Two cousins, the architect Magda Mavriki and Marios Konios, leave their own mark in the transformation of the hotel industry in Athens with their company “MAMA PROJECT”…
At MAMA PROJECT you take on the entire establishment of a hotel; from finding the location to the construction and management. What is the biggestchallenge?
Indeed, our development and construction office takes on everything you just mentioned, while as for the management part, the partner company URBANISTAS is exclusively responsible. Specifically, we do everything until we give it ready with the key on the hand. From finding the property, the study and construction, interior design and visual communication design, within the framework of the concept it embodies. And that is the biggest challenge for us. As soon as the photo shoot of our work is completed, URBANISTAS takes the lead to manage the property based on its contract.
The vibes it exudes define the experience that its guests will live. Therefore, emphasis on the concept is the key.
How easy it is for you to strike the right balance with your customers’ wishes?
This is the hardest part of our job. To communicate with the customer in order to convince them of what you have envisioned, not only based on aesthetics, but also mainly focusing on our business plan, which is in line with the trends of the market, so that the result is guaranteed. Therefore we always do a market research and collaborate with hospitality companies.
What are the 2023 trends in hotel architecture?
Unpretentious luxury will be the dominant feature. Plain lines with the emphasis not in colours but earth hues and natural materials.
This is easy. However, the difficult part is to harmonise the building it is housed with the functional character required in a hotel.
What is the biggest reward you have received? Could you mention 2-3 of your works that make you feel proud?
Every customer that returns to our office to assign us their next project is our biggest reward. As for our most representative works, Athenians Apartments and Belle Epoque Suites in Athens and the Nest Resort in Crete are definitely among them.
We are very happy that Athens gains the image of a European capital, a top city-break destination. And this will be even more prominent in the following 3-4 years. The way to development opened with the restoration of abandoned building of the city that keep on welcoming new hotel projects and continues with the urban regeneration (walking roads, cycling routes, squares) as well as new arrivals in the dining sector and many more.
Where do you think that this boom of new hotels that dominates the neighbourhoods of the city across the fringes of the coastal part of Athens can lead?
The highest the professional standards defining the new hotels, the longest their operation will be. As for the “bubble” in the sector, this will subsequently burst and has to do with accommodations that operate in an opportunistic way.
Omonia. The cosmopolitan district that develops, combined with Varvakios Market or historical sites such as Bageios Foundation, and all these in connection with Monastiraki, seem to create a wonderful mix’n’match, kind of reminiscent of Barcelona or Berlin.
What are the criteria that two people with your professional background consider when choosing a hotel to stay?
We choose based on what we represent as a company. They atmosphere they give. In Venice, Marios prefers a traditional palazzo, in Jordan I would love staying at a lodge in the desert.
