Luxury Travel by thirdpassport

I recently got back from an amazing trip in Greece, where I spent a couple of weeks reconnecting with friends and family. I also took the opportunity to research places to stay in Thessaloniki and the highlight of my trip was the last couple of nights I spent in this beautiful city, where I had the pleasure of staying at The Met Hotel. This hotel, which is proudly affiliated with Design Hotels, truly exceeded my expectations. The staff were incredibly friendly and accommodating, and the property extremely comfortable.

During my stay, I was fortunate enough to explore the various amenities and get a firsthand look at the different types of rooms available.

The Concept

“The Met Hotel, an exquisite combination of unique location, modern architecture, high-end luxury, launches an avant-garde hospitality concept in the city of Thessaloniki”

Enhanced Perks

The Met Hotel is a member of Design Hotels and, as such, and when you book with me, you can secure the following additional perks:

• VIP Status with personal welcome note from GM
• Complimentary Wi-Fi
• Complimentary daily breakfast for two
• Complimentary room upgrade on arrival upon availability at check in
• Complimentary early check-in and/or late check-out upon availability
• Premium bottle of wine and snack in guest room upon arrival, once per stay when booking a room or Premium bottle of wine and snack in guest room upon arrival and a 20 minutes massage, both once per stay when booking a suite.

Location & Arrival/Departure Information

The Met Hotel Thessaloniki is situated on the western part of Thessaloniki, close to the bustling port. This location offers great convenience to cruise passengers who are looking to spend 1-2 days relaxing and immersing themselves in close proximity to the vibrant city centre, which is a short 5-10 minute car ride. To make transportation easier, the hotel provides a regular shuttle service to/from Aristotelous square.

For those arriving or departing from Thessaloniki International Airport (SKG), which is located on the eastern part of the city, it only takes approximately 30 minutes by car or taxi (EUR 30 each way). Hotel reception can arrange this. On departure, the taxi arrived to pick me up and take me to the airport within 1 min of reception putting in the request! (I guess it was waiting right outside).

Hotel Room Categories

The hotel has 212 guest rooms and suites available in these categories:

• Superior – This is an entry-level room. Comfortable but cozy. Standard amenities such as a mini bar, safe, TV, and kettle are available
• Deluxe – More spacious than Superior rooms, Deluxe bathrooms also feature both a bathtub and a separate shower
• Business Suite – Even more space and luxury touches, such as dual sinks in the bathroom and Molton Brown toiletries
• Executive Suite – Features a separate sitting area, more space and more open layout. Again, we’re seeing separate bathtub and shower, dual sinks and Molton Brown toiletries in the bathroom
• The Met Suite – At 110m2, this suite is significantly larger than the others and offers a much higher level of luxury. With its expansive size and exquisite features, it provides a truly opulent experience for guests seeking unparalleled comfort and indulgence in this part of the city. If I had to guess, I would expect that this would be the one that most of the celebrities that stay at the hotel would choose.

The rooms come in double or twin bed configuration, port or city view, as well as accessible rooms. Extra beds can be added for children and cots for babies.

I found the rooms to be spacious and extremely functional, I.e. towel hooks in all the right places, international sockets where you would expect them, a reliable wifi connection, powerful shower, and good a/c. A mini bar and a safe big enough to keep standard laptops/tablets in. Just remember to empty it before checking out 🙂

Pros/Cons of the Property

Pros

• A full-service hotel – 24h reception; room service; onsite restaurants and bars; laundry services
• Guest car parking facilities – Good if driving a rental car
• Extensive conference facilities – Flexible configuration that can host up to 750 people
• Rooftop pool & function area – For private events (And a lot of Greek weddings in the summer)
• Convenient location – For cruise passengers starting/ending their cruise in the area
• Spa – Offering treatments using Greek Apivita products
• Modern fitness centre – Also popular with sports teams when they are staying in the hotel

Cons

• Location, location, location – It is not ideal for anyone looking to spend the majority of their time in the city centre sightseeing, partying, etc. There’s a hotel shuttle bus to the city centre and I walked back after dinner in 20 mins or so but it’s not a pretty area to walk through. There are plans to gentrify the area but it’ll be years before that is done.

Best Time to Visit

The best time to visit The Met Hotel in Thessaloniki is May to early October for the rooftop pool area. This is a real selling point for the hotel. I only know of 3 hotels in the entire city with decent size pools, with a few others having plunge pools. The rooftop pool measures 22 metres but there is also a heated pool and jacuzzi in the indoor spa area that is open year round.

Guest Experience & Sense of Place

The Met Hotel is part of Chandris Hotels group in Greece that also owns the Athens Marriott and Chios Chandris properties. The Chandris family are keen art collectors, and you can see that influence all around The Met Hotel, with art pieces of different media and forms. There is a QR code next to each piece that allows you to read more about the piece and the artist.

During my stay I found the service to be excellent. Everyone I talked to was friendly and hospitable. (I love Greek hospitality but I’m a little biased 😉 ). The hotel is very popular with Greek celebrities and sports teams that appreciate the professional service and discretion. The gym is also very well equipped and maintained.

This is not an ultralux property nor a resort hotel. The majority of the guests (60%) are here on business. Why did I stay here? After two very social weeks in Greece I needed some “me” time to relax by the pool with a good book and a cold frappe coffee, and to work out in a fully equipped gym, and for these, the hotel was absolutely perfect.

Different people have different preferences and needs and finding the right hotel in Thessaloniki can be a challenge but a Travel Advisor can help take the stress away and ensure a good fit.