New Hotel

The ho-hum old Olympic Palace Hotel just off Syntagma Square was reborn in 2004 as the New Hotel, in the trendy "YES!" hotel chain. This is a seriously design-conscious place, with decent-sized rooms (some with hot pink walls, many with balconies and side street views), original art (not just in the lobby, but also in many units), and contemporary furnishings, some made from recycled materials. Everything here is unusual: Chairs in the lobby sprout pale green leaf-like covers, many bedroom walls have undulating wooden surfaces, some bathroom basins are embedded in zigzag metal stands. Service, however, is mixed. If you like the New Hotel's puckish style, check out its sister hotel, the Periscope, which has small, but fiercely stylish rooms in Kolonaki.