Lifestyle - Interview
Interview with Ada Yfanti, Owner and Managing Director of Fresh Hotel from Athens
Lifestyle - Interview
by Melisa Kaya
The Magenta restaurant is located on the 1st floor and the Air Lounge Restaurant is located on the rooftop. And between them, there are 133 design rooms, fitness room, outdoor swimming pool, and meeting rooms, for all leisure and business guests. In order to learn more about Fresh Hotel, I talked to Ada Yfanti, Owner and Managing Director of Fresh Hotel.
Ada, before start talking about Fresh Hotel, could you tell us about your background, hotel management experience and your career in the Fresh Hotel?
I was born and raised in Athens, studied abroad Economics and Marketing, married, became a mother of 2 children and an extensive world traveler and passionate of hotels. At the age of 26, I decided to create my own hotel in the center of Athens with an avant-garde design. My vision was a hip, sophisticated hotel with a radical design and a close connection to the contemporary art scene of Athens. A Fresh approach that would both calm and excite mind and spirit
Fresh Hotel - Photo by Vangelis Paterakis
I would like to learn more about your location first. Where is the Fresh Hotel located in? What are the advantages of being there?
Fresh Hotel is a 4-star hotel, located in the heart of Athens, right where tradition and novelty meet and new hotspots are spreading all the time. Our location is between Monastiraki, Psiri, and Plaka, providing guests with easy access to a number of ancient sites and iconic landmarks, such as the Acropolis, the local food Market, the shopping and business center of the city. Its unique character is expressed in its sensational design & sophisticated decoration, for which it has attracted international recognition being also listed in the exclusive Design Hotels chain and Starwood Preferred Guest program.
It’s important for both me and our guests that the hotel connects to its surroundings. I enjoy the scene of travelers to Athens wishing to experience the city and locality thoroughly, and thus to feel like Athenians in their daily life and neighborhood
Fresh Hotel Air Lounge Terrace
Why are your guests prefer Athens? What is the main reason?
Athens is a popular destination that combines ancient heritage with modern urban vibes and appeals to all age groups either on business or on leisure. It can also be a city break destination even in the winter season, with a fantastic climate and cultural happenings.
Fresh Hotel Lobby
Could you tell us about the Fresh Hotel and the overall concept?
The Fresh hotel mixes rich natural materials, like oak and walnut wood, with bright colours, making it a clean-lined sanctuary from the flurry of downtown Athens, just outside its doors. The nine-story building, with a pool and bar sporting a view of the Acropolis on the top floor, welcomes its guests into a lobby extending over two floors that gives you a taste of the funkiness to come upstairs. The 133 guestrooms, six of them with private deck verandas, have clean lines with sleek, modernist spaces broken up by bright splashes of orange, pink, and green against mauve and beige.
Fresh Hotel Executive Room
How would you describe the design concept of Fresh Hotel?
“I have tried to get the many colors of Athens’ central district into the property. Everything in the area plays with the guests’ senses. I couldn’t simply take fresh, put it in another city and make it work”
Fresh Hotel Superior Room
How many different types of rooms do you offer to your guests?
Superior room (Superior room, Superior room with balcony, Superior Double with extra child bed, and Family Room), Executive room and Suite room.
Fresh Hotel Air Lounge Restaurant
Fresh Hotel is host to Magenta Restaurant and Air Lounge Bar. Could you tell us about their concepts and details?
Air lounge restaurant is located on the rooftop of the hotel offering Greek Mediterranean Cuisine, finger food, coffee and drinks from 10.00 a.m until 01.30 a.m.
Every morning our chef picks up and incorporates the freshest ingredients into delicious creative Greek cuisine. We use the famous Kalamata olives, feta cheese and my own production of Esti extra-virgin olive oil range in a unique packaging inspired by Greek culture.
Fresh Hotel Magenta Restaurant
The Magenta restaurant is located on the 1st floor and serves a full American style Breakfast with many healthy options, fresh orange juice, homemade fruit jams, pies, and cakes.
Fresh Hotel Meeting Room
What type of meeting spaces do you have? What are their features? What type of events do you host throughout the year?
Our conference facilities, located on the first floor are with natural daylight and modern audiovisual equipment and can cater up to 140 people in theatre style. A variety of events and Cocktail parties can be organized on our Air lounge rooftop Bar - restaurant.
What features of Fresh Hotel make it different from other hotels in Athens?
Since Fresh Hotel has opened in Athens, it has remained a hot spot for locals and foreign guests, being connected to authentic daily life.
Our top priority is to create Fresh memories and experiences we together with our valued guests, through a personalized service taking into consideration their needs and expectations.
Fresh Hotel Air Lounge Bar Restaurant
The Air Lounge is open to everyone, guests, and nonguests alike, but it appeals especially to a young Athenian crowd. The main attraction is its retractable roof and swimming pool, which enables it to transform its look and feel at different times of the day and year. The fact that it has become such a unique spot in Athens owes a lot to its design. Almost all the furniture in the space is by Paola Navone, so guests are lounging on comfortable sofas as opposed to bar stools.
Fresh Hotel Fitness Room
What kind of additional services do you offer for business travelers?
Free wi-fi, business facilities, special transfer sevices, Gym facilities, yoga sessions, massage on request.
Please tell us about your services, facilities, and amenities. How could your guests spend time at Fresh Hotel?
A design hotel in the centre of Athens, Fresh Hotel is a modern getaway surrounded by the sights of the Greek city. Within walking distance from Plaka and almost all points of interest, Fresh Hotel is the perfect base from which to enjoy the historic sights of the Acropolis. It is easily accessed by air, located just 35km from Athens International Airport.
Home to an outdoor hotel swimming pool, Fresh Hotel offers guests the chance to cool down whilst looking out over the Parthenon. After exploring the city, they relax with a drink at the Air Lounge bar on the rooftop, enjoying the sunset over the city. Inside Fresh Hotel, guestrooms are funky and contemporary, incorporating stylish furnishings from renowned designers Philip Starck and Artemide. The minimalist flair creates a tranquil space in which guests can relax, before sampling traditional Mediterranean and Greek dishes beneath the stars on the rooftop bar.
Fresh Hotel Photo by Vangelis Paterakis
And when they out of Fresh Hotel and stepping into the streets of Athens, what can they do?
They can engage to the local scene and vibes, discovering all the gems Athens can offer. To help on guests’ treasure hunt for local favorites, restaurants, shops, bars, and cultural venues, we have created a map to guide guests in and around our neighborhood.
How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations? Do you have any advantage packs or reward packs that you offer to your regular and long-term guests?
Guests can book directly from our website: www.freshhotel.gr and get the advantage of non-refundable prices, special discounts for repeated clients.
Fresh Hotel Pool Deck
Which is the top season for travelers who want to visit Athens? What is the reason?
Athens is a city break destination even in the winter season, with a fantastic climate and cultural happenings.
Spring, Summer, and Autumn are more popular due to lifestyle, easy access to the Athenian Riviera and quick breaks to the Islands.
Fresh Hotel Executive Room
What are the most famous attractions near you?
Fresh Hotel is perfectly located right in the centre of the city provides guests with easy access to a number of ancient sites and iconic landmarks, such as the Acropolis, the New Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, the National Gardens and the emblematic building of the Greek Parliament at Syntagma Square.
Within a walking distance are the areas of Plaka, Psirri, Monastiraki and Syntagma, all famous for the bustling city life, culinary experiences, trendy nightlife venues, music, and arts highlights. Wander around the districts, smell the captivating scent of grinded coffee beans, herbs, and spices in the nearby Central Food Market, feel the heartbeat of the city and fall in love with Athens!
How do you describe Athens in one sentence?
Athens is always fresh!
Anything you would like to add that I haven’t asked?
“Our guests are the heart of the hotel. We have a word in Greek – nostos - that appears in a poem by Homer and that sums it up. It means, “to have the feeling of returning home”
Let me add some guests reviews:
Thank you Ada for this enjoyable interview.
For more information, please visit website of Fresh Hotel
This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Tuesday, September 18, 2018. All photos are the property of their respective owners.