If you can do without the frills and amenities of 5-star hotels, the Athens Center Hotel is a good deal. The furnishings were very basic but the room was spacious and clean. The staff is quite helpful, and even let me leave some of my luggage behind at the hotel when I spent the weekend on one of the islands. Two possible negatives (one temporary): the hotel isn't in the best neighborhood, so you have to be careful going out and about at night; and the roof garden and pool are currently being renovated (scheduled completion in July 2003), so there is a lot of construction activity and noise. Do not accept a room that ends in the numbers 11 to 14, as the outer construction lift is on this side of the building and it (loudly) goes up and down every few minutes starting at 5 a.m.

Had a terrible experience at the Athens Center hotel. After arriving somewhat later and not getting into my room until 11pm, I call the front desk to complain my ac did not work to be told, "yeah the ac is going to be out until wednesday". Furious that they would not have told me this upon check-in I call to make an appoint with the manager in the morning. The next morning at check out the primary manager could not be found. A front desk manager was sympathetic and was willing to give me 20% off if I stayed the following night, in a room that happened to have a working ac. The jerk would not give me a discount on the night I had gotten no sleep! He thought it was perfectly normal to have to pay full price for a room that I stayed up all night sweating in. Costumer service?? I will never go back again, such a crappy experience!