Words Tom OsmondImages Claus Brechenmacher & Reiner Baumann

The Sgoumpopoulos siblings believe in the importance of upgrading the historic center of Athens and giving something back to the neighborhood, so they each invested a piece of their personality into their Perianth Hotel.

One is a culture vulture and arts advocate, one is a just-for-fun DJ, and one is a Zen monk and Taekwondo master. The Sgoumpopoulos siblings are all apples from the same tree, but bring different, invaluable assets to the table as they venture into hospitality. The result—located in central Athens—is Perianth Hotel, a place of art, mindfulness, modern design, and more, that is born from both their family spirit and their creativity as visionary individuals.

Do you work well together as a family?

Alexandra: Well, we try to delegate jobs between us. Because I’m the more gregarious one, I’ll be running the day-to-day of the hotel. Organizing events and getting people together has always been a passion of mine. I've never done it professionally before, I just did it for fun. I was also a DJ—again, not professionally, I just loved doing it. I like helping people to have fun, to walk away with new experiences, and doing that in creative ways. So this role fits in with my personality well.

Konstantinos: Well, although we’re siblings, we all have different personalities and skills that have helped us on the journey to create the hotel. I’ve been working in the business world since I was 20, so I was mostly involved in the logistics of the construction of the hotel. I’m also a Zen monk, however, and my Zen mindfulness complements the concept of philoxenia [the ancient Greek tradition of hospitality] because it helps me to connect with people, as well as acting as an antidote to how quickly the world goes by. The Zen center has been in the building since 2013, and we decided to embrace it within the hotel for the priceless added value that mindfulness practices bring to our lives in the 21st century.

Anastasia: We want to encourage guests to experience what Athens has to offer! Quite a diverse and controversial city, Athens has much more than an incredible history. There is a very interesting contemporary arts scene that visitors rarely get the chance to encounter. We wanted to show appreciation and embrace this scene, so we decided to showcase some of the most important Greek contemporary artists in the rooms and around the hotel. Our concierge is also informed about what’s happening in the city. Theater, dance, and the arts have always had a big presence in my life, so I felt the need to make sure everyone knows where to look when they’re in need of their culture fix.

It sounds like you play off each other very well.

Anastasia: We might have different qualities and personalities, but in the end we all share the same vision. Synthesis is our fundamental philosophy. The outcome, we envision, is art. There is no fixed recipe at the moment, so we’re open to new experiences and learning as much as possible from them.