa Oliva, Vouliagmeni Suites, Lux Me White Palace, Riviera Olympia & Aqua Park

Awards & Recognitions

TUI 2020 awards:
Commendation of Nikos Daskalantonakis by President Poutin, 2019
Commendation of Nikos Daskalantonakis by the Hellenic Hoteliers Federation, 2019
Impact BITE Awards 2019 – Gold award for Grecotel in technology innovation in tourism
TUI Awards 2019
Τourism Awards 2019
Greek Hospitality Awards 2019
TUI Awards 2018
Tourism Awards 2018
Social Media Awards 2018
Greek Hospitality Awards 2018
World Travel Awards
Greek Hospitality Awards 2017
Tourism Awards 2017
Creative Greece Awards 2017 by Active Business Publishing Grecotel: The top award for business excellence this year for the most outward-looking strategies and business practices in the Greek tourism sector
Best “Greek Cuisine” Award 2017 - For "Xasteria" Cretan restaurant in Amirandes Grecotel Exclusive Resort in Crete
TUI Top Quality 2017 - Top 250 hotels worldwide based on the results of the guest surveys - Amirandes, Club Marine Palace & Suites, Caramel, Corfu Imperial, Eva Palace, Kos Imperial Thalasso
Worldberry Awards 2017 - by TEZ Tours 
Travelife Gold Award for Amirandes, Caramel, Creta Palace, Club Marine Palace, Corfu Imperial, Eva Palace, Kos Imperial Thalasso, Rhodos Royal, Olympia Riviera Thalasso, Olympia Oasis, Lakopetra Beach
Greek Hospitality Awards 2016
Tourism Gold Awards 2016
Tourism Silver Awards 2016
Social Media Awards 2016
Tourism Awards 2015
Blue Flags - 15 Blue Flags to Grecotel properties in 2015
Greek Hospitality Awards 2015
Finat International Label - Competition 2014 ‐ Highly Commended, Grecotel
The Green Key®
e-Volution Awards - Grecotel & Globe One Digital, CPC Campaign, Recognising best practice in e-commerce
TÜV Austria Hellas - Agreco Farms, ISO 22000:05 certification, Preparation and Provision of Meals within the hotel: Grecotel Kos Imperial Thalasso, Meli Palace
We do local - Business certification for supporting local production, economy and human resources, for Grecotel White Palace
Tourism Awards 2014
Grecotel’s CSR program focuses on: 
Since 2000, Grecotel has collaborated with ARCHELON, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, as several of its hotels & resorts share beachfront with the sea turtles, when it is breeding season.
Grecotel has a long-term relationship with the archaeological site of :el:Αρχαία Ελεύθερνα|ancient Eleutherna, nearby Rethymno, Crete, supporting the systematic excavations under the direction of Professor Nikos Stampolidis and sponsoring the establishment of the new Eleutherna Archaeological Museum in June 2016.
Grecotel Group has incorporated into the CSR program the cooperation along with the “Vision of Hope”, Association to inform on and become a volunteer Bone Marrow Donor. Grecotel employees from the headquarters as well as the staff of several hotels & resorts in Athens, Crete and Alexandroupolis have already become volunteer donors supporting this partnership.
On Tuesday May 30, 2017 at the N.J.V. Hotel. Athens Plaza, Nikos Daskalantonakis, President of the N.Daskalantonakis–Grecotel Group, was awarded by UNESCO's Goodwill Ambassador and President of the Association “Elpida” and “Vision of Hope”, Mrs Marianna V. Vardinoyannis, for Grecotel’s commitment, efforts and contribution to the goals of the Association..
Grecotel has collaborated with “Boroume” Organization by offering food to vulnerable groups such as nursing homes and orphanages. 
In June 2017, Grecotel supported “Chatzikonsta Institution”, offering a summer vacation to 30 children along with their teachers at the all-inclusive Grecotel Lakopetra Beach hotel in Peloponnese .
Since the ‘90s, Grecotel was the first hotel collection to establish a corporate Blood Donation Bank and ever after consistently support it with annual volunteer staff blood donation days per hotel.
Nikos Daskalantonakis created a Charitable and Cultural Non-Profit Organization “Nikos Daskalantonakis – NDF”, to support, in cooperation with Grecotel cultural actions, the new generation, the preservation of the authentic local tradition.

Sponsorships

Archaeological site of ancient Eleutherna
SOS Children's Village, Hosting at Lakopetra Beach Hotel
“AGAPI” Association, Rethymno, Crete
Make A Wish Hellas
Marketing Greece
Cretan Championship Free Wrestling
1st Nursing Workshop of the Hospital of Rethymno, October 2018
Russian Gastronomic Week at Cape Sounio
Greek Skate O.K.A :el:Πρέβελη|Preveli, The Tour of Crete with Inline skating
Elliniki Etairia, Society for the Environment and Cultural Heritage
Archelon, The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece - Financial support for project on Crete
A FUTURE FOR TOGO
2nd Crete Ladies Open, 2013
Mykonos Run 2017 – Platinum Sponsor, Grecotel Mykonos Blu
Virtual Travel & Leisure Fair - Exhibitors Silver
Megaron, The Athens Concert Hall
The Economist
Operation Management