He passed away today at the age of 94. Aristotle Divanis, founder of the hotel group Divani. His funeral will take place at the First Cemetery of Athens next Wednesday, January 4 at 2:00 pm.

The Beginning of Creation in Thessaly

Aristotelis Divanis took his first step into the hotel sector in 1958 in his hometown of Trikala. The founder of the Group’s enterprise was innovative from the very beginning: each of the 65 rooms of the building had its own bathroom.

The love of hospitality and the entrepreneurial spirit of Mr. Aristotelis Divanis also pointed the way to continue when he abandoned any other commercial activities and focused solely on the hospitality business.

After his first business venture in the field of tourism was a complete success, Mr. Aristotelis Divanis sees the rapid development of the iconic Meteora destination and makes the important decision to open the Group’s second hotel in Kalambaka.

After the end of the dictatorship, the Group became the largest in Thessaly, opening its third division, this time in the city of Larisa.

Protagonist in Athens as well

The next step seemed a foregone conclusion. Shortly before the end of his second decade in the hotel business, the founder of the Group, in collaboration with his compatriot Mr. Zafolia, opens his first hotel in Athens in the Acropolis area.

Mr. Aristotelis Divanis strategically chooses the most popular location in the country and known throughout the world to identify it with his first hotel in the capital.

The descent to Athens was successful and served as a catalyst for the subsequent course.

For the third decade, the Divani Group brings another hotel to Athens, the Divani Zafolia Alexandras, a historic building in a changing Athens.

Next stop is Corfu.

At that time, the Ionian Island was one of the most popular tourist destinations for the British public, which began to increase significantly from year to year. Mr. Aristotelis Divanis foresees an increase in tourism and enters decisively into the 1980s by acquiring Corfu Kanoni. This is how the luxurious Divani Corfu Palace is born, which turns into a unique resort for the region.

Consolidation of the Group in the capital

1986 is the year when Spyros Divanis, the son of Aristotle, after completing his PhD studies, becomes actively involved in the Group’s business. The experience of the founder, combined with the dynamism and innovative ideas of the new generation, lead the group to the next steps.

Despite the fact that this is a difficult period for Greek tourism, the Group is dynamically changing its position in the Athens market and wins the bet by acquiring the historic Caravel Hotel. Within three years, Divani Caravel becomes the first profitable hospitality business and the first choice for international and domestic events and conferences in the decades to come.

At the same time, on its 40th anniversary, the Group dares to make another major investment by acquiring the iconic landmark of the southern suburbs of Apollon Pallas in Vouliagmeni. A strategic move and investment that brought him local and international recognition and market recognition for his leadership.

With information from APE/PE