The Rebirth of the Berengaria Hotel
The Berengaria Hotel in the Troodos Mountains has been abandoned for nearly 40 years. Now though, it is being reborn. I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour of the site by BBF, the company who is responsible for the renovation. There will be a full film of the tour along soon, but in this article I summarise what I found and provide links for people seeking further information.
A Brief Recap
The Berengaria Hotel opened its doors in the 1930s. It was the dream of Greek Cypriot Ioannis G. Ioannidis Kokkalos. Located in Prodromos, at the top of the Troodos Mountains, it soon became a favourite for both Royalty and the Rich and Famous. Guests included King Farouk of Egypt, Archbishop Makarios of Cyprus, and Winston Churchill.
Fall From Grace
The Turkish invasion of 1974 had a drastic effect on Tourism in Cyprus, and in 1984, the hotel was forced to close its doors. Since then it was abandoned to nature, visited only by Urban Explorers and Graffiti Artists. the once great building seemed in terminal decline.
Rebirth
Now though, it is reawakening. And recently, I was given a guided tour of the site, so I could witness the amazing transformation which is being undertaken. The film of the tour can be seen on Youtube using the link. This article attempts to summarise the points raised during the interview, and enable the curious to have easy access to further information. As such, I won’t reproduce the tour word for word. Instead I shall cover various issues one at a time. At the end of the article there will be links to relevant websites etc.
Meet bbf
First then, who is doing the restoration, and what is their plan? Well, that QR code will give you a big clue, but don’t jump to another article just yet! I include all the relevant links at the end, so read this first.
The company in question is BBF. And this is them in their own words:
“BBF is a leading developer of world-class residential and commercial properties in Cyprus and Greece, offering seamless, all-inclusive development processes—sourcing land, designing, developing, and building to ensure the smooth delivery of high-quality properties. Our commitment is to create the best living and working spaces and enhance them with sustainable and community-focused best- practices, resulting in better future environments for our clients.”
And if you were wondering, it stands for Build Better Future.
Project Manager
So, let’s meet the people who will be showing me around the site. First up, we have the Project Manager: Andronikos Spyrou.