Activities
HOTEL SECTOR – LOUIS HOTELS
Louis Hotels, a subsidiary of Louis plc, assumed a leading role in the tourism industry of both Cyprus and Greece since 1942. It all started when the late Louis Loizou, widely considered to be the “father of tourism” in Cyprus purchased the “Semmering” hotel and leased the “Grand Hotel” in the Cyprus mountains. He then purchased “Louis Hotel” located at Ledra Street in Nicosia and in 1969 the luxurious “Ledra Palace” hotel, a landmark of Nicosia.
As the years ensued, major developments took place, whereby the company expanded its activities in the Greek market. The company first took over the management of the “Creta Paradise Beach Resort Hotel” in Chania - Crete, in 1992. In 1994, Louis Hotels acquired the “Louis Grand Hotel” in Corfu, as well as the “Louis Creta Princess” hotel in Chania. In 1998, it acquired the “Louis Plagos Beach hotel” in Zakynthos. 1999 and 2000 are considered as milestones in the history of Louis Hotels, as the company added four more hotels to its chain, one in Zakynthos, two in Corfu and one in Mykonos.
Louis Hotels is currently managing 26 four- and five-star hotels units in both Cyprus and Greece, while employing around 2.000 professionals.
With experience stemming from its successful presence in the fast-growing markets of Cyprus and Greece, Louis Hotels has been recognized with various awards for contributing towards upgrading the quality of the tourism product in both countries. For the last 26 years Louis Hotels has been operating in large-scale hotel units and has heavily invested in high standard hotels, thus contributing towards improving the image of Greece and Cyprus as high-quality holiday destinations, while maintaining their advantage against other competitive destinations. At the same time, this activity has helped the company to achieve dispersion of its business risk.
In 2002, an agreement was signed with Hilton International for the management of the Hilton Park Hotel in Nicosia (now Hilton Nicosia), thus significantly strengthening Louis Hotels’ position in the field of city hotels, by offering upgraded services and facilities for business meetings and conferences.
In recent years, by capitalizing on its vast expertise, its highly skilled workforce and its impeccable relationships with tour operators, Louis Hotels kept engaging with taking over the management of new units. In the period 2016-2019 five new hotels started operating under the Louis Hotels brand, while existing units were upgraded.
In 2016, “St. Elias Resort” in Protaras was reconstructed and relaunched as an ultra-all-inclusive resort. In the same year, the company took over the management of “King Jason” in Protaras and implemented major renovation activities at the “Louis Nausicaa Beach” hotel.
In 2017 the hotel “Infinity Blu” located in the Pernera area of Protaras started operating under the management of the company and in 2018 the hotel “Louis Pafos Breeze” was also added.
In December 2019, Louis Hotels opened the five-star luxury hotel “The Ivi Mare” in Pafos, a unit exclusively designed for adults. In 2021, Louis Hotels undertook the management and transformation of a new five-star hotel, “Asterion Suites & Spa” in Chania, Crete, a unit that combines tradition with modern luxury.
During the winter period 2021/22 Louis Hotels carried out a complete renovation and upgrade of the boutique hotel of “Mykonos Theoxenia”, a member of Design Hotels, which is located next to the famous windmills of the island. Guests met the renewed face of the hotel in summer 2022.
Louis Hotels has also added to its collection “Once in Mykonos”, by undertaking its long-term rental and management. “Once in Mykonos” is one of the most elegant and stylish five-star luxury resorts in Greece, which is famous for its privileged location, just above the enchanting beach of Ornos. All the suites of “Once in Mykonos” face the Aegean Sea and promise moments of ultimate serenity and discreet luxury. The hotel opened its doors in summer 2022.
To maintain and strengthen the loyalty of its guests, Louis Hotels offers value for money holidays by categorizing its hotels into “Exclusive”, “Elegant”, “Villa” and “Family” collections. All units are distinguished for the warm hospitality, the authentic local experience and the friendly service they offer to their guests, always combined with respect for the environment. Louis Hotels have received numerous awards from international review websites such as TripAdvisor, Booking.com, Hotels.com, HolidayCheck, Zoover, TopHotels.ru, etc., as well as major travel agents such as TUI.
At the 2022 WTM exhibition, the new collection of Louis Hotels – "Exclusive" was presented for the first time. The new collection includes five-star luxury hotels embracing special architecture, quality services and an emphasis on lifestyle. This collection includes the two aforementioned luxury units of Louis Hotels in Mykonos, Mykonos Theoxenia and Once in Mykonos.
Among the new additions to the "Exclusive" collection are Valmar Corfu in Corfu and King Jason Zante in Zakynthos. These luxurious hotels will open their doors to the public in 2024. Valmar Corfu (formerly Ionian Sun) will undergo a complete redesign, transformation and upgrade to a five-star adults-only hotel. Located in one of the most impressive natural landscapes Corfu has to offer, the resort offers a stunning view of the Ionian Sea. The brand-new King Jason Zante is located in Zakynthos above Tsilivi bay and will stand out from the dominant water feature surrounding it. Apart from the ideal location, this luxury adults-only suite resort features a contemporary design and promises unique moments of privacy to its guests.
During 2023 many renovation works were carried out to various Louis Hotels. In this context, a complete renovation of all common areas and rooms was carried out at the Kerkyra Blue Hotel N' Spa, which was upgraded to a five-star hotel and opened on May 1, 2023. In addition, the Royal Apollonia in Limassol, a member of the Elegant collection, was completely renovated and transformed; the hotel's new aesthetic redefines all common areas such as the lobby, bar, Asian restaurant and main restaurant, highlighting Louis Hotels' commitment to providing high-quality hospitality services.
In 2023 Louis Hotels started renting the Cali Resort & Spa (formerly Horizon) located near Coral Bay in Paphos. The hotel will undergo a complete renovation to be upgraded to five-star luxury unit. It is projected to open its doors to the public on May 1, 2024. In addition, the summer of 2024 Louis Hotels will activate a new hotel management agreement concerning Louis Apostolata Island Resort in Cephalonia. The five-star hotel resort is a few minutes away from the attractions and points of interest of the picturesque Skala in Cephalonia.
The provision of food and beverage services is an integral part of Louis Hotels. In 2003 the company opened its first restaurant, Akakiko (easy Japanese fusion), followed by Elliniko (Greek style cuisine), which later expanded to other towns in Cyprus. The Company’s franchise restaurants harmoniously complement the international, thematic restaurants located within the company’s hotels, offering truly refined culinary options to guests.
THE 18 HOTELS OPERATED BY THE SUBSIDIARY LOUIS HOTELS PUBLIC COMPANY LTD IN CYPRUS ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Hilton Nicosia (194 rooms), Nicosia
2. The Royal Apollonia (204 rooms), Limassol
3. Louis Imperial Beach (239 rooms), Pafos
4. The King Jason Paphos (127 rooms), Pafos
5. Louis Ledra Beach (269 rooms), Pafos
6. Louis Phaethon Beach (422 rooms), Pafos
7. Louis Paphos Breeze (144 rooms), Pafos
8. Τhe Ivi Mare (148 rooms), Pafos
9. Sofianna Resort and Spa (172 rooms), Pafos
10. Cali Resort & Spa (201 rooms), Pafos
11. Polis 1907 (6 suites), Polis Chrysochous
12. Louis Nausicaa Beach (196 rooms), Protaras
13. Louis Althea Beach (150 rooms), Protaras
14. Louis Althea Kalamies Villas (18 units), Protaras
15. Louis St. Elias Resort (152 rooms), Protaras
16. Louis Infinity Blu (50 rooms), Protaras
17. The King Jason Protaras (88 rooms), Protaras
18. Louis Luxury Villas (5 units), Protaras
THE 8 HOTELS OPERATED BY THE SUBSIDIARY LOUIS HOTELS S.A IN GREECE ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Asterion Resort & Spa (67 rooms), Chania
2. Kerkyra Blue Ηοtel N’ Spa (240 rooms), Corfu
3. Valmar Corfu (136 rooms), Corfu
4. Mykonos Theoxenia (49 rooms), Mykonos
5. Once in Mykonos (59 rooms), Μykonos
6. Amada Colossos Resort (699 rooms), Rhodes
7. Κing Jason Zante (87 rooms), Ζakynthos
8. Louis Αpostolata Island Resort (166 rooms), Cephalonia
CRUISE SECTOR – CELESTYAL CRUISES
Louis Group first became active in the field of cruise ship ownership and management in 1986, even though it had been involved in the representation of passenger vessels and cruise ships in the past.
The period between 1989 and 2001 was a period of rapid growth for the cruise sector. During this time, the Group acquired in total 10 ships. In 1996, a cruise ship was chartered for the first time to Thomson Cruises, owned by TUI, the world’s largest tour operator.
Following the growing trend in the cruise sector, Louis plc creates in 2014 a new brand, “Celestyal Cruises”.
Celestyal Cruises has fast built an award-winning reputation and recognition as the number one choice for cruise travelers to the Greek Islands and East Mediterranean thanks to its regional expertise and exceptional hospitality. The company operates two vessels, each one intimate enough to provide genuine and highly personalized services. The foundation of the company’s philosophy is built on a unique Greek heritage which combines outstanding hospitality with genuine cultural destination immersion and provides authentic, lifetime experiences both onboard and onshore. Celestyal Cruises currently operates in 16 countries such as USA, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Turkey, etc. Celestyal Cruises passengers come from 140 countries.
In November 2021, Louis plc announced that it has signed an agreement for the recapitalization of Celestyal Cruises Limited and the formation of a strategic partnership with Searchlight Capital Partners, L.P., a leading global private investment firm.
Under the terms of the agreement, Searchlight will provide funding to Celestyal Cruises to support the development plans of the company, including its fleet renewal.
Louis plc, through its subsidiary Louis Hotels Public Company Ltd, will acquire 40% of the limited partnership interests in the sole shareholder of a newly incorporated holding company. Searchlight will be the owner of 60% of the limited partner interests in the sole shareholder of such newly incorporated holding company.
As a result of this transaction, Celestyal Cruises will no longer be considered a subsidiary company, but an associate of Louis plc.
THE 2 CRUISE SHIPS BELONGING TO CELESTYAL CRUISES TODAY ARE THE FOLLOWING:
1. Celestyal Discovery
2. Celestyal Journey
AWARDS
Since 2014, Celestyal has received top honors in the Tourism Awards, one of the largest and most prestigious awards programs within the Greek tourism industry. These include one Platinum, 15 Gold, 10 Silver and nine Bronze awards covering Guest Experience Excellence, Solo Travel, CSR Initiatives, Contribution to National Economy, FAM and Press Trips, Communication Campaign and Multichannel Marketing Campaign.
In December 2022, Celestyal won a Bronze Award at the British Travel Awards in the ‘‘Best Operator for Mini Cruises’’ category and was named one of the top ocean cruise lines for ‘’Best Service’’ at the annual Cruise Critic Editors’ Picks Awards 2022, an award also received in 2018 and 2019. Ιn 2019 and 2020, Celestyal was recognized for its overall contribution and commitment to the development of the cruise industry in the Eastern Mediterranean region at the MedCruise Awards.
CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY
Celestyal is deeply committed to sustainability and ethical business practices. The company actively supports the local communities in the destinations it visits, particularly in the field of education. Additionally, Celestyal supports cultural NGOs to promote youth entrepreneurship, marine student development and child welfare.
ISO CERTIFICATION
The entire spectrum of Celestyal’s ship management, including technical, hotel and crew management, and offices, are certified in accordance with ISO 9001/14001 standards. The certifying authority is DNV, which is widely recognized as the biggest and most respected rating agency in the marine industry.
