InterContinental Athenaeum Athens by IHG — Hotel in Athens

Summary: The highest rating I’ve given so far! Such a lovely hotel. Had a “big” hotel feel about it. Very professional with really friendly and helpful staff and the lounge was a huge bonus (additional fee 68EUR per day).

Score - 66/70 = 9.4/10 Read the full review 🛏️🛀🏼📺

I like to add a little more here since the Google Review metrics are quite limited. If you’re into the detail, it might be worth reading more below.

For context I stay in hotels roughly once a week. I’m usually staying for business and traveling solo. I don’t need anything fancy, but I do find somethings are important to me, & they might be useful to someone else. Also worth noting that if I’ve mentioned anything particularly bad in a review then I will likely have passed this on to reception … but I’m an introvert, sometimes in a rush, and I’m not a fan of making a fuss so sometimes I may not have.

Room Type: Double bed standard … but then upgraded to an eight floor suite to enjoy the lounge.

All ratings below out of 5⭐️s.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing (rare) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ very good ⭐️⭐️⭐️good/okay ⭐️⭐️ Needs improvement ⭐️ Awful

Location ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It is a little way from the main tourist attractions but they’re only a short taxi ride away.

Plug Sockets: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

While this might not be important to a lot of people, this is a major bug bear for me which is why it’s always my first review point. In particular having power in the vicinity of the bed. Watch, Phone, AirPods, all need charging and I don’t think it’s too much to ask to have 1 USB and/or a plug by the bed.

This was probably the only bad thing I could say about this hotel. No plugs or USBs by the bedside.

Room: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautiful, large suite with sofa, desk and large bed.

Coffee/Biscuits: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Standard tea, coffee and milk. No (free) biscuits 🚫🍪 There was a normal kettle and a Nespresso machine. Also a fully stocked mini bar if you did want to buy things. Two free bottles of water each day. We had unlimited biscuits in the lounge 😃

Staff: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Staff were really helpful throughout the hotel, lounge and at the pool.

Noise: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

None at all. Perfect including very quiet room doors! 😃

Cleanliness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spotless

Newness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Not a new building by any stretch but it was in fantastic condition.

Breakfast: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The normal breakfast looked amazing but we tended to just eat in the lounge which has a good basic choice.

Dinner: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Lovely restaurant on the rooftop with stunning views across Athens including the Acropolis.

Parking: N/A

TV: N/A

Didn’t turn it on so can’t really rate.

Bathroom: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Toilet, bidet, bath, shower, and sink. There was a good supply of basic shampoo, conditioner & shower gel. Nice, large, clean bathroom.

Heating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

AC was very good and quiet.

Any other notables not mentioned above:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Club lounge was fantastic. Nothing was to much for the team there. I’d highly recommend upgrading to use it! Help yourself to cold drinks throughout the day. Great view across Athens from the balcony of the lounge too.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Large pool area with plenty of sun-loungers.

Hairdryer, iron, ironing board,...

We are IHG people so staying at the Intercontinental Athenaeum in Athens was a given. But it was also a sound decision.

We wanted rooftop bar/restaurant, solid morning breakfast, easy access to Hop On Hop Off buses, outstanding service, lobby bar and nicely appointed guest rooms. The Intercontinental checked all the boxes!

Prior to traveling I was able to confirm the both BigBus and Hop On Hop Off buses have a pickup point 2 blocks from the hotel via maps. But when we arrived we could see that they also stopped right in front of the hotel. The hotel has 2 restaurants plus a bar area that serves food. Tge 2nd bar and restaurant, “The Premiere” was located on the rooftop. And finally through the IHG app we were able to determine that many if the rooms were recently renovated. A simple phone call helped us determine that we could request a newly renovated room. (I wish that I had taken pictures, but it was nice sized at 32sq meters, and well appointed.)

While staying close to city center would have its advantages, I like to walk and I walked the distance from city center to/from the hotel every day to get my steps in, then I would get my wife and we would do the BigBus or taxi in to the sights.

But the big enchilada so to speak was the rooftop bar and restaurant. Incredible menu, service levels and unparalleled views were the halllmarks of the Premiere.

Our visit started off with a late afternoon arrival. Snappy service by the Bell Staff resulted in efficient unloading our bags from the Private van we arrived from the airport in. (Time to do a shameless plug for Transfeero here. I use them all over Europe.) Checkin was expertly handled by a well staffed front desk. Our bags literally beat us to the room by a few seconds!

The room was typical Junior or King Suite sized, with excellent appointments, generous storage, seating and bedside accoutrement.

The Bathroom was Fantastic bordering on incredible with generous counter space and luxurious walk in shower.

So once we got settled, Ann headed to bed, and I headed to the rooftop bar. I immediately befriended the bartender, or was it the other way around, and after a few questions about the Old Fashioned was ready to be impressed. The Old Fashioned here was made with 4Roses Bourbon. (If you are not a fan of 4 Roses and you like bourbon, get aquatinted.) The rest as they say is history. I talked with the hostess and asked for a particular table for the next three nights and we dined like the “gods”. The pictures tell the story.

Each meal was served in true 5-Star fashion with perfectly cooked entrees, the most incredible Greek Salads ever and excellent service. Management stopped to check on us each evening and we were made to feel like royalty. We were sorry to go after the last night but there was a cruise ship waiting for us….

Our experience was incredible but not unusual. Everyone we talked to at the Premiere was aware of the staff level of service and the Above and Beyond attitude. This is a true upper 5 star experience in a city known for its...

Disappointed by the lack of accountability — despite Club Lounge access

We have stayed at the InterContinental Athens several times, always choosing a room with access to the Club InterContinental Lounge. In May this year, the hotel surprised us — and unfortunately, not in the best way.

The lounge was finally renovated. The space now feels a bit closer to what you would expect for the price, although, for example, the sofas near the tables are quite low — it’s uncomfortable to eat there.

Breakfast in the Club Lounge is fairly standard. Hot dishes, cheeses, cold cuts, croissants, fruit, coffee — just like in many hotels of this level. Tasty, but nothing special. There’s no real Club atmosphere to justify the extra cost.

There were some minor updates in the room, but everything remained in the same style. The room is spacious and comfortable, but still feels outdated and not modern: the furniture, colors, and decor — for a 5-star hotel, especially at this tier within the IHG system, we would have expected a more up-to-date renovation.

The mattress was a real disappointment. Sleeping on it together felt like being on a trampoline — the slightest movement, and you’re both awake.

We had planned to relax by the pool bar in the afternoons, but upon check-in we were told that the pool was closed for renovation until August. Unfortunately, the hotel never informed us of this in advance. That was extremely disappointing, as we would have cancelled the booking. If you’re planning to stay here and want to swim, I strongly recommend contacting the hotel ahead of time to check if the pool is open.

What was especially frustrating was that I forgot three personal items in the room. I contacted the hotel right after check-out, attaching photos, a description, and the exact location where they were left. I sent two polite follow-up emails asking for confirmation that the incident had been recorded and that the housekeeper who cleaned the room had been asked about it.

I never received a response.

For a hotel of this level — and especially for Club Lounge guests — this kind of attitude and lack of accountability is unacceptable. I expected much more from the InterContinental brand.

The only truly impressive part is the view of the Acropolis from the terrace. It remains just as breathtaking, especially at sunset. That alone still makes you want to return — hoping the rest of the experience will eventually catch up to...