The Greek capital’s Athens Ledra Hotel is shutting down as new arrivals are being turned away and guests already in the hotel are being relocated to other units in a rush to empty the hotel by Wednesday. Workers say that the closure is taking place at a time when the five-star hotel with 314 rooms is booked to 70-80 percent of its capacity.
The hotel’s 150 employees say that they have not been paid since mid-March and have continued to work without wages. The management has told guests that the closure is due to a workers’ strike, however the workers associations states that this is not the case.
Formerly known as the Ledra Marriott, the hotel was the epitome of luxury when it was built in 1980 by George Paraskevaidi – a modern jewel on Syngrou Street. Since 2013, it has been privately owned, however it filed for protection from creditors in 2014 after accruing heavy debts. Sources say that Alpha Bank has confiscated the company’s accounts with dues of around 35 million euros.
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