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Our Story

Kalia Konstantinidou & Antonis Eliopoulos first met at a shipping event – he was in the family shipping business at the time and she was working in PR for a think tank. On one of Antonis Eliopoulos’ countless trips to Santorini, he decided to buy a neoclassical mansion, then a winery and finally a beautiful vineyard, all in the same village.

Initially, he planned to use it as his family’s summer retreat, before instead deciding to create the island’s first 5-star hotel, the now famed Vedema Resort. From this origin, there began a journey to create a collection of hotels, resorts & villas across Santorini and beyond, each offering a different ‘Space for Joy’.

Today Empiria Group are leaders in the art of elevated hospitality experiences. We offer personalised high-end travel experiences that awaken inner joy and take Greek hospitality to new heights.

 1989 – Antonis acquired a neoclassical mansion in Santorini in the traditional village of Megalohori. A year later he bought a winery with its vineyards, all in the same village.

1993 – A beautiful hotel was created on the vineyard and became the first 5-star hotel on the island, Vedema Resort (originally, Villa Vedema).

2007 – Antonis and Kalia expanded north to the iconic village of Oia with the opening of Mystique, that immediately became Santorini’s most renowned definition of luxury.

2018 – The visionary couple transformed a legendary socialite’s abandoned mansion on the black-sand beach of Perivolos into the peaceful Istoria.

2019 – Antonis and Kalia opened their first location away from their eternal love, Santorini. On the island of Paros, Parilio is a statement hotel seen as a gateway to the real Cyclades.

2020 – The duo introduced Acron Villas, a unique collection of twenty-four villas with minimal Cycladic aesthetics.

2022 – Cosme was launched. Their third Paros property was conceived as a celebration of life, inviting guests to experience the joy of freedom and choose how they connect, imagine, and enjoy.

2023 – To coincide with the 30th anniversary of the business, Kanava Hotels and Resorts became Empiria Group. The new name and distinctive identity unites our hotels and people with a shared ethos that underpins everything we do.

Through our properties we aspire to offer our guests the Greek essence of distinctive hospitality, wishing them to fully disconnect and create their own story, while embracing the authentic Cycladic lifestyle and carefree state of mind. We hope that they will carry home with them cherished memories and stories they can share with the people they love.
- Kalia Konstantinidou

“The islands’ singular aura, abundant nature, traditional architecture, indigenous culture and the deep blue of the sea that meets a clear blue sky; all of these elements together inspire us and try to always incorporate them in our hotels.”

– Kalia Konstantinidou & Antonis Eliopoulos

What we are most proud of is the calming ambience we have been able to create so far in our hotels. We have been able to design an accommodation experience that seems to decelerate time. Every corner is imbued with a sense of intimacy, relaxation and comfort, for a prevailing atmosphere that feels like a home from home. As soon as one steps in, can immediately enter a world of solace and serenity.
- Antonis Eliopoulos

 

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