Αt Marpessa Hotel, contemporary design meets historical authenticity
The story and the history behind a hotel can impress a lot a hotel lover. Having an eye for remarkable accommodation spots, I was more than happy to discover a real gem at the small town of Agrinio in central Greece, on my way to spend Easter holidays. Marpessa Hotel is an elegant boutique hotel that captures your heart with its atmosphere and authenticity but also with its eclectic – chic decoration. But what really got me is that it is the personal project of a prominent family of the town which decided to save a historic building.
The mansion, once home to a rich tobacco merchant, was built in about 1920, in a time that Agrinio, the heart of Aitoloakarnania in central Greace, was the center of the tobacco commerce. The current owners, in their attempt to preserve it, decided to convert it at a hotel. All authentic decorative elements were rescued and the building was extended by adding a new one. The same materials used in the construction of the building during 1920, have been used for its restoration, offering a unique look to today’s Marpessa Hotel.
It was also one of the owners, Mrs. Marianna Pistiola, who did an excellent job picking one by one mid-century furniture and design classics to create bedrooms with ultra stylish interiors and an eye-candy lobby that looks and feels like the living room of a chic apartment. She also had this brilliant idea to assign the “chief artist” of Agrinion graffiti team to make a huge mural on the big wall next to the hotel, transforming in this way the view from a lot of rooms.
In all types of bedrooms, guests also find luxurious bedding and new technologies that focus on a comfortable stay. In general, I was impressed by the way this city hotel brings together the tradition and the latest hospitality trends and by the unified vision behind it. And there is more. The “ 9 Limnes” spa takes its name from the nine lakes of the region and offers all kind of treatments that revitalise body and soul. Marpessa Hotel has also a rooftop bar with cityscape views and an all day cafe – restaurant, Bistro 17, on the ground floor that both have become popular among the locals. As Mrs. Pistiola told me “the townspeople love and support Marpessa Hotel”. We, all in the big family of my husband, had a perfect lunch at the Bistro 17 having the chance to taste its well-made dishes.
Finally, why Marpessa? The hotel was named after the mythical Marpessa as, according to mythology, she was the daughter of Evinos and the granddaughter of Ares, the god of war and lived in the area of Etoloakarnania. It is not surprising that Marpessa Smart Luxury Hotel, belongs to the group of the Historic Hotels of Europe and took the 2nd place among them in the category “City Historic Hotel Award” for 2017.
Take a tour around Marpessa Hotel by clicking on the gallery below: