According to the Athens–Attica & Argosaronic Hotel Association, occupancy rates in August averaged 79.3 percent, a slight rise from 77.9 percent in the same month last year. Average daily room rates also nudged upward to €187.30, while revenue per available room reached €148.47, an increase of less than five percent. When compared with August 2023, however, occupancy actually fell by more than one percent.
Performance across the first eight months of 2025 was similarly flat. Occupancy stood at 76.2 percent, up only half a percentage point from last year, while room rates rose by less than two percent. Revenues per available room showed a modest gain of 2.3 percent. The picture is bleaker among mid-range hotels, with three- and four-star properties registering negative occupancy trends throughout much of the year.
When measured against rival cities, Athens fared somewhat better in occupancy terms than Istanbul, Madrid, and Rome, suggesting that the Greek capital remains an attractive and competitively priced destination. But while Madrid and Rome recorded stronger revenue growth, Athens’ modest gains underscore what hoteliers describe as an underexploited potential.
The association attributes the lackluster performance not to hotel quality or capacity, but to structural imbalances in the market. Chief among them is the rapid growth of short-term rentals, which it argues continue to operate without clear rules, undermining both hotel revenues and the quality of life in the city. A forthcoming framework requiring compliance with basic health and safety standards is welcomed as a first step, but hoteliers are urging the government to go further with substantive interventions that would create a level playing field.
Beyond regulation, the association stressed the need for Athens to invest in its own infrastructure, from transportation networks to the management of high-traffic tourist sites, and to enhance the overall visitor experience.
With 2026 on the horizon and global tourism conditions uncertain, industry leaders say the capital’s long-term competitiveness will depend on a combination of stronger infrastructure and clearer rules governing all types of accommodation.
