Over the past decades, hotels in Greece and Kefalonia, held the overwhelming share in the tourists’ preference for their holidays.

The reasons, why visitors - tourists turned their preference in big hotels and not in smaller and family hotels, are obvious.

• They could make a safe booking longer before their arrival, since the hotels had a booking system.
• The hotels had full and modern equipment that gave the tourist the opportunity to have a comfortable bed, breakfast, meals in restaurants and buffet in well-organized units and enjoy facilities and services such as swimming pools, spas, gyms and more.
• The hotels offered information on touristic interests and attractions, as well as access to internet that could help the customers to maintain contact with their family, friends or with their professional environment.
• Additionally, the hotels made the visitors feel more secure since they had many people working inside the hotel and security, which reduced the fear that someone has when visiting a foreign country.
  Besides that, the hotels were the only means of accommodation which were authorized and certified by the Greek Tourism Organization and the only ones which were being advertised through the expensive network of both printed and digital commercials.

However, lately, the negative effects of the unequal distribution of tourism demand have arisen and thus, it has been an urgent need to help mild forms of tourism which would not lead to over-concentration and supersaturation of specific touristic destinations.

The need of change: alternative accommodation

The reinforcement of more mild forms of tourism, such as the creation of small complexes (studios) of furnished apartments and furnished rooms contributed also to encourage conservation of customs and traditions of the local society, since there were thoughts that the uncontrollably large portion of tourists would lead to damage of the cultural and environmental surroundings and alienate the local population of their identity. It is believed that this type massive development alters standards, delivery and balance.

Of course, this kind of concerns had been created in the international tourist community long before they showed up in Greece. So gradually it started to be visible in our country that tourists, who were looking for quitter holidays, family run businesses closer to the nature, were arriving in our country in numbers. After all, the tourist’ arguments were difficult to be contradicted by anyone who had been in the past either customer of large hotels or small accommodation facilities.

Benefits of studio apartments and rooms for rent

• The small furnished apartments for rent or furnished rooms ensure financial savings compared with the usually expensive packages of hotels (lower cost and cheaper holidays).
• Staying at a furnished apartment or room is also value for money since one has the possibility of making breakfast and meals in the apartment, without being obliged to dine necessarily to especially costly hotel restaurants.
• The spacious kitchens of such apartments are fully equipped with big refrigerators, cooker, boiler, mixer, hair dryer and everything that a kitchen needs to have in order to be functional.
• The apartments are much more spacious and with more furniture than hotels so the visitor can move more easily into the space and make changes to make it more functional according to the use. Although it is known that almost all the hotels are built on the basis of the maximum number of rooms that will be rent and besides the possible luxury common areas, their rooms are usually small.
• If we mention the big balconies that are available in the apartments, then it is obvious that the visitor feels at least like home..
• Additionally, the cleanliness is considered to be of high importance and the apartments are cleaned thoroughly every other day and towels and linen are changed.
• The separate rooms for children in the same apartment enables the parents to pay attention to their children and enjoy their private moments when they wish.
• Furthermore, the privacy of the visitors is being protected since it is obvious that no one likes to hear the buzz of noise which comes from the thin walls separating the rooms of a hotel.
• It is a fact that the furnished apartments offer conditions of a neighborhood which encourages greater human contact among the visitors, helps the creation of intercultural relations and exchange of significant experiences.
• Besides that the existence of a front desk (reception) is mandatory for the convenience of guests, almost always the owners of these apartments stay within the complex. Thus, further security is provided to the visitors. At the same time they are able to inform the guests about anything on the tourist interests and attractions in the area. What’s more, since they are locals, they can help the guests comprehend deeper the domestic cultures, manners customs and traditions. And all these are being offered with a warm human contact and not through a strict impersonal relationship between an employee and a customer as it is usually in large hotels.

The Greek Tourism Organization monitoring the new spirit of tourist trend, issues, for more than ten years now, licenses and certificates for small complex apartments and rooms. On the other side, these small complexes, in order to beat the high competition of the big hotels are always well equipped so as to be able to offer a comfortable stay to the guests and they have nothing to envy from the impersonal big hotels.