THE DOLLI® stands today as one of the most celebrated hotels in the world, an iconic hôtel-maison nestled in the very heart of Athens Historical Center, gazing at the Acropolis.
Voted as the 2024 Best Hotel in Greece by Condé Nast Traveller, it has been recognised among the World’s Most Beautiful Hotels and received the Special Prize for an Exterior at the 2024 Prix Versailles awards. The prestigious architecture prize highlights the ‘finest contemporary projects worldwide’ in an annual ceremony held at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, and underscores our steadfast commitment to exceptional design, making THE DOLLI® the first and only hotel in Greece to ever achieve this remarkable distinction.
The illustrious present pays homage to a glorious legacy, embodying an enduring exclusivity and a forever Athenian soul.
In a city filled with history, this building has an amazing one of its own.
In the 1920s, magnate Dimitrios Kallimasiotis, entrusted the design of his mansion to the stellar Greek architect Andreas Kriezis, who later converted the Athenian Royal Palace into the current Hellenic Parliament Building.
Kriezis designed a magnificent landmark: a mélange of eclecticism and neoclassicism, incorporating rich elements from different eras. Although the edifice remained, the building’s character changed from the mid-1930s when it became a fabric emporium.
Grecotel, the leading Hospitality Group in Greece, assumed the investment and responsibility to transform the more than 100-year-old decaying mansion – a Listed Building by the Ministry of Culture. After a 7-year conception process and meticulous renovation, on January 1st, 2023, THE DOLLI® was unveiled, the urban jewel in Grecotel’s collection of luxurious and welcoming hotels.
Passers-by nowadays are grandly welcomed by THE DOLLI®’s immaculate façade, its stunning arches and lines, high ceilings, imposing windows and striking molding.
They are beckoned to enter the building that shines welcomingly with a light that is both golden and white – perfectly in tune with the ancient wonders nearby. They become part of this enchantingly restored building’s history, now a modern icon in the heart of Plaka, the prettiest area of Athens with its elegant buildings, ancient monuments and colorful courtyards.
THE DOLLI® owners embarked on a pursuit of the rare and exceptional to restore the building’s heritage with authentic craftsmanship and finesse, encompassing many preserved decorative patterns found throughout the building, such as the Sun of Vergina, the ancient Macedonian emblem preserved in the ceiling motifs of the lobby and halls.
Enter THE DOLLI refined haven. Greet the revered Athenian sun outside, step in, look up and admire the Sun of Vergina.
True to the eclecticism movement known for its blend of ornamental styles and structural elements from a multitude of cultures and architectural eras, it is only one of many such preserved decorative patterns found throughout the building.
The neglected rooftop was reimagined as a fundamental space. Stelios Kois, a distinguished contemporary Greek architect, undertook the owner’s ‘understatement’ direction, where the design complements the most sweeping panoramas of the Acropolis and the Parthenon, monuments like the Ancient Agora, the Erectheion, and the classical buildings of Plaka.
Austere curved forms in travertine marble, subtle hues, and sculptural bronze lights create a scenography where DOLLI·S rooftop restaurant is the ultimate ‘pièce de résistance’, along with the breathtaking infinity pool reflecting the most stunning part of the city on its waters – voted as one of the most beautiful in the world by Condè Nast Traveller.
It’s a unique viewpoint of the classical world, where time stands still.
The interior design scheme reflects an idiosyncratic aesthetic vision: bringing to life a blend of classical heritage and contemporary allure, exuding an intimate maisôn feeling, outfitted with exquisite amenities and heartwarming special touches.
The entrance is a captivating, yet warm space with each object having its own story to tell. The aim was to exude a residential feel in every space, where the lobby is conceived as an enthralling Salon and the lounges as the inspiring Library and the seductive Le Bar Secret. 46 rooms and suites bathed in sunlight, embrace the flair of private homes. The Acropolis Pied-à-Terre captures a coup de foudre with Athens.
Guests enjoy a collective aesthetic experience, viewing and exploring original art pieces from Pablo Picasso and Jean Cocteau, Lucio Fontana and Amedeo Modigliani, designer works by Les Lalanne, Alexander Calder, Philippe Hiquily, Greek and Egyptian antiquities, rare editions and artefacts, in conversation with contemporaries like Pierre Augustin Rose and Seung Jin Yang.
THE DOLLI® was born as A Hotel to Live; guests can explore Athens on foot and experience a fascinating dialogue linked by a Hellenism-inspired thread. It’s a gift of mastery and a humble symbol of divine architecture to Athens. A city that has its beginnings in time eternal.
