Brown Hotels Opens the ‘Lighthouse’ on Omonia Square, Athens

Urban hotel collection Brown Hotels on Friday opened its latest property in the Greek capital: the Lighthouse hotel.

Standing right on Omonia Square in central Athens, the 220-room hotel is the former La Mirage and has been fully renovated. It develops over 9 floors, offers a panoramic city view, a rooftop bar, in-house wellness facilities and a huge events space.

Ribbon-cutting at the Lighthouses’ central entrance.

But what makes this hotel special, according to the founder of Israel-based Brown Hotels, Leon Avigad, is its location: the renovated Omonia Square.

“We are reviving Omonia, turning it to its beautiful glory of the past years… This was a posh place and we would like to return it to be a hub of everything creative, everything local, fun, young and happy,” he said during the hotel’s grand opening.

Panoramic view of the revamped Omonia Square as seen from the 9th floor of the Lighthouse hotel.

Crafted to redefine bleisure, The Lighthouse’s 220 rooms feature a design with baroque elements, comfortable beds, complimentary coffee machines and Marshall speakers so guests can enjoy tunes in the best of quality.

The Lighthouse hotel, main entrance.

The Lighthouse hotel, Deluxe room.

As part of a broader expansion plan into Greece’s hospitality market, Brown Hotels has opened the Lighthouse in the Greek capital alongside three other new properties, DAVE Red Athens, Brown Acropol and Villa Brown Ermou. Meanwhile, Brown Hotels has announced more openings in the near future.

“With 12 hotels just around the city, around Omonia Square, thousands of hotel rooms, just think of the thousands of people that will just pour out of their rooms to look for restaurants or bars,” Avigad added while congratulating the city’s mayor for the revival of the square.

Omonia Square was revamped last year through a scheme by the city’s authorities to redevelop the once considered up-market area.

Brown Hotels founder, Leon Avigad, and Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis (left).

Speaking during the hotel’s opening event, Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis referred to “another step in a long journey” for the revival of the city’s center.

“This is a grand opening for Brown Hotels but it is also a grand opening for the city. Athens has had its tough times but is now changing. Athens is transitioning,” the mayor said while also mentioning that investors and visitors are showing a high interest for the Greek capital.

“We are happy and proud to call you our friends, to call you Athenians,” Mayor Bakoyannis said to Leon Avigad.

Vicky Loizou, the Greek Secretary General for Tourism Policy & Development.

On her part, Vicky Loizou, the Greek Secretary General for Tourism Policy & Development, thanked Brown Hotels for helping with the promotion of the “real” Athens.

“This project was not something easy… You are helping us create the new reality for Athens and our country. We believe in the same dream,” she said.

Former Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis, currently the Parliamentary Spokesperson of New Democracy political party, attended the event.

“Thank you for choosing Greece… We are building bridges between the two nations – Israel and Greece,” he said.

Next on Brown Hotels’ list of properties in Athens will be the Brown Spices (Evripidou street), Theodore House (Themistokleous Street) and House Sans Rival (Liossion Street). The three hotels are expected to open their doors in the near future.

The Israeli urban hotel collection expects the total number of its hotels in the city to add up to 17 by 2023.