General

Spyros Kokotos is a Greek architect

Architect

An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...

 born in the city of Herakleion, Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

 on October 30, 1933, to (father) Fotis (Greek: Φώτης) a.k.a. "Takis" (Greek: Τάκης) Kokotos and (mother) Anna Varouha (Greek: Αννα Βαρούχα).

Education

Spyros Kokotos spent his childhood in the village of Dafnais, approx. 15 km south of the city of Herakleion, while attending secondary education

Education

Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...

 at the "Lyceum Korais" (Greek: Λύκειον "Ο Κοραής"). He was admitted to the School of Architecture of the National Technical University of Athens

National Technical University of Athens

The National Technical University of Athens , sometimes simply known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest and most prestigious higher education institutions of Greece....

 (Greek: Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο) in 1953.

Military service

In 1959, Spyros Kokotos was drafted in the Hellenic Navy

Hellenic Navy

The Hellenic Navy is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence...

 and received a military commission as an ensign

Ensign

An ensign is a national flag when used at sea, in vexillology, or a distinguishing token, emblem, or badge, such as a symbol of office in heraldry...

 (Greek: Επίκουρος Σημαιοφόρος) in December 1959. He was stationed at the naval port of Souda

Souda

Souda is a town and former municipality in the Chania peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Chania, of which it is a municipal unit. It is an important ferry and naval port at the head of Souda Bay.Souda is 6.5 km to the east of...

 in his native Crete, where he served in Naval Public Works (Greek: Δημόσια Ναυτικά Έργα) until July 1960. He was then transferred to the navy's Hydrographic Office

Hydrographic office

A hydrographic office is an organization which is devoted to acquiring and publishing hydrographic information.Historically, the main tasks of hydrographic offices were the conduction of hydrographic surveys and the publication of nautical charts...

 (Greek: Υδρογραφική Υπηρεσία), where he served until May 1961, when he was again transferred to the "Officers' Autonomous Building Society" (Greek: "Α.Ο.Ο.Α." Αυτόνομος Οικοδομικός Οργανισμός Αξιωματικών) and was charged with architectural work on the expansion of the "General Papagos" suburb (Greek: οικισμός Στρατηγού Παπάγου) in Athens. In April 1962, he received extensive leave from the navy, and was finally discharged in 1982.

Professional career

Even while still attending university

University

A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...

, Spyros Kokotos worked as a junior architect on the Athens

Athens

Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...

 Hilton

Hilton Hotels

Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...

 project, so since graduation he has been mainly involved with tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 projects, having built more than 40 hotels throughout Greece

Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....

.

Collaborating closely with his brother George Kokotos, a civil engineer, they designed and built a number of hotels on the island of Rhodes

Rhodes

Rhodes is an island in Greece, located in the eastern Aegean Sea. It is the largest of the Dodecanese islands in terms of both land area and population, with a population of 117,007, and also the island group's historical capital. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within...

, including the Esperia hotel (200 units) and Aura hotel (150 units), culminating in the design and construction of the Rodos Bay hotel (currently known as Amathus Beach Hotel) with 260 rooms and suites, and 60 bungalows.

Other early hotel projects in the early 1960s include the El Greco hotel in Herakleion, Crete (120 units), the Hermes hotel in Aghios Nikolaos

Agios Nikolaos, Crete

Agios Nikolaos is a coastal town on the Greek island of Crete, lying east of the island's capital Heraklion, north of the town of Ierapetra and west of the town of Sitia. In the year 2000, the Municipality of Agios Nikolaos, which takes in part of the surrounding villages, claimed around 19,000...

, Crete (250 units), and the Arcadio and Olympic hotels on the island of Corfu

Corfu

Corfu is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. It is the second largest of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the edge of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The island is part of the Corfu regional unit, and is administered as a single municipality. The...

.

Having established a reputation as one of the country's finest architects for hotels, Spyros Kokotos also designed in the late 1960s the Club Med hotel on the island of Kos

Kos

Kos or Cos is a Greek island in the south Sporades group of the Dodecanese, next to the Gulf of Gökova/Cos. It measures by , and is from the coast of Bodrum, Turkey and the ancient region of Caria. Administratively the island forms a separate municipality within the Kos peripheral unit, which is...

, the Poseidon Hotel in Loutraki

Loutraki

Loutraki is a seaside resort located 84 km W of Athens and 4 km NE of Corinth in the Prefecture of Corinthia, Greece. Loutraki is the seat of the municipality Loutraki-Perachora. The town is well-known for its vast natural springs and its therapeutic spas.-History:In antiquity a town...

, and the Minos Palace hotel in Aghios Nikolaos, Crete.

Personal Achievements

Spyros Kokotos is more widely recognised for and accredited with the creation of the luxurious hotels and resorts of Elounda

Elounda

Elounda , alternative transliterations Elounta or Elouda, is a small fishing town on the northern coast of the island of Crete, Greece...

 in his native Crete

Crete

Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...

. He has designed and built the following 5* hotels in the region: Elounda Beach (completed 1971, sold 1988), Elounda Bay (completed 1977, sold 1978), Elounda Mare (first operation 1981, owned to the present day), Porto Elounda (first operation 1993, owned to the present day), Elounda Peninsula (completed 2002, still being expanded, owned to the present day).

Spyros Kokotos is also one of the founding members and first president

President

A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...

 of the Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises

Association of Greek Tourism Enterprises

The Association of Greek Tourism Enterpises , commonly abbreviated to SETE , is a non-governmental, non-profit organization founded in 1991...

(Greek: Σύνδεσμος Ελληνικών Τουριστικών Επιχειρήσεων - ΣΕΤΕ, transliterated "SETE"), and the main driving force behind all its policies. SETE is now widely recognised as the main influence behind Greek tourism policy, acting as a preferred partner to the Greek government.

Family Status

Spyros Kokotos is married since 1973 with Eliana Kokotos (Greek: Ελιάνα Κοκοτού), born Sotirchou (Greek: Σωτήρχου) and has three children: Fotis Kokotos, born 14-June-1974, Elias (Greek: Ηλίας)Kokotos, born 9-October-1975, and Marina (Greek: Μαρίνα) Stratou-Kokotou (Greek: Στράτου - Κοκοτού), born 14-November-1980. He has one brother, George Kokotos (Greek: Γιώργος Κοκοτός).

External links

[1] Article about Elounda hotels and Spyros Kokotos on Travel Intelligence

[2] Article about Elounda Mare hotel and Spyros Kokotos on Travel Intelligence

[3] Article about Six Senses Spa and Spyros Kokotos on Spa Finder

[4] Article about Elounda and Spyros Kokotos in the Independent daily British newspaper

[5] Article in French website Les Restos about Elounda Mare hotel and Spyros Kokotos

[6] Article in golf investment website Invgolf about the state of the sport in Greece and Spyros Kokotos's contribution