InterContinental Athenaeum Athens

We have just returned from a 4-night stay in the Intercontinental Athenaeum, and I truly don't understand some of the negative reviews that have been published. We were met at Reception with one of the team from Guest Services, who escorted us to the Club Lounge to complete the check-in for our 2 rooms. During the trip up to the Lounge, she explained that the Lounge was actually closing that day for the next 10 days, as part of the hotel's ongoing refurbishment program. This was a great disappointment, as the Club Lounge with Acropolis views was one of the reasons that I booked the Intercontinental ! In retrospect, I would have booked the Crowne Plaza instead, had I been aware of this plan. Nevertheless, we checked in and made ourselves comfortable, and then began our Greek adventure. We did all of the tourist things that we had done previously, only this time with friends who had never visited, and in between we used the hotel as a stopping-off point, specifically in the relocated Club Lounge in the ToBar area of the ground floor lobby. Despite this area having no particular charm or ambience, the staff were exceptional throughout, and really did do their best to ensure that we had an enjoyable experience. In particular, Artemis, Eleni, Pemy and Marina were fantastic; friendly, helpful, pro-active and genuinely keen to help at all times. On our last night, we visited the Premiere Bar on the rooftop, and despite the fact that we were the only customers, the 2 guys on duty ( David and Christos) were absolute stars. They were funny, respectful and accommodating, all the more so considering they were dealing with some drunk Scottish tourists !!! So, ultimately we had a fantastic time in the Intercontinental Athenaeum, but this was entirely thanks to the staff ... the loss of the Club Lounge really should have been a deal-breaker, but the staff did their best to recover the situation.