Reo Stakis
Encyclopedia
Sir Reo Stakis (13 March 1913 - 28 August 2001) was a Scottish-Cypriot hotel magnate, longtime head of Stakis Hotels
.
He was born in Kato Drys
, Cyprus
13 March 1913 and left for Great Britain
in 1928, aged 14. He started selling his mother's handmade lace door-to-door and gradually headed north, settling in Glasgow
. By the 1940s, Stakis was involved in his first restaurant, the Victory in Glasgow, whose affordable prices began to change the way Scottish people dined out. By the 1960s, he had a chain of thirty restaurants and hotels throughout Scotland
. In 1962, he bought the Dunblane Hydro Hotel, which was run-down yet within six months he had returned it to profit. Stakis was to make his home in the grounds of that hotel.
Stakis opened Scotland's first casino, the Chevalier, in 1964 and gradually added several other casinos to the Stakis group. However, his flagship hotel, The Grosvenor, was destroyed by fire in 1978.
He was knighted in 1988. By that time Stakis' son Andros had taken over the business and in difficult trading conditions, some poor decisions brought the company close to bankruptcy. However, new management brought renewed profitability and Stakis was able to sell his empire to the Hilton Group for £1.2 billion in 1999.
He was Chairman of Stakis plc from 1947–1991, and President 1986-1999.
He married Annitsa Petropoulos in 1946, and they had two sons and four daughters.
Stakis was a generous benefactor to the Greek Orthodox church in Glasgow
, buying both their first church in the city in 1953 and their Cathedral of St Luke the Evangelist
in 1960.
Stakis died in Stirling
on 28 August 2001. He is buried in Dunblane
Cemetery.
Scottish journalist Jack Webster wrote his biography Stakis: The Reo Stakis Story.
Stakis Hotels
Stakis Hotels is a former hotel company in the United Kingdom led by Sir Reo Stakis, headquartered in Glasgow. The company sold itself to Hilton PLC in 2000 for £1.2 billion....
.
He was born in Kato Drys
Kato Drys
Kato Drys, is a small village in Cyprus, southwest of Larnaca. It is near the villages of Pano Lefkara , Kato Lefkara , and Vavla .Its average altitude is 520 meters above sea level...
, Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
13 March 1913 and left for Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
in 1928, aged 14. He started selling his mother's handmade lace door-to-door and gradually headed north, settling in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. By the 1940s, Stakis was involved in his first restaurant, the Victory in Glasgow, whose affordable prices began to change the way Scottish people dined out. By the 1960s, he had a chain of thirty restaurants and hotels throughout Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. In 1962, he bought the Dunblane Hydro Hotel, which was run-down yet within six months he had returned it to profit. Stakis was to make his home in the grounds of that hotel.
Stakis opened Scotland's first casino, the Chevalier, in 1964 and gradually added several other casinos to the Stakis group. However, his flagship hotel, The Grosvenor, was destroyed by fire in 1978.
He was knighted in 1988. By that time Stakis' son Andros had taken over the business and in difficult trading conditions, some poor decisions brought the company close to bankruptcy. However, new management brought renewed profitability and Stakis was able to sell his empire to the Hilton Group for £1.2 billion in 1999.
He was Chairman of Stakis plc from 1947–1991, and President 1986-1999.
He married Annitsa Petropoulos in 1946, and they had two sons and four daughters.
Stakis was a generous benefactor to the Greek Orthodox church in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, buying both their first church in the city in 1953 and their Cathedral of St Luke the Evangelist
St Luke's Orthodox Cathedral, Glasgow
St. Luke's Greek Orthodox Cathedral is a cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Church located in the Dowanhill district of Glasgow, Scotland.-Belhaven U.P. Church:...
in 1960.
Stakis died in Stirling
Stirling
Stirling is a city and former ancient burgh in Scotland, and is at the heart of the wider Stirling council area. The city is clustered around a large fortress and medieval old-town beside the River Forth...
on 28 August 2001. He is buried in Dunblane
Dunblane
Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...
Cemetery.
Scottish journalist Jack Webster wrote his biography Stakis: The Reo Stakis Story.