La Mirage, an old hotel in a rundown part of Athens near Omonia Square, is to be transformed into accommodation for students as part of a joint initiative by the Environment Ministry, the City of Athens and the Hellenic Air Force pension fund aimed at revamping the city center.
The hotel, which is owned by the pension fund, is to be fully renovated as a student housing complex, complete with 24-hour security, a restaurant and communal areas — all for a rental fee of 200 euros a month (including electricity and water bills).
The aim is for the new facility to open by September next year, according to authorities who said the project is being funded with 5 million euros from the ministry’s so-called green fund, set up to finance conservation initiatives. A ministry official, Maria Kaltsa, said the City of Athens had requested that the renovation of the hotel be accompanied by a revamp of rundown Omonia Square, including the introduction of greenery to break the concrete mass.
Source: Kathimerini