he hotel, an architectural masterpiece, is situated in the vecinity of Syntagma Square and the Parliament Its history has many connections with the history of modern Greece. Architect Theofilos Hansen conceived the plans of the building, in 1842. The name "Grand Bretagne" remained unchanged since 1878 and was inspired by the fact that at the time many English lived in town. It had 40 rooms, 2 bathrooms and running water. Many VIPs and athletes stayed at "Grand Bretagne" in 1896, at the first modern Olympic Games. In time, many of its owners improved on the initial project. Swiss architect Emil Vogt made the plans for the last story. In World War II, the hotel entered state administration (1940), a year later the Germans occupied it, while the English established at "Brand Bretagne" hotel their military headquarters during the civil war. The restoration works were complex, lasted for 18 months, amounting to more than 70,000 000 euros. As a sign of consideration for its history, the new-renaissance frontages and interiors were preserved. The hotel has 327 rooms, of which 290 are double rooms with a bath tube and shower, 24 have the steam bath system, a presidential suite of 200 square meters and a royal suite of 400 square meters. Apart from these facilities, there is a "Grand Ballroom" which may be transformed into three conference rooms, "Alexander's Bar", with a fresco of more than 100 years of Alexander the Great, three restaurants with a view on the Acropolis, the "Winter Garden", "Athenian Lounge" and "Athens Panorama", a fitness center of 1050 square meters and others. In its long and tormented history, The "Grand Bretagne" accommodated some of the top level personalities. Winston Churchill, Aristotel Onassis, Maria Callas, John Kennedy, Laurence Olivier, Sofia Loren and Agatha Christie are only a few of the celebrities who stayed here.