The highly anticipated Conrad Athens The Ilisian blew me away — here's why

How does a hospitality company take a 1960s modernist landmark — a place well loved by Athenians, tourists and celebrities (think Frank Sinatra and The Rolling Stones) — and turn it into a hotel that preserves a decades-long history, while also ushering it into a new era of sophistication?It's a tall order, to say the least. But that's exactly what Hilton managed to do with the newly minted Conrad Athens The Ilisian, which officially opened its doors in April of 2026 as a fully reimagined version of the former Hilton Athens.From an impressive attention to detail around every corner of the hotel to thoughtful art direction and inspired menus in the restaurants, Conrad Athens The Ilisian gets a lot of things right. And because the hotel is a fresh take on a historic property, it has that certain je ne sais quoi that so many hotels simply can't achieve. It feels like a living, breathing part of the city.When I arrived a Conrad Athens The Ilisian on a sweltering day earlier this summer, I certainly had high hopes for the property. TPG caught wind that Hilton was planning to renovate the legendary Hilton Athens into a Conrad and we knew the hotel would have a place on our most exciting ...