Interview of Mr. Savvas Perdios,COO of Louis Hotels to Politis newspaper

Some 93% of tourists enjoys the local culture experience while distinguishing places with regional features, a recent survey by Thomas Cook reveals. And as Cyprus is preparing for another “hot” tourist summer, we talked to Mr. Savvas Perdios, COO of Louis Hotels, about the importance of authenticity in Cyprus’ tourism industry.

But, what do we mean by saying “culture”? Is it only art and history? Sure, it is – but not just this. It’s the cuisine, the flavors, the smells, the music and, in general, the overall experience around the visitor.

“With a long-lasting tradition of several centuries, Cypriot and Greek cuisine are integral part of the Mediterranean culinary culture,” Mr Perdios explains, by referring to one of the very first things that tourists who visit the island have in mind: food. Haloumi, anari, zivania, commandaria, koupepia, loukoumi from Geroskipou area, almond dragées, soutzoukos and many other delicacies from local producers are available at the hotels and restaurants of Louis Hotels.

Indeed, as Mr. Perdios reveals, guests of Louis Hotels want to engage in customs, rituals and domestic culture of Cyprus and Greece, in order to feel that they contribute to the local economy and society – that’s why the company has made a unique travel guide for these destinations.

What is your philosophy on eating, drinking and generally hosting of tourists?

A lot of people visit Cyprus and Greece for the unique experience that their gastronomy offers. With a long-lasting tradition of several centuries, our cuisine is an integral part of the Mediterranean culinary culture. And this is something that we have already embedded to our philosophy through the services we provide.

I’m sure that you are aware of the Meze by Elliniko, our restaurant that is kept away from the portion serving philosophy and only serves traditional meze – a place where everyone can taste local products and experience the genuine atmosphere of Cyprus and Greece.

We want to offer special moments to anyone who visits these two countries, to create a unique experience built around authenticity. Authenticity that has to do with the raw materials of food and beverages, the decoration, the style and the atmosphere of our spaces and certainly with the courtesy and willingness of our staff.

This is why we made the strategic choice to invest in Cypriot and Greek breakfast during the last few years.

Since you mentioned Cypriot breakfast, I read you were recently awarded about it. What does such a distinction mean for Louis Hotels?

Indeed, we took the first place in the Cyprus Breakfast category at the GASTRONOMY – HO.RE.CA. 2017, in late November. We consider the gold medal as a vindication because we are rewarded for choosing to incorporate Cypriot culture into the most basic meal – at the same time we send a message that the country has much more to give to the tourism industry. And we are ready to lead this effort.

Our goal is to capture and transmit the authenticity and the atmosphere of Cyprus, besides the excellent quality and taste we offer to the visitors of our hotels. If you look closer at the way Cypriot and Greek breakfasts are set in the Louis Hotels units, it is immediately clear that this is something different. We want the tourists to experience and transfer these experiences back to their countries. To become themselves ambassadors of Cypriot culture.

We have noticed that our hotel guests want to get in touch, even for a short period of stay, with local culture. Learn about the customs and rituals of the place, get to know the cuisine and tastes, get involved with local communities. This has prompted us to create the elegant breakfast booklet for Cyprus and Greece.

In this way, they also participate in the economic and social life, they are not just consumers of products and services. At Louis Hotels we understand, support and serve this need in a timely manner.

What other ways do you achieve this with? What else does the Louis Hotels offer?

We have been hosting thematic nights for a long time now. For example, our hotels organize a daily buffet and, of course, Cypriot and Greek are on the center of this campaign. At the same time, two Louis Hotels’ a-la-carte restaurants offer unique choices and complement the package of buffet meals, and there is a special provision for our vegetarian guests.

But as we previously said, it’s not just the cuisine. There are thematic nights dedicated to Cyprus and Greece, on a weekly basis. During these nights, our guests may combine unique culinary delights with traditional music and dances.

All our units provide warm hospitality, excellent value-for-money choices, local life experience and friendly service from our multilingual and well-trained staff.

The Louis experience is what distinguishes us. A complete and integrated experience of quality and enjoyment, starting with supplies from local producers, continuing with the involvement of our staff and completing with the support of local initiatives.

What can anyone expect from Louis Hotels for 2018?

The Louis Group has made a total comeback: we first identified the signs of the crisis, adapted our strategies accordingly, so that we are now stronger and ready to face the next challenges.

Winter tourism is one of these. Cyprus remained one of the strongest players for one more year, continuing the “tradition” of recent years. We had more than 3.6 million arrivals something that shows how well our country is doing; on the other hand, it makes us to understand how important the tourism is for the economy.

The Hilton Park in Nicosia and Royal Apollonia in Limassol are heading towards the widening of the summer season and the growth of winter tourism. The climate of Cyprus and the extremely good weather during the winter months also help. Our hotel units welcome tourists and visitors throughout the year, providing them with all the comforts and the highest demands.

Professional tourism is the other major trend. The Cypriot market has managed to create an attractive product capable of serving the needs of customers all year round. Modern services, competitive prices, great value for money, local authenticity and attention to detail all make tourist to prefer Louis Hotels, as they have the opportunity to stay in comfortable rooms, organize their corporate meetings in the hotel rooms or organize conferences in their special rooms.

But we are not getting complacent. In the next few years we are about to upgrade and renovate our hotel units. We have strategically invested in this area, by significantly increasing the standards of service we provide.

Exclusive interview to http://politis.com.cy by Yiannis Seitanidis