There has been a marked increase in the number of luxury hotels in Chania in the past few years according to figures recently produced by the Research Institute for Tourism for the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels. Of nine new hotel units established in the Regional Units of Chania in 2024, six were 5-star. At the same time the increase in 4- and 5-star units is being accompanied by a reduction in the other grades. According to the RIT’s figures, the hotel capacity in the Regional Unit of Chania has been showing a steady increase over the past few years, while Chania leads Crete in the total number of hotel units by comparison with the other Regional Units on the island. In detail:

5-star hotels
The number of 5-star hotels has been increasing steadily, from 33 in 2019 to 45 in 2023 and 51 in 2024. As regards the other Regional Units of the Crete, in 2024 Heraklion had 61 5-star hotels against 57 in 2023, Rethymnon 29 (the same as 2023), and Lasithi 36 (2 more than in 2023).
Rooms and beds: in 2024 there were 5,391 5-star rooms in Chania with 11,085 beds, as against 4,745/10,015 respectively in 2023 and 3,820/8,069 in 2019.

4-star hotels
Four-star hotels have also increased markedly in Chania over the past 6 years, from 78 in 2019 to 102 in 2024. In a single year 11 new 4-star units have been created in Chania, with a total of 102 units registered with the Hellenic Chamber of Hotels in 2024 against 91 in 2023. The leading Regional Unit in this category is Heraklion with 150 units, followed by Chania with 102, Rethymnon with 83 and Lasithi with 37.
Rooms and beds: Chania had 6,735 4-star rooms and 13,290 beds in 2024, against 6548/12,869 in 2023.

3-star hotels
There has been a minimal reduction in the number of 3-star hotels in Chania, from 142 in 2023 to 141 in 2024, but an increase of 10 since 2019 (131).
Rooms and beds: there was a small reduction from 5,872/10,736 in 2023 to 5683/10,376 in 2024.

2-star hotels
There has also been reduction in 2-star hotels during the last few years; however, Chania remains the leader in this category. From 274 hotels in 2019 the number has reduced to 257 in 2023 and 251 in 2024. Other Regional Units have considerably fewer 2-star hotels, with Heraklion at 110, Rethymnon 94 and Lasithi 62.
Rooms and beds: the number has declined correspondingly in Chania, from 8,883/15,496 in 2023 to 8,600/15,048 in 2024.

1-star hotels
There was a minimal reduction in 1-star hotels in Chania also, the number reducing from 49 in 2023 to 48 in 2024. In the rest of Crete, in 2024 there were 68 1-star units in Heraklion, 16 in Rethymnon and 26 in Lasithi.
Rooms and beds: In Chania there were 1,122 rooms and 2,118 beds in 2024, as against 1,154/2,168 in 2023.

The general picture in Crete
Altogether in Crete in 2024, there were 1,643 hotel units in operation with 99,592 rooms and 196,877 beds. By Regional Unit, there were 593 hotel units in Chania (27,531 rooms and 51,917 beds), 509 in Heraklion (39,757/80,618), 339 in Rethymnon (18,362/36,357) and 202 in Lasithi (13,942/27,985).

The nation as a whole
In the country as whole the South Aegean Region led with 2,300 hotels in 2024, followed by the Region of Crete (1,643), Central Macedonia (1,127), the Ionian islands (1,024), Attica (715), Peloponnese (686), Epirus (433), Eastern Macedonia and Thrace (384), North Aegean (374), Western Greece (273) and Western Macedonia (118). Throughout the country in 2024, there were a total of 10,104 hotels in operation with 447,363 rooms and 894,854 beds, while in 2023 the corresponding figures were 10,047, 444,389 and 887,748.
(Haniotika Nea, 26/02/25)

Chania’s new 5-star hotels
The trend towards more 5-star hotels can be seen locally:
The 328-room Avra Imperial in Kolymbari, which opened in 2012, was perhaps the first of a new generation for the area: monumental in size and ultra-modern in design, it has 5 restaurants, 3 outdoor pools, 3 bars, a spa with an indoor pool, an amphitheatre, 2 tennis courts and a fitness centre; there are also individual plunge pools for many of the rooms.

Its sister hotel, the 287-room Euphoria Resort in Skoutelonas, which opened in 2018, is aimed at the all-inclusive family market. Its amenities include 5 restaurants, 2 bars and an outdoor pool, as well as a gym, tennis courts and a spa.

Possibly the largest development to date is the Ikos Kissamos, which is currently under construction and due to open in 2026. Covering an area of 203 stremmata west of Korfalonas, the hotel will have a beach frontage of 600 metres on the Gulf of Kissamos and will have 414 rooms, suites and bungalows, comprising 1,280 beds in total. Facilities will include different types of restaurant, gymnasium, spa, theatre, heated and unheated swimming pools, sports and other amenities. (Hania News).

While they occupy large areas of land, the visual impact of these hotels is reduced by the general height restriction which prevails along the coast, and by the choice of neutral colours and interspersed greenery. A much smaller establishment, which is due to open this summer, will appeal to those seeking quiet as well as luxury and takes the principle of minimising its environmental impact to the extreme. Situated on a hill above Viglia beach and the port of Kissamos, it is described by the UK’s The Independent as follows:

“Tella Thera, a 20-suite boutique hotel rooted in sustainability, is set to open on a hilltop in Crete’s Kissamos (an hour from Chania airport). It’s the brainchild of husband and wife team Loukas Tourkomanis and Chevon Low, who have backgrounds at Airbnb and a forest protection NGO. An attractive amphitheatre-style layout will maximise land use with local sandstone and wood used for the build. Rooms will have a ‘stacked’ formation whereby each rooftop doubles up as the private garden of the suite above, with two hundred olive trees from the original plot replanted to create rooftop gardens, which also help manage stormwater runoff and provide wildlife habitats.
“Spoiling touches in serene cream-toned rooms will include hewn tree trunk tables, and king-size beds with eco-friendly COCO-MAT mattresses and organic cotton sheets. A farm-to-table restaurant with a zero-waste kitchen will be helmed by Maurice McGeehan, a.k.a. the No Waste Chef….”