Hotel Experience, the leading event dedicated to the atmosphere and identity of hospitality spaces returns on 17 and 18 October. This year, a scenographic installation by Eva Manidaki and Thanasis Demiris of FLUX places a “labyrinth” at the heart of Technopolis City of Athens, accompanied by a compelling programme exploring culture, architecture and design.
Organised by Design Ambassador, Archisearch.gr, Vasilis Bartzokas and Aris Marinakis incertidArchitectural Editions, the event brings together hospitality, architecture, design, development, culture and technology. A conference, exhibition, immersive installations and professional encounters connect people, ideas and real-world projects, shedding light on the changes already reshaping the way we travel, temporarily inhabit spaces and remember a place.
The event’s distinctive atmosphere continues this year with the Labyrinth as its central thematic installation. The scenography by Flux Office, drawing inspiration from the films Last Year at Marienbad, as well as the landscape design of historic hospitality estates, unfolds through diverging paths, choices, dead ends and unexpected encounters. Visitors lose and regain their sense of direction, while each turn reveals another interpretation of the space. Wandering, play and mystery extend from the indoor to the outdoor areas of Technopolis. For two days, the straight line ceases to be the only route towards new ideas and connections.
Within this setting, this year’s conference programme unfolds under the title “Invitation to Elsewhere.” Here, “elsewhere” describes a new way of thinking about hospitality: hotels that act as vessels of emotion and culture, destinations that embody values, experiences meaningfully connected to local life, and technological systems operating discreetly behind the scenes.
The conversation begins with the traveller and the question that now accompanies every departure: Who will I be when I return? From there, it moves through design, entrepreneurship, art, artificial intelligence and the human presence—whose value grows as more functions become automated.
Loukas Bobotis, Co-founder of Bobotis+Bobotis Architects, opens the personal journal of an architect-traveller, tracing the images, details and ideas that stay with us after leaving a place behind. From personal memory, the conversation shifts towards a business perspective on the city.
Stamatis Hatzilazarou, Owner and Board Member of H Hotels Collection, and Dinos Tornivoukas, CEO of TOR Hotel Group, join George Drakopoulos, Founder and CEO of Tourism Generis, to explore why established regional hotel groups are now turning to Athens and how they read the city before becoming part of it.
International growth forms another strong strand of the programme. Curated by Nikos Chatzos, Founder of Hotellect, the panel “Marriott in Greece: The Brand Logic Behind the Next Hospitality Cycle” examines how international brands select destinations, properties and experience models—from extended-stay hospitality in Athens to new resorts and design-led forms of accommodation.
This international trajectory continues with a keynote by Ria Xenou, Founder of ELASTIC Architects, and a case study on Nammos, featuring Carolyn Turnbull, CEO of Nammos Hotels & Resorts, and Fredrik Jonsson, CEO of Smokva Bay, the developer behind Nammos Resort Montenegro. The journey begins on the sands of Mykonos and evolves into a global hospitality brand. At its centre lies a challenging question: how can the intensity of a place travel across different markets, landscapes and audiences without losing the allure that made it instantly recognisable?
From the contemporary city, the programme turns to the ancient images that continue to shape how Greece presents itself to the world. In “A Goddess Checks In,” Aphrodite leaves the museum behind and crosses the threshold of the hotel. Visual artist Stéphan Muller and sociologist Panagis Panagiotopoulos explore how myth, beauty and desire reappear in contemporary hospitality, shaping image, identity and experience.
In a panel moderated by Konstantinos Deriziotis, Panos Paleologos, Founder of HotelBrain, and Haris Siganos, Founder and CEO of Zeus International Hotels & Resorts, will trace two distinct paths to building a modern hotel group—from long-term leases and professional management to acquisitions, ownership and partnerships with international brands.
One of Saturday’s most compelling conference panels is dedicated to the making of THE ILISIAN, a new destination that reintroduces an iconic Athenian building through contemporary hospitality, culture, architecture, gastronomy and wellbeing. Executives and creative partners behind the project will discuss the decisions that connected the building’s heritage with its new life. The panel examines how the developer, architects and designers worked towards a shared vision for a project that is shaping the next chapter of both the hospitality industry and one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks.
The relationship between a hotel and its city is also at the heart of a discussion between Georges Batrouni, Founder and CEO of OKUPA, and Danai Makri. Together, they explore how a hospitality project can become part of a neighbourhood with an informed understanding of its context, a sense of responsibility and a commitment to genuine participation. Design and opening mark only the beginning; the life of the space unfolds through music, art, workshops, food and an evolving programme that keeps residents and travellers coming back.
Curated by Elena Papadonikolaki, Founder and CEO of Boutique Setters, the discussion explores locality from a different, multisensory perspective, featuring, among others, Daphne Zoumboulakis, Director of Zoumboulakis Galleries, chef Athenagoras Kostakos, Markos Chaidemenos, Co-owner and Managing Director of Canaves Collection, and Catherine Rey, representing EHL Hospitality Business School. A new definition of luxury emerges through a connection to place, people and the senses, as well as through the personal presence of the hotelier.
The idea of the labyrinth takes on an architectural dimension in “The Urban Labyrinth.” Dimitris Potiropoulos of Potiropoulos+Partners examines the urban hotel as a mediator between the guest and the city: façades with depth, filters of light and carefully articulated thresholds transform the boundary into a transitional space, allowing guests to choose their degree of proximity to the urban environment.
Ultimately, the experience returns to emotion. In “The Intelligence of Feeling,” Dimitris Karampatakis of K-Studioand Nikos Erinakis join Danai Makri to discuss IQ, EQ and artificial intelligence. What remains of a hotel after the stay is over? Perhaps a habit, a small ritual or a different inner temperature that we carry back into everyday life.
In the panel “Beyond Art in Hotels: How Hospitality Can Become a Platform for Cultural Production,” the G. & A. Mamidakis Foundation, together with participating artists, draws on its work to present a model for how art can become an integral part of the life of both a hotel and its destination.
Additional international speakers will be announced in the coming weeks, while Mix Interiors joins this year’s event as its Exclusive International Press Partner.
Hotel Experience 2026 is open to entrepreneurs, professionals, creatives and anyone interested in the spaces, ideas and people shaping contemporary hospitality.
Admission is free, but registration via Eventora is required at the link below:
