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Faces of Impact | HotelBrain

By Endeavor Greece Jun 16, 2020

Latest News | HotelBrain

Since the beginning of this crisis, Panos Paleologos was determined to prepare appropriately the hotels, follow reverently the health protocols, and avoid extremities in rooms’ price list in the season to come. It was a kind of responsibility and duty for HotelBrain Group to keep working without leaving behind any destination, supplier, partner, or employee.

Hotels with road access were the first to reopen and within July the rest will follow, along with the opening of international flights. Greek Tourism is a gem and the keyword this season is security, without never forgetting the essence of hospitality. 

Interview | Panos Palaiologos, President & Founder

Describe what makes your company unique

HotelBrain was founded in 2000 in the island of Santorini, Greece. I wanted to create a company that provides Hotel Management, a service totally unknown at that moment. Today, HotelBrain is the largest hospitality group and the fastest growing hotelier in Greece as well as the leading “white flag” hotel operator in Europe operating more than 200 hotels. Our uniqueness is driven by our principal value from day one: putting our soul in the business. We love what we do, it is not just a job. We care for each and every property.

Point out one of your biggest challenges or proudest moments

In 2015 we reached an agreement with the investment fund SouthBridge Europe. That was a big challenge concerning our expansion and sustainability plans. We experienced quite a few proud moments when we were awarded. HotelBrain has been awarded as the “Leading Hotel Management Company in the World” (2018), “in Europe” (2015, 2017, 2018, 2019) and “in Greece” (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) by World Travel Awards, as well as several awards and honors by the Greek Tourism Awards and Greek Hospitality Awards.

Share a memorable story as a member of the Endeavor Network

One proud milestone that gave us the motive to go on, was when we were honored by Endeavor Greece in 2015, as “Top Job Creator”. It was a very difficult year for the Greek economy, so the fact that HotelBrain created 3,500 new jobs during recession and was recognized for that, has been an unforgettable moment.

How is your vision different today, compared to when you started the company?

HotelBrain vision has not changed. We continue to stay focused on creating and operating beautiful hotels that offer guests, life-changing experiences and lifetime memories. To achieve this, we try to keep our employees happy, have a solid financial performance, base our business on our core values and ethics and stay socially responsible in all our business activities. The only thing that changed actually, is size and level of difficulty.

What are the three traits of the ideal employee for you?

Τraining, Passion, Ethics. Not necessarily in that order.

Hotel Brain joined the Endeavor network in 2013

HotelBrain is a leading hospitality services group with a presence in Greece and the Southeastern Europe. HotelBrain Group helps hotel owners, both institutional and private investors, to achieve optimization of use and hotel assets evaluation. The Group provides a full scale of services, from hands-on development and hotel management advisory, to full third-party management and leasing solutions, along with selective hotel acquisitions. With a proven track record of almost 20 years, the Group is organized in independent companies, each one focusing on different needs, covering practically the entire spectrum of hotel services.