Page 23 - July 2021

“I am a firm believer that adversity brings a lot of lessons with it and while it has been a tough year, we have learnt that we can be more
flexible and that the pandemic has been a catalyst to bring forward certain trends in the market, these are some small positives we can take
out of this extremely unfortunate period.”
During the time when the hotels were shut, they took this opportunity to carry out physical improvements to all of their hotels to ensure
returning guests are once again satisfied and intrigued with their visit. Thanos’ has a lot of repeat visitors and while they always want to see
what they expect from a Thanos property, the company also wants to surprise them as well, so the hotels were refreshed to strike a balance
between these elements.
As the hotels are now open again and traffic is just beginning to reach something resembling pre-pandemic levels, the possibility of hotel
expansion is now on the radar again, and Michaelides explains that they are looking to expand their portfolio and they are currently assessing
a couple of opportunities in Greece at the moment. However he points out that it is vital for the brand to be able to find locations and
properties that add value to the business and develop along the same lines as their other properties and not just expand and add properties
for the sake of expanding.
“We develop our hotels with very strong personalities and character and they are very distinctive compared to their surroundings, and we
are targeting people that are looking for that type of experience. Those individuals who want to make his or her choice for their holiday and
not someone who just wants a nice hotel in a sunny environment. We market our hotels to people who want to make a deliberate choice,”
explains Michaelides.
The business has had a strong focus on social media and digital marketing for a number of years, and what they have found is that last year
and this year their hotels have recovered faster than the average in the industry, in Cyprus at least, and the Managing Director feels one of
the main reasons for this is their successful digital marketing.
“We are a very human centric business and we put a lot of emphasis on our people, guests and team members and we want to grow the
business together with guests and team members and creating a joint business based on experience, passion and growth,” says Michaelides.
From our discussion with Thanos it becomes apparent that the greatest challenge facing the company is to be able to always anticipate what
their guests want and need and then to be able to offer them this in their unique style ahead of time.
“This is always the challenge that one has because the hotel business is not something that can alter every season like fashion; it is kind
of a constant change. So the hotels have to evolve with our guests and the demands of our guests and the market in general,” he explains.
As the interview comes to an end, we ask Michaelides one last question, and that was if he had anything he wanted to put across… “I think
looking back at the pandemic, we have been positively surprised by how loyal our guests are and how eager they are to come back to our
hotels and this has been very rewarding after these turbulent months and gives us optimism and excitement for the future.”

Anassa, Paphos, Cyprus Anassa Chapel, Paphos, Cyprus

Almyra, Paphos, Cyprus

Almyra, Paphos, Cyprus
Almyra Kyma Suite, Paphos, Cyprus

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