Lonely Planet Review

This is a place where one might assume that the name says it all, but this is not the case. Athens is crawling with hotels that try to attract the budget traveller with cheap room rates, but many are still pretty seedy. The Economy is a friendly and spotless exception.

Tucked away in a backstreet, the hotel is on the 'good' side of Omonia, near trendy Psiri and right by the fabulous central markets. It's built very much on the typical Athens concrete hotel plan - it's not a charming building in itself - but the rooms are relatively spacious. They've been recently renovated and offer small bathrooms, heating/air-con and TV. Some also have a fridge. There's a simple breakfast included in the price, and a roof terrace that's open in summer and has decent views of Athens. So far, so normal for Athens, but where this place really wins points is the friendliness of the staff and the way they look after the place. It's all spotless, and there's a tangible pride in the place that's good to see after the used-car-salesman attitude of some competitors.