The seaside town of Agios Nikolaos has been a destination for tourists for decades, gaining popularity in the middle of the 20th century. Today, many of the early hotels are starting to show signs of age. Hotel Niko transforms one of the mid-century resorts into a destination fit for the future. More than a simple retrofit, Hotel Niko completely remodels and transforms the outdated hotel into a new 5-star coastal resort, and, by retaining the existing structure saved hundreds of tons of embodied carbon.

Creativity
Inspired by the Cretan landscape and rooted in local craft and vernacular architecture, the design provides a new image for the hotel while respectfully blending into its environment.

Externally, the transformed hotel is intended to complement its surroundings. The new façade’s subtly fluted form is inspired by the gentle waves of Mirabello Bay and provides a striking new image for the hotel in a way that stands out from its surroundings without being intrusive. The plaster finish is typical of local buildings and helps root the building in its site.

The interiors are inspired by the way we feel the sea, air and sand and the effect on our senses, and the palette is warm, modern, and light. The materials and finishes are soft to touch, neutral in colour and are evocative of tactile fabrics. Furniture and fixtures are carefully curated to create a relaxed ambience.

Functionality
By maximising the use of space in the hotel, increasing the floor area, and uncovering unused spaces, the new hotel offers a wider range of guest experiences, allowing guests to curate their day according to their mood. Private terraces surrounded by lush planting offer a quiet refuge, the large main terrace provides a more social experience, or the intimate roof terrace with comfortable booths offers a luxury experience with the convenience of a serviced bar and a pool with panoramic views.

Innovation + Sustainability
The established options for redevelopment are to demolish and rebuild to an optimised specification, or to retrofit, prolonging the life of the building, but likely falling short of the site’s potential and client’s aspirations. Hotel Niko’s unique approach combines the best of both these options.

By using the existing structure, while uncovering new spaces within the existing footprint, Niko Hotel increases the floor area and provides a much wider range of amenities available to guests. This together with the transformed interiors and facade effectively creates a brand-new hotel out of the old one, demonstrating that demolition needn’t be the favoured option for creating world-class hotels.

This is a much more sustainable method. Retaining the existing hotel instead of demolishing and rebuilding saved hundreds of tons of embodied carbon, and by upgrading the structure, maximising the space, and making the building commercially relevant again, the transformation has extended the life of the building well beyond its expected lifespan.