InterContinental Athenaeum

The InterContinental Athenaeum is elegant and large, with more than 500 rooms and suites, four restaurants and bars, a shopping arcade, a spa, several meeting rooms, and an outdoor pool. With a sunlit atrium tiled in beige, the hotel has an almost shopping-mall ambience. The central lobby expands over three floors, with three of the hotel's restaurants and bars, business center, spa, and gift shop branching off it. An expansive, airy space, the lobby contains several modern sculptures and other art pieces, offering a eclectic mix of styles. On the lower level, a blue-lit sculpture of a man mid-cartwheel is surrounded with black cushioned benches. On another floor, a rock-like sculpture with built-in lights marks the path to the guest room elevators. This artistic theme is mimicked in hanging structures over the atrium. The InterContinental, which is about 20 minutes from the downtown sights, draws more business travelers than tourists, and the cool-toned aesthetic of dark colors against white tile conveys professional efficiency. 

The InterContinental Athenaeum is located in the Neos Kosmos neighborhood of Athens, next to the Syggrou highway. Syggrou, a main thoroughfare, is the route to downtown or in the opposite direction, to the port and beaches. There are no tourist sights in the immediate area, which is somewhat rundown, but there are a few restaurants not far from the hotel. Public transportation (trams, buses, and train lines) are within a five- to 10-minute walk of the hotel, but it's a 30-minute walk or a 10-minute drive to such major sights as the Acropolis, the Plaka, and the Parthenon. The hotel does run a periodic free shuttle service to and from Syntagma Square.

The InterContinental Athenaeum has a wide selection of large, well-decorated rooms. While some rooms have been updated more recently than others, and the design and color scheme varies, all are pleasant. Deluxe Rooms are decorated in browns and blues, with soft, velvety comforters and clean-lined, cherrywood headboards and bedside tables. A brown-gray couch and chair offer ample seating areas, and narrow wood-and-glass desks provide work spaces. Colorful artwork, including a print of leaves with the words "Reasons Not Choices" on it, injects a modern aesthetic into the classically designed rooms. Bathrooms are large with full tubs and bidets. In colorful contrast, Deluxe Suites are pastel-colored with peachy walls and green- and grapefruit-striped bedspreads. Extremely large, these suites have separate bedrooms, two-couch living rooms, dining areas, workspaces, and wet bars with mini-fridges. (Deluxe Rooms have minibars but no wet bars.)Similar in size to the Deluxe-level accommodations, the more recently updated Club-level rooms and suites are beautiful and bright with blues and warm yellow colors and typically excellent views. The colors give these rooms a beachier vibe, which is ironic, since these are the rooms most likely to be booked by those in town for business. Still, the colors and size are sunny and relaxing. With several other grandiose suite options, the hotel also has Superior Rooms, which are the plainest and most out-of-date. Only slightly smaller than Deluxe Rooms their decor is simple and garish, with bright green seating, rugs, and headboards. All rooms come with flat-screen TVs, coffeemakers, and minibars. Internet is offered free to IHG Rewards Club members (limited to two devices), but others must pay a fee.

The InterContinental Athenaeum has four restaurants and bars. The lobby restaurant and bar, Cafe Vienna and Bistrot Vienna, are sprawling but understated, meant to blend in with the decor of the atrium. Simple, white cylindrical pendant lamps hang from above. Tobar, the hotel's main bar, is eclectic and colorful, with a retro 1960s aesthetic and cone-style chairs. Cafe Zoe, which looks out on the pool, is more casual and bright, serving a buffet and a la carte breakfast and lunch. The top-floor Premiere restaurant and lounge serves Mediterranean and French-themed cuisine, and offers views of downtown and the Acropolis. The decor is retro-modern and colorful: Shag rugs, white leather chairs, and modern art and sculptures -- such as the large, red running man by the entrance -- inject flair. The hotel has an outdoor pool, and a large business center, a spa with a sauna that offers massages and beauty treatments, foot baths, and private whirlpools. Plus there's a sprawling 24-hour fitness center with a wide array of cardio- and weight-training equipment.