The Excelsior Hotel

The Excelsior Hotel

On the corner of Mitropoleos and Komninon Street, a few steps from Aristotelous Square, The Excelsior occupies a restored heritage building whose preserved façade and full-length windows still carry the weight of old Thessaloniki. Thirty-four rooms are spread across five floors, from Classic Doubles to a Penthouse Suite, each one soundproofed and fitted with Nespresso machines, smart TVs, premium bedding and bathrobes. Breakfast runs American and Mediterranean style, and the mezzanine doubles as a dinner venue and a meeting room when business calls for it. What separates this address from Thessaloniki's other boutique hotels is its own concierge-run excursions: a two-hour walk through the historic centre tasting northern Greek cheese, olives and pies with food-tour specialists Marmita, and a private tour of the Gerovassiliou Estate vineyards, complete with a tasting of six wines. Business travellers get a business centre, conference hall and staff who move comfortably between English, German, Italian and Turkish; leisure guests get a concierge just as ready to point them toward the Ladadika district's bars or the White Tower along the waterfront. Pets are welcome for 35 euros a stay, service animals exempt, and the hotel holds Green Key certification for its environmental record. The gym and beauty salon sit in a sister hotel nearby, open from eight in the morning to eight at night, so travellers building a trip around a daily workout or an in-house spa treatment should factor in the short walk. Guests who return tend to call it their first choice in the city, and for a 34-room hotel wedged into a heritage corner building, that kind of repeat loyalty is the real luxury. A 34-room heritage hotel steps from Aristotelous Square, with its own food tour and a private Gerovassiliou vineyard visit arranged through the concierge. Suits travellers who want a central, personally run stay; the gym and beauty salon sit in a sister hotel nearby.