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Athens still building it, but they will come

June 3, 2004

BY ELLIOTT HARRIS SUN-TIMES COLUMNIST

After a major push by Olympic organizers to unload all the tickets that have not yet been sold, the Athens Olympics will have more sold-out venues than they will have failed drug tests.

*White Sox closer Billy Koch will not blow a save until Friday, at the earliest.

*http://www.suntimes.com/output/quickhits/cst-spt-1hit03.html

Prices for lodging in Athens, moreover, are sky-high, as is airfare to get to the city from the USA. That pushes the total cost of a trip to as much as $1,000 a day.

"Accommodations are very expensive," Dizdarevic acknowledges, noting that the cheapest, two-star hotels for sale at CoSport Tours start at nearly $300 a night, with a three-night minimum, and better properties are $700 or more.

Typical package (of those still available): Six nights lodging aboard Holland America's Westerdam (used as a floating hotel), round-trip air between New York and Athens and all meals, not including event tickets, $7,689 a person, through Cartan Tours

Olympics 2004 | Accommodations & Dining


Accommodations--Virtually all the better hotels in and around Athens, as well as some in Olympia itself, have long ago been completely booked for the entire period of the Games. (In case you're wondering who these "insiders" are, most of these rooms were taken over by the Greek National Organizing Committee for officials, visiting dignitaries, and other national committees, and by corporate sponsors for their own promotional use.)

Prices are expected to vary considerably. Hotels are going to exploit the law of supply and demand to the utmost and are said to be charging 2 to 4 times their regular rates. Thus, a basic hotel that might be expected to charge some 100€ for a double will probably charge 250€ or more for the same during the Olympics. There is nothing illegal about this -- and it goes on during all Olympics. No one ever said you can't combine free enterprise with the Olympic spirit!

In addition to exploring the options listed below, international visitors should contact their country's National Olympic committee for the name of the officially appointed tour operator(s) responsible for ticket sales and package tours to the Games. The authorized travel agency for the U.S. Olympic Committee for the 2004 Olympics, for instance, is Cartan Tours, Inc. (tel. 800/360-2004; www.cartan.com) and they can provide accommodations as well as other transportation services (as well as insurance for cancellation as a result of terrorism).

The Greeks confronted a challenge of a drastic surge in visitors requiring accommodations. The existing Greek hotel operators protested that if a lot of new hotels were built -- especially with any form of government subsidies -- they would lose their chance to make a bit of extra money; meanwhile, it was recognized that if they built all these new hotels, there would be a glut of rooms immediately following the Olympics and everyone would suffer with the collapse in prices. Being a relatively small country, hotels in cities outside Athens also have taken up a share of the trade: many popular tourist destinations lie within a two hour drive of Athens. But that still seemed to leave a shortage of rooms during the peak days.

To take some of the pressure off the hotels and prices, the Greeks have come up with two solutions. One is used by many if not all host cities: many Greeks in Athens are renting their apartments or homes. This program is being operated by two organizations in Athens: Alpha Philoxenia 2004 (tel. 210/326-6156; fax 210/326-6148; cpallis@alphaastikaakinita.gr) and Elliniki Philoxenia (tel. 210/684-9222; fax 210/684-9221; gmantzavinatos@eurobank.gr). These apartments and houses are scheduled to be inspected by the organizers and all should offer minimum standards for amenities (bathroom, kitchen, and so on). Prices range from about 100€ to 200€ per night per person (depending on the quality of the accommodations and the distance from venues and public transportation) and must be rented for minimum periods -- what the agents refer to as "waves," usually 6 or 7 nights. (Cleaning service will be provided about every 3 days.) There may also be a "black market" in apartments and homes for rent, but we cannot advise you on how to deal with this.

The other solution to the housing shortage is what might be called "Odyssean" -- that is, a canny Greek nautical one: seven large luxury cruise ships have been leased to berth at the port of Piraeus, some 8km (5 miles) from the heart of Athens. Cabins at various price levels are available, and in addition to providing meals (for extra charge) and free public transportation to the venues, the ships will be opening all their facilities (including swimming pools, exercise rooms, etc.). Cabins range from 450€ to 1,410€ per person (double occupancy) per night -- but minimum 4 nights stay is required. To learn more about these ships, contact one or more of the three lines offering these accommodations: info@cma-greece.gr; sportius@otenet.gr; sales@roc.gr. In addition, the brand new Queen Mary 2 is scheduled to berth at Piraeus and make its magnificent new facilities available; its status was still somewhat uncertain at the time of this update and there was no specific contact point. Travel agents will know of this possibility, and you can be sure it will be very expensive