Crete Welcomes ‘Olive Green’, the New Eco-friendly, Sustainable and Smart Hotel

The island of Crete recently welcomed the Olive Green, a unique hotel in Greece that offers innovative sustainable architecture, as well as smart high-tech technology that keeps visitors connected and enhances the in-room experience.

According to owner Karatarakis Hotels SA Company, the new eco-friendly, sustainable, and smart hotel that opened silently in November in Heraklion is the first of its kind on Crete and in Greece.

Olive Green, lounge.

A local landmark was transformed by local architects and interior designers employed by Karatarakis Hotels, to align nature, tradition, and technology into a harmonious haven for leisure tourists and business travelers alike. Olive Green is a destination for all kinds of island goers, from Baby Boomers to Gen X, and the trend-setting Gen C.

Smart in-room technology at Olive Green enables guests to individually control heating, air conditioning, music, TV, and room service, fostering a unique hospitality experience like nowhere else on the island. The hotel offers tablets to control these features, but also to allow guests to publish updates on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other social networks.

Olive Green, lobby.

“The name of the hotel derives from the Cretan symbol of purity and wildness, the olive tree. Our hotel was designed respecting modern principles of renewable energy”, said Lefteris Karatarakis, Karatarakis Hotels SA Company CEO. “For instance, we employed reuse and recycle operational systems that utilize solar panels and other innovative methods that promote sustainable development,” he added.

Olive Green boasts 48 beautifully appointed rooms, grouped into five different thematic design categories, each reflecting a Cretan tourist landmark with an environmental focus.

Huge wallpapers enhancing the rooms feature local landscapes of rare beauty. By scanning the QR codes on the photos, visitors can download and save information for each destination, directions to get there, hot spots, interesting restaurants, beaches, and archaeological sites.

Where dining is concerned, Olive Green has its own restaurant and café, the “626” All Day Lounge & City Garden, which offers unique seasonal menus based on local produce, house coffee blends, signature cocktails, fine spirits, and Cretan wines.