JODI HILTONHOTEL
HOPE
It began as a tourist destination, but now it’s
a haven for refugees from the world’s war zones.
Meet the guests of Athens’ happiest hotel
Evin Hassan, 15, from Afrin,
Syria, lives in City Plaza Hotel
with her relatives. The hotel was
established by a pro-refugee
group in Greece as a safe
place for the rising number
of refugees in the country.C
ity Plaza Hotel
is bustling. But
the sound of fax
machines has
been replaced by
cellphones play-
ing Farsi pop
music. The ding of
elevator doors is gone, swapped out for
the clatter of dice and backgammon
chips. Rooms are decorated with hand-
written Arabic blessings where “Do
Not Disturb” signs once hung. In fact,
these days it’s tougher than ever to get
a reservation. The hotel offers few
amenities, but City Plaza is, according
to the 400 refugees who now call it
home, “the best hotel in Europe”.Smack bang in Athens’ city centre
and boasting a rooftop bar with dazzling
sunset views of the Acropolis, City Plaza
Hotel enjoyed a few brief years as a hub
for business travellers and tourists
following its development just in time
for the 2004 Olympic Games.
But when the 2010 debt crisis
collapsed the Greek economy, business
dried up and City Plaza’s owner
abandoned the property, fleeing with
the last remaining wages meant for her
employees. Reduced to a symbol of the
country’s economic turmoil, the hotel
sat empty, gathering dust for six years.
Then came the refugees. When
Turkey and the European Union signed
an agreement meant to stem the flowWORLD REPORT