Once a year, the editors of the world’s top travel magazine get together to make lists… favorite castles, favorite safaris, favorite hotels in New York City, favorite spas… But one list tops all lists in terms of accommodations and it’s the list of hotels that most people look at.
It’s the annual Gold List of the Conde Nast Traveler Editors’ favorite hotels in the world and the list any hotel would dream of being on.
The 2018 Gold List includes hotels on six continents and 54 countries. In a nutshell… these are the top hotels in the world according to some of the most seasoned travel journalists.
One Greek hotel made the list this year and it’s none other than the Grand Bretagne– the iconic hotel that is Syntagma Square’s most famous building after the Parliament.
Long considered the “go-to” hotel for heads of state, Hollywood celebrities and the global elite, the Grand Bretagne has a history just as rich and eclectic as its clientele.
Built originally as a house for a wealthy businessman in 1842, the building was bought by Efstathios Lampsas who transformed the building into a hotel and gave it its name, the Grand Bretagne, in 1874. A decade later the hotel had electricity and was one of the most modern buildings in all of Greece.
Various wings and additions in the mid 1900s gave the building its current structure and imposing magnitude and an attractive location for welcomed– and some not-so-welcomed guests, including the Nazi German leadership who took over the building by force and transformed it into their headquarters during the Nazi Occupation of Greece.
In recent times the facade of the GB— only a corner away from the Greek Parliament— has become synonymous with modern day demonstrations and social unrest taking place in Syntagma Square making the hotel the focal point of modern democracy at work.
Lady Gaga’s grand entrance into the Grand Bretagne Hotel
But perhaps the most “exciting” time the streets were closed in front of the GB wasn’t from civil unrest… but from Gaga mania. When the pop singer arrived in Athens for her show in September 2014 she made her typical grand entrance into the hotel.
Via Lady Gaga’s Instagram page inside her suite
Once inside her suite, she then began a transformation into a contemporary Greek goddess and shared her exploits with her millions of Instagram followers.
DID YOU KNOW?
The world famous Alexander’s Bar at the Grand Bretagne was voted by Forbes Magazine as the world’s best hotel bar. A stunning 18th century tapestry of Alexander the Great is the focal point of the Alexander’s and where the bar gets its name. But the drinks are what makes this place world famous, including connoisseur choices of the famous extra rare single malt Macallan series of 1937, 1940, 1946, 1952, 1969, 1973, and the astonishing Luis XIII Black Perl.
Book your Athenian weekend or lay-over at the Grand Bretagne here. Check availability and rates for your stay in Athens.
See Conde Nast’s Gold List of the World’s Best Hotels here.
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