Ace Hotels is expanding its footprint with a second resort-style hipster property near Athens, similar to the one in Palm Springs. Marisa Cannon reports
Ace Hotels is set to open its latest property on the Athens Riviera in summer 2024.
Set in the fashionable beachside district of Glyfada, south of Athens, the 120-room Ace Hotel and Swim Club Athens will be the second resort-style hotel from the brand, following the Ace Hotel and Swim Club’s debut in Palm Springs in 2009, which is gearing up for a full-scale renovation this year led by the original designers, Commune Design.
The hipster brand says that growing its Swim Club concept is a core focus, with plans to announce a slew of new resort openings in the next few years.
The Ace Hotel and Swim Club will feature two pools, an all-day ground-floor restaurant and bar, a rooftop restaurant and lounge, and gallery space. High season rates will start from €500.
Retaining the classic 1970s coastal resort-style facade of the former Fenix Hotel, design agency Ciguë “seamlessly juxtaposed the Brutalist bones of the existing structure, Greek modernism’s naturalist bent and the laid-back charm and playful energies of poolside culture”, a statement reads.
Partner and CEO of Ace Hotel Group and Atelier Ace Brad Wilson says: “We have been actively looking for new locations for the Ace Hotel and Swim Club brand extension, inspired by the deep connection our guest has to our beloved Swim Club property in Palm Springs.
“Athens proved to be the ideal site — the Athens Riviera has proximity to a metropolitan center rich in culture, art and history, while also offering coastal adjacency and a retreat from city life.”
The hotel’s thoughtfully curated art programme — a partnership between Atelier Ace and ciguë — is supported by curators Matthieu Prat, as well as Aliki Lampropoulos in collaboration with Mare Studio.
It showcases a colorful cross-section of the contemporary Athenian art scene, with commissioned works from established and emerging artists working across disciplines including sculpture, mural, tapestry, painting, and line drawing.
Alphonse Sarthout, founding partner of Ciguë, says: “Our aim was to celebrate and revitalise the existing brutalist structure by transforming it into a timeless landmark in Glyfada. We bridged the past with the present by uncovering and amplifying its geometric purity, transforming the iconic Fenix Hotel into a beacon of modern hospitality.
“The synergy between ciguë and Atelier Ace is palpable in every corner of the Ace Hotel and Swim Club Athens. Our shared passion for craftsmanship, authenticity, and cultural resonance has resulted in creating a place that celebrates Greek Modernism, contemporary design, and cutting-edge local arts.”
On the roster of new openings is the Ace Hotel Fukuoka – set to debut in 2027 as the brand’s second Japanese outpost following the opening of Ace Hotel Kyoto in 2020. This will join Ace’s growing footprint, which includes properties in New York, Brooklyn, New Orleans, Palm Springs, Toronto, Sydney, Seattle and Portland.