# Greece Research Project



## KerstinK

Hello everybody!

My name is Kerstin Kriha, I come from Germany and currently am studying Hotelmanagement in the Netherlands.

This semester I have to write a country report about Greece. 
Basically, my assignment is to find out whether or not Greece is a suitable place for a Dutch entrepreneur to open up a low-budget design hotel. 
To be able to answer this question I have to research the following seven characteristics of Greece: Culture, Politics, Law, Economics, Demographic, Market and Competition. 
I came up with a couple of questions linked to the characteristics I just mentioned to be able to get a better picture of the country itself and to find out whether this type of hotel could be successful or not.

It would be very very kind of you to help me out as you all obviously know a lot about Greece which I don't know and can't find on internet.
Your answers can be as long or short as you want and if you don’t know what to write, no problem just leave the question out.
This is only an assignment so the only people who will read your interviews will be the assessors of my university.

Thank you all for reading this and I hope I will get a couple of answers for my report. 
Kind regards,

Kerstin Kriha


Personal Information

Name: 
Age: 
Current city of residence: 
Country of birth: 
Profession: 


Questionnaire

1.	While travelling, do you usually prefer to stay in a low cost hotel?


2.	Have you ever stayed in a low cost hotel in Greece?


3.	What aspects do you consider the most important while staying in a hotel? (Atmosphere, Clients, Price, Restaurant, Location…)


4.	How important is food in the Greek culture?


5.	Are vending machines for food common in Greece?


6.	Could the concept of vending machines match the Greek food culture or would you rather eat in a real Restaurant?


7.	How popular is modern art and design in the Greek culture?


8.	Could a modern art exhibition in a hotel convince you to book a room there instead of any other hotel?


9.	Do you consider Greece to be a politically stable country?


10.	Is the Greek population satisfied with their politics?


11.	If not, how do they express their dissatisfaction (strikes, demonstrations…)?


12.	Do you feel safe in Greece? Why, or Why not?


13.	Could the current political situation in Greece affect the holidays of tourists negatively (unsafe, danger, noise…)

14.	Do you happen to know if the Greek politics support the creation of new tourism facilities in their country?


15.	Do you know if Greek is a rather bureaucratic country with a lot of laws and restrictions?


16.	How do you think the current economic debt crisis will influence tourism in Greece? Will less people be able to travel?


17.	In your opinion, what makes Greece an attractive place to set up a new hotel? What are the main attractions of Greece?


18.	Are there big cultural differences between the regions of Greece?


19.	Do the different regions of Greece have each their own laws?


20.	How do you feel about the name of the hotel “Cheap and Chic”?


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## rainman

Good evening Kerstin,

I googled your name and I saw that you like Radiohead :clap2: so I will be good and answer your questions 




KerstinK said:


> Hello everybody!
> 
> Personal Information


Name: Rainman 
Age: 22
Current city of residence: Athens
Country of birth: Greece
Profession: Computer Science Student 




KerstinK said:


> Questionnaire
> 
> 1.	While travelling, do you usually prefer to stay in a low cost hotel?


Being a student, the answer is yes, always.



KerstinK said:


> 2.	Have you ever stayed in a low cost hotel in Greece?


Yes.



KerstinK said:


> 3.	What aspects do you consider the most important while staying in a hotel? (Atmosphere, Clients, Price, Restaurant, Location…)


In a decreasing order of importance,
price,location,behaviour of staff,room



KerstinK said:


> 4.	How important is food in the Greek culture?





KerstinK said:


> 5.	Are vending machines for food common in Greece?


I have never seen one and I seriously doubt if there are any in Greece.
Maybe there is a chance that some of them exist in companies where vending machines for coffee are common, but I haven't seen or heard anything. 



KerstinK said:


> 6.	Could the concept of vending machines match the Greek food culture or would you rather eat in a real Restaurant?


Young people are very adaptive with modern concepts,unlike older people they are influenced by foreign pop music and cinema,way of dressing,they use english words mixed with greek speech, they are very familiar with the internet,they eat at fast-foods habitualy.So I would say that people until 35 years old would definitely know how to try it and if it was cheaper the would definitely prefer it the next time.



KerstinK said:


> 7.	How popular is modern art and design in the Greek culture?


One thing I can say is that cafeterias are the most popular places for going out and design is maybe the most importan reason for a cafeteria to become popular (the other is the location of the cafeteria)



KerstinK said:


> 8.	Could a modern art exhibition in a hotel convince you to book a room there instead of any other hotel?


No, unless there is a tie with another hotel, so the art exhibition will be the tie breaker in my decision.



KerstinK said:


> 9.	Do you consider Greece to be a politically stable country?


Yes, we elect the same idiots every time no matter what they do.



KerstinK said:


> 10.	Is the Greek population satisfied with their politics?


No,no,no,no,no,no,no,no.
They never were and they will never be, that's more certain than death.



KerstinK said:


> 11.	If not, how do they express their dissatisfaction (strikes, demonstrations…)?


Strikes and demonstrations are very common,from time to time there can be at least 2 demonstration in the center of Athens in the same week. But there is at least one demonstration in the center of Athens. According to a newspaper I read recently , in 2009 there where more demonstrations in Greece than the days of the year.



KerstinK said:


> 12.	Do you feel safe in Greece? Why, or Why not?


In small villages and islands where you know and love all your neigbours you can live safely without doors and locks. In places with foreign immigrants (Albanians,Bulgarians,Pakistanis etc) you leave the door unlocked only if for some reason you want to get robbed,raped and beaten at the same time (the order of those three is not certain). I am not a racist, of course there are honest immigrants from those countries that have come here to work, but when the 90% of such crimes are caused by them, then I can't help claiming so. Athens center is not safe at night with all the drug addicted that would stub you for some coins (these are Greeks), and the last years even the countryside has become dangerous due to the immigrants that go to work in farms and live in villages.



KerstinK said:


> 13.	Could the current political situation in Greece affect the holidays of tourists negatively (unsafe, danger, noise…)


I don't think it will affect their decision to visit Greece in summer (unless an extreme rise in prices occurs), the disturbing part is the unfair treatment of Greece by foreign media, mainly German, that humiliate Greek people by distorting situations, Greeks are very proud to tolerate such behaviours and may develop a bad prejudice against people that blame them for faults of their goverments.



KerstinK said:


> 14.	Do you happen to know if the Greek politics support the creation of new tourism facilities in their country?


lol, yes they support such initiatives ..morally :cheer2:
Years ago people who created the so called "rooms to let" received some financing, but it was funds of the European Union, not the Greek goverment that is bankrupt.



KerstinK said:


> 15.	Do you know if Greek is a rather bureaucratic country with a lot of laws and restrictions?


Definitely, if you look up "bureaucratic" in the dictionary you should see the name of Greece in the definition. I mean that paperwork even for simple things is complicated and may take days or months, the laws exist but are often disregarded. 



KerstinK said:


> 16.	How do you think the current economic debt crisis will influence tourism in Greece? Will less people be able to travel?


I can assure you about that and remind you that 2 days ago the goverment announced that public servants and pensioners lost 2 salaries (0.5 salary in Easter,0.5 in summer and 1 salary in Christmas , those salaries where used for holidays and presents). 
My guess is that people in the mainland, which is the majority of the population (let me remind you that half the population of Greece lives in Athens) , not being able to afford a vacation in the islands, will search for cheaper destinations in the mainland, small villages, visit relatives or exchange houses etc




KerstinK said:


> 17.	In your opinion, what makes Greece an attractive place to set up a new hotel? What are the main attractions of Greece?


Oh, this can take hours to comment, I may answer later.



KerstinK said:


> 18.	Are there big cultural differences between the regions of Greece?


Yes, vast differences. For example, in my island (Crete) you can meet locals that dress,talk and behave like Americans, and in a village 10 kms further the locals are shepherds that don't understand a word in English and don't even speak formal Greek but a folk speech that people from Athens will not understand.



KerstinK said:


> 19.	Do the different regions of Greece have each their own laws?


No (except for Zoniana where drug dealers is the Law, lol, forget about that, it's an inside joke)



KerstinK said:


> 20.	How do you feel about the name of the hotel “Cheap and Chic”?


It kind of reminds me a "cheap chick", nevertheless it is catchy :clap2:


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## KerstinK

Haha yes, google is good in revealing all our secrets 

Thank you so much for taking your time, I know it takes some time..Really thank you so so much, I've been talking to a couple of Greek people during this project and Im always amazed at how friendly and kind you all are! 
If you will ever have to do a research on germany, you can count on me 

Thank you again and again and again,
Kerstin


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## wka

Personal Information

Name: wka
Age: 29
Current city of residence: Athens and the island of Folegandros
Country of birth: USA
Profession: education


Questionnaire

1.	While travelling, do you usually prefer to stay in a low cost hotel?
Yes, although first choice would be with friends if I know someone in the area; I generally will stay in a low cost hotel although love to stay in nicer places IF someone else is paying 

2.	Have you ever stayed in a low cost hotel in Greece?
I have stayed in over 100 of them.... and I have a business card from every last one in my file!! I travel in Greece for work.

3.	What aspects do you consider the most important while staying in a hotel? (Atmosphere, Clients, Price, Restaurant, Location…)
Most important is location. Price is also very high. Atmosphere, restaurant and clients are ENTIRELY unimportant and don't enter my mind at all. I look for air conditioning (if it's summer) and modern plumbing (if possible).

4.	How important is food in the Greek culture?
Food is important in any culture. I would say it's even more important in Greece than where I grew up (USA).

5.	Are vending machines for food common in Greece?
For FOOD no they are entirely nonexistent. For drinks, they do exist, but almost exclusively in airports. Actually that's not true - I know of ONE food vending machine, and I would never ever buy food out of it - scary!

6.	Could the concept of vending machines match the Greek food culture or would you rather eat in a real Restaurant?
I would never eat food from a vending machine because who knows how fresh it is. The idea of buying food from a machine and eating it "on the run" is antithetical to Greek food culture which is still arranged around a table (be it in a restaurant or a home).

7.	How popular is modern art and design in the Greek culture?
Very popular. Modern art and design are both taken very seriously here, there is a constant effort to increase opportunities for architects and artists even in the face of significant budget problems. Modern art in particular is embraced.

8.	Could a modern art exhibition in a hotel convince you to book a room there instead of any other hotel?
Me, no. But it might convince other people. However, I would visit the hotel in question (but it wouldn't make me want to stay there).

9.	Do you consider Greece to be a politically stable country?
No - it is not politically stable, all you have to do is read the history of the country. We've only had the current government system in place for a few decades - that's not "stable" in my book; stable would be a hundred years or more. Of course if you mean do I think Greece will erupt in civil war in the next few months, no, I don't think so.

10.	Is the Greek population satisfied with their politics?
No, absolutely not, and they never will be - that is the nature of politics, isn't it? 

11.	If not, how do they express their dissatisfaction (strikes, demonstrations…)?
Strikes and demonstrations are very common. Complaining (to the press, to each other) is common. Voting is compulsory and everyone votes. But mainly complaining about things - this is very common here. Strikes are at a peak right now with several per week.

12.	Do you feel safe in Greece? Why, or Why not?
Yes, I am safe in Greece. I have been the victim of one crime in Greece but I was unharmed and it was more likely a prank than a real attempt to hurt me (although I'll never know). In general Greece is an exceptionally safe country.

13.	Could the current political situation in Greece affect the holidays of tourists negatively (unsafe, danger, noise…)
Yes - strikes in public transportation have a deleterious effect on anyone who doesn't have their own car - which is almost all tourists - although renting a car is an option, it's a bad idea in the city centers (Athens, Thessaloniki) and the use of public transportation is very widespread among tourists. I would think that the public transport strikes (which include airports, taxis, metro, buses, tram, trolley, railroad) would negatively affect someone who needed to use them. Another aspect that could be negative would be if the demonstration were taking place in an area that the tourist was either staying or wanted to visit. As many have taken place in Syntagma Square, which is a major tourist spot, it could affect those who want to visit the square or who are staying in the hotels surrounding the square (of which there are many).

14.	Do you happen to know if the Greek politics support the creation of new tourism facilities in their country?
It is difficult to start any new business in Greece due to bureaucratic red tape.

15.	Do you know if Greek is a rather bureaucratic country with a lot of laws and restrictions?
Excessively so, but this is just part of living here; when you live and work here, you just get used to it.

16.	How do you think the current economic debt crisis will influence tourism in Greece? Will less people be able to travel?
Greeks will probably choose to travel within Greece rather than internationally, which is something that has been increasing in the last couple of years anyway. Foreign tourists may prefer to come to Greece if they feel that prices are lower here, but on the other hand some may feel that they cannot risk the possibility of strikes and such messing with their plans. So far - and it is still early - tourism seems about on par with last year.

17.	In your opinion, what makes Greece an attractive place to set up a new hotel? What are the main attractions of Greece?
I don't think it's an attractive place to set up a new hotel. I think Greece already has too many hotels. The main attractions of Greece - this is up to the individual to decide.

18.	Are there big cultural differences between the regions of Greece?
Yes - but not massive. They are significant but they are not to the point that a Cretan would be miserable living in Ioannina or a Limnian would be miserable living in Messinia. But certainly life in the cities is very different from life in the villages. I live in Athens and on a TINY island and the culture is very different between the two, but that is also the case between New York City and the tiny village in rural Virginia where I grew up.

19.	Do the different regions of Greece have each their own laws?
No. All of Greece has one legal system.

20.	How do you feel about the name of the hotel “Cheap and Chic”?
It's already the name of a clothing brand (I think) and therefore an awful name - you don't want to get into that mess.


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## marias

KerstinK said:


> Hello everybody!
> 
> My name is Kerstin Kriha, I come from Germany and currently am studying Hotelmanagement in the Netherlands.
> 
> This semester I have to write a country report about Greece.
> Basically, my assignment is to find out whether or not Greece is a suitable place for a Dutch entrepreneur to open up a low-budget design hotel.
> To be able to answer this question I have to research the following seven characteristics of Greece: Culture, Politics, Law, Economics, Demographic, Market and Competition.
> I came up with a couple of questions linked to the characteristics I just mentioned to be able to get a better picture of the country itself and to find out whether this type of hotel could be successful or not.
> 
> It would be very very kind of you to help me out as you all obviously know a lot about Greece which I don't know and can't find on internet.
> Your answers can be as long or short as you want and if you don’t know what to write, no problem just leave the question out.
> This is only an assignment so the only people who will read your interviews will be the assessors of my university.
> 
> Thank you all for reading this and I hope I will get a couple of answers for my report.
> Kind regards,
> 
> Kerstin Kriha
> 
> 
> Personal Information
> 
> Name:
> Age:
> Current city of residence:
> Country of birth:
> Profession:
> 
> 
> Questionnaire
> 
> 1.	While travelling, do you usually prefer to stay in a low cost hotel? NO
> 
> 
> 2.	Have you ever stayed in a low cost hotel in Greece? NO
> 
> 
> 3.	What aspects do you consider the most important while staying in a hotel? (Atmosphere, Clients, Price, Restaurant, Location…)
> Price, Cleanliness, Food, Room size
> 
> 4.	How important is food in the Greek culture? They almost live for food! The Greeks eat amazing food at restaurants that most people would pass by because they do not look gitzy but the food is absolutely fantastic. The Greeks are very good cooks and everything is cooked very well. It is always very fresh food that is used.
> 
> 
> 5.	Are vending machines for food common in Greece? NO
> 
> 
> 6.	Could the concept of vending machines match the Greek food culture or would you rather eat in a real Restaurant? Eat in a restaurant as the food is fresh well cooked and amazing
> 
> 
> 7.	How popular is modern art and design in the Greek culture? Very, The best artwork or sculptures we have bought have been from Greece we cannot buy anything like it in Britain
> 
> 
> 8.	Could a modern art exhibition in a hotel convince you to book a room there instead of any other hotel? NO
> 
> 
> 9.	Do you consider Greece to be a politically stable country? Not at present
> 
> 
> 10.	Is the Greek population satisfied with their politics? Definitely not they are very unhappy
> 
> 
> 11.	If not, how do they express their dissatisfaction (strikes, demonstrations…)? Strikes, demonstrations talking about it in bars etc
> 
> 
> 12.	Do you feel safe in Greece? Why, or Why not? Usually yes
> 
> 
> 13.	Could the current political situation in Greece affect the holidays of tourists negatively (unsafe, danger, noise…) At the present time I think tourists will think about going somewhere else with things as bad as they are in Greece and with the taxes going up people will decide that it is too expensive to go there for a holiday
> 
> 14.	Do you happen to know if the Greek politics support the creation of new tourism facilities in their country? Yes and NO they keep changing laws so first you do not need an EOT licence then you do but cannot get one. Then you need to have loads of things that again change again and again.
> 
> 
> 15.	Do you know if Greek is a rather bureaucratic country with a lot of laws and restrictions? The laws can change between the morning and the night as we found several times what was the normal thing in the morning had changed to something else in the evening
> 
> 
> 16.	How do you think the current economic debt crisis will influence tourism in Greece? Will less people be able to travel? The Greeks have been suffering for some time already and with economic problems in other countries people are not going on holiday so much so tourism will fall to some extent anyway but it is all being made worse by pictures of rioting in Athens as most tourists do not realise that it is only happening in Athens they think it is happening in the whole of Greece
> 
> 
> 17.	In your opinion, what makes Greece an attractive place to set up a new hotel? What are the main attractions of Greece? The clear seas, The safety of the beaches, The people are friendly and welcoming, The weather and climate generally, the various methods of travel from ferries, flights etc
> 
> 
> 18.	Are there big cultural differences between the regions of Greece? To some extent every region has its own identity and they try to keep that no matter what happens. History has had different effects on different parts of Greece and it has made its own impression on the different places with buildings, food, infrastructure etc
> 
> 
> 19.	Do the different regions of Greece have each their own laws? Yes each area is able to make the laws for themselves so you can find what you need in Crete you do not need in Rhodes and other islands
> 
> 
> 20.	How do you feel about the name of the hotel “Cheap and Chic”?


 People always associate a name such as cheap as being poor rather than meaning that it is cheaper than something else.


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