The first Athenian hotel in the Choice Hotels network will carry the Comfort brand. It will open its doors in summer 2017, following a co-branding agreement recently signed with GVK Enterprises, a local hotel management and development company. Mark Pearce, Senior Vice President, International Division at Choice Hotels, is delighted with this new development: " We are delighted to be extending our European network to Greece, a major tourist destination in Europe, which has shown signs of strong recovery and positive business forecasts. Our network wants to support and participate in this recovery. We are confident that our brands will thrive in such a dynamic market. ".
This is such a promising market for the hotelier that it is already planning other projects in mainland Greece and on the islands. Indeed, the Athens project will pave the way for a phase of expansion in the country, with four other establishments already planned over the coming years. These hotels will represent the Clarion, Quality and Comfort brands in mainland Greece and on the islands. " I am delighted to be working with Choice Hotels and introducing the Clarion, Quality and Comfort brands to the capital and the Greek islands. "said George Kontos, Chairman of GVK Enterprises, in a press release issued on 1 December. " We look forward to helping them develop a portfolio of hotels that will appeal to international travellers visiting Greece for business or pleasure. ".
Choice's new ambitions extend beyond Greece, since other projects were already unveiled last April, and not the least: 25 establishments and 8,000 rooms are planned by 2021 in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. At the same time, the German, Austrian, Belgian and Turkish markets are also benefiting from this network expansion.
