Hotel Grande Bretagne, Luxury hotel in Syntagma Square, Athens, Greece
Hotel Grande Bretagne occupies the 1842 mansion built for businessman Antonis Dimitriou on the north side of Syntagma Square, at the corner of Panepistimiou and Vasileos Georgiou A' Streets. Wings were added on Panepistimiou Street in 1930 and on Voukourestiou Street in 1950, and Dimitriou's mansion was demolished in 1957 for a new wing by architect Kostas Voutsinas. After the 2003 renovation the hotel has 384 rooms, including 79 suites and two 550-square-metre royal suites, plus a roof garden restaurant.
The building was constructed in 1842 as a mansion for businessman Antonis Dimitriou and was acquired and converted into a hotel in 1874 by Efstathios Lampsas. During World War II, the structure successively served as Greek General Headquarters, a Nazi command center, and a British forces base.
The hotel's name comes from its 1874 rebranding by Efstathios Lampsas, a former cook at the court of King George I and at Paris's Maison Dorée. His French wife, Palmyra Palfroy, trained the staff in European service standards. Since 2003 the building has belonged to The Luxury Collection of Marriott International, and its rooftop garden restaurant looks across to the Acropolis.
The hotel is centrally located in Athens and within walking distance of many attractions, making it convenient for exploring the city. Visitors should note that the building sits on a busy street, though proximity to public transportation offers excellent connections throughout the area.
On Christmas Day 1944, EAM resistance members including Manolis Glezos planted dynamite in the hotel's sewers to blow up the British headquarters and kill General Ronald Scobie. The attack was called off when EAM learned that Winston Churchill, who had come to broker peace, was in the building.
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