Hoteliers in Greece reacted to the government decision to close their restaurants on Christmas Eve and Day as well as on New Year’s Eve and Day. “Hotel restaurants operate legally only to serve their guests and with specific, strict rules and conditions,” the Hellenic Hoteliers’ Federation said in an announcement on Wednesday.
“Restaurants cannot close as long as hotels are open as the guests staying there must be served,” the Federation stressed.
It pointed out that hotels had stringently observed the very strict hygiene protocols and proved themselves to be among the most secure spaces in terms of health, adding that their “reward-punishment” for this effort was to be excluded from support and now “accused because our businesses might have customers – guests – for not shutting down their operation ourselves.”
“… in the midst of the lockdown, our hotels remain open – essentially closed, without revenues and excluded from the additional support measures provided for the businesses that were shut,” the announcement said, adding that the government must make up its mind whether hotels should only be allowed to provide accommodation.
“Hotels that are now allowed to have guests, however, cannot stay open,” the federation stressed responding to the Development Ministry decision..
Panos Stamboulidis from the General Secretariat of Trade and Consumer Protection reiterated on Thursday morning that the decision to close the restaurants remain and that “there is no option to send sms to go stay in hotel in your city of residence anyway.”
