The New Hipster Lighthouse Athens By Brown Hotels

Rebecca Hall Explores Lighthouse Athens by Brown Hotels, the recent addition to the hipster Brown Hotel chain in her adopted city of Athens.

With its eclectic vibe that amalgamates the ancient with the modern and having struggled over recent years, with investment and gentrification I’m really pleased to see my adopted city of Athens increasingly becoming the city break of choice.

Previously run-down areas are slowly being shown a new lease of life. One such district is Omonia. In the centre of the city, it still retains an edgier vibe, but its new fountain in the square started the process of a long-awaited facelift and brought with it investments of new hotel chains. I was invited to one such new opening, Lighthouse Athens by Brown Hotels.

I’ve stayed in a Brown Hotel before; the Brown Dave Red is located a stone’s throw away from Brown’s newest offering. They’re an up-and-coming international hotel group with properties across Israel, Croatia, Germany, Cyprus, the UK, other destinations in Greece and more to follow.

From my previous experience of a Brown, I know they want to create a signature place to show tourists the real culture and creativity of a city, combined with a desire to respect and benefit the local population by expanding the nightlife and neighbourhood for them.

With my knowledge of Omonia and its past, I was intrigued as to how the Lighthouse Athens by Brown Hotels intended to do this.

Located right in the beating heart of Omonia Square, walking distance from the capital’s major hotspots and next to the Department Store Hondos Centre–handy for a quick spot of shopping, their hotel’s motto is ‘A city hotel made to dazzle’.

Would I be?

I stepped into the marble Reception area with its unique artwork and select show ornaments. My initial thoughts were ‘bold and dark’, yet I actually found it a welcome respite from the searing heat and sun.

I realised the small attention to details though. As I waiting to be checked in there was a refreshing glass of fruit water to hand and large couches to relax on.

It’s a large property with 220 rooms and one Grande Suite over 9 floors. All rooms have walk-in showers, bathrobes and slippers, luxury amenities and a tucked away workstation.

There are three room types:

Cozy Double or Twin: 14-16 sqm. Note some of these rooms may be located internally so might not have a window.

Classic Double or Twin with Balcony: 15-17sqm with balcony.

Urban Double or Twin with Balcony and city views: 15-16sqm with king size bed and views that overlook the square, the fountain and the hills beyond. I found the cleverly designed mirrored wall here gave the feeling of even more space.

Grande Suite: This is a real treat. 70sqm on the 9 th floor of the building you can expect panoramic views of the area and can accommodate up to 4 people with its bedroom with double bed, bedroom with twin beds and urban view plus living area. The freestanding bathtub is the highlight.

The Lighthouse Athens by Brown Hotels’ busy traffic location meant I didn’t want to spend too much time on my Urban Double balcony, but it’s nice to have that option, plus I really couldn’t fault those fountain views.

Yet despite the traffic, albeit not hugely noisy, I slept really well, literally wrapping myself into the feather duvet at bedtime and sinking into the mattress topper.

On the tenth-floor rooftop you have fabulous 360-degree views to Mount Lycabettus and as far as the surrounding mountains, not to mention the square’s fountain.

But it was the plunge pool I liked, a place to relax during the day if you’ve had enough of sightseeing and enjoy a sunset drink. It’s not really a place to swim, but I dipped my toes and as it’s further away from the traffic noise, a marginally quieter place to be. Expect music from the bar area though.

Breakfast on the first floor is buffet style with a huge selection of traditional Greek sweet and savoury products. Aside from the croissants, yogurts, cheese, and cold cuts, why not also choose some freshly prepared potato gratin, eggs of your choice and orange or pumpkin pie. Eating well at breakfast meant I didn’t get hungry until dinnertime.

There are plans afoot to make the first floor an all-day dining area.

I’d say the Lighthouse Athens by Brown Hotels is for a younger, hipster group of friends to spend their time in the capital.