Phidias Hotel by Oniro

I’m staying here now, and I’m incredibly disappointed. The listing on Booking.com made the hotel look perfect, and I’d read some other reviews too late to cancel. It really hasn’t been the case. At 1 am, people in the hotel cafeteria just across from the rooms were playing extremely loud music, and no staff member stepped in. I called reception for help, but they hung up on me several times because they couldn’t understand what I was saying. I had to go out and deal with it myself. The reception staff couldn’t communicate in even basic English to give information or help. The room is extremely narrow, barely enough for three people. The beds are cheap and uncomfortable, the furniture is broken, and so on. At over 100€ a night, it’s not worth it. There are many better, cheaper options. Don’t waste your time here. Reading the other reviews has me horrified too.

The location is one of the best in Athens, but the way our stay was handled was awful. We’d booked months ahead and emailed to confirm two separate beds and, if possible, a balcony room. When we arrived during check-in hours, they didn’t seem to know who we were. After fiddling with the computer for a while, they said there was no room and put us in a windowless cellar room with one double bed for the night. We accepted since it was only one night and we expected to be out late, and they promised the right room the next day. In the morning we had to repack and leave our things in storage. We were staying nine nights, so it was a hassle. At around 4:30 that afternoon, we came back expecting the room to be ready, but nothing had been done. They asked us to wait twenty minutes. We sat outside in the heat, and after the twenty minutes passed, work still hadn’t started. They were chatting and laughing. When I confronted them, I was told it would be done, and offered another free beer, which we declined. When we finally got a key, the room faced the back instead of the front with a balcony, and again had a double bed. Eventually they gave us a poor fold-up bed with a mattress about an inch thick. I raised the problem and was laughed at, and they didn’t understand. I ended up feeling sorry for the girl, since she didn’t seem to grasp why we were angry. The staff seem inexperienced, probably because of poor management, and we saw the same kind of thing happen repeatedly during our stay. It could be a much better hotel given its location.

The hotel itself is nice when everything is working, and the clerk was pleasant when things were going smoothly. But when we needed help, she was rude. One floor was out of order, so we spent our first night in Greece at another hotel in what felt like the heart of Athens' slums, with a terrible neighborhood and balcony view. We had booked Phidias for its location and view, so that evening was lost. The next day we also lost half a day moving back to Phidias. We had contacted the hotel about airport transportation and were told to arrange our own taxi, even though the website says transfers are available. The driver charged us triple and wouldn’t let us out until we paid. The clerk even suggested we walk 20 minutes with our suitcases to the other hotel, despite our not knowing Athens or how to get there. We had to insist that she arrange taxis both ways and have Phidias pay. The website also advertises printing and photocopying, but when we asked for help printing luggage tags for our cruise, the clerk made several attempts, then gave up and said she couldn’t do it. SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM SCAM

The hotel is ideally placed near the station and Acropolis, and I’d choose Phidias Hotel again if I return to Athens. We stayed three nights, and the room was clean and tidy. Breakfast was enough for us, and when we asked to switch to a balcony room, they helped quickly. Both receptionists were kind, helpful, and nice.