Airbnb has changed. And Greece has changed and keeps changing.
The days of shady accommodations that only take cash, no regulations and “wild west” attitudes are being pushed out in favor of laws that protect tourists, investors, health and wellness.
Read on below…

Airbnb Is Raising the Bar in Greece – Here’s How to Stay Ahead

If you own, manage, or are buying a home in Greece to rent on Airbnb, you’re no longer just “listing a property.” You’re running a small hospitality business under stricter rules:

Airbnb is watching your quality and reviews
The Greek state is watching your safety, registration, and taxes (A few bad eggs always ruin the fun, don’t they?)

That sounds heavy, but it doesn’t have to be scary. Let’s walk through what’s happening in simple terms—and what you can do to turn this into an advantage for your property.

1. Airbnb is no longer “anything goes”

For years, guests put up with wobbly furniture, bad photos, and “it looks bigger in the listing.” Those days are over.

Behind the scenes, Airbnb now constantly checks:

Your star rating
What guests say about cleanliness, accuracy, noise, and comfort
How often you cancel or reply late
Whether your listing photos match reality

If the system sees repeated problems, your listing:

Drops lower in search
Can be marked as “underperforming”
Can be temporarily suspended
In serious or repeated cases, can be removed entirely

What star ratings really mean now

On the surface, guests give 1–5 stars. In reality:

4.9–5.0 = strong, trusted, competitive
4.7–4.8 = “okay, but needs attention”
4.6 and below = risk territory

Think of it like this:

5★ means “this is what guests expect.”
4★ means “something was wrong.”

That shift is crucial. “Good enough” is now a slow way for a listing to disappear.

2. Greece has its own checklist – and it’s getting more strict

Alongside Airbnb’s quality system, Greece has tightened the rules for short-term rentals.

To keep it simple, there are three main buckets:

A. Legal basics

To operate a short-term rental in Greece, you must:

Register your property in the official Short-Term Rental Registry
Show your registration number on your Airbnb listing
Declare every stay to the tax authority
Pay the correct taxes and levies

If you ignore this part, you’re exposed to fines—no matter how beautiful your interior is.

B. Safety and minimum standards

Recent changes in the law are moving STRs closer to small hotels in terms of basic standards. Expectations now include:

Proper ventilation and natural light
Reliable heating and air conditioning
Electrical safety checked and certified
Fire safety equipment (extinguishers, clear exits, basic first aid)
Liability insurance and basic hygiene/pest control

These are not “nice extras” like they used to be. They are fast becoming standard requirements, which really are essential and a bare minimum you should offer guests if you are serious about hospitality. (If you are not serious about guest comforts and hospitality, kindly, leave the business to those who are.)

C. Sensitive zones and city pressure

In some parts of Athens and other high-pressure areas, the government is:

Limiting or freezing new STR registrations
Checking more actively for illegal conversions (like dark basements turned into “suites”)
Handing out substantial fines for non-compliance

So “subpar” in Greece is no longer just old 80’s or 90’s tiles and dated sofas. Subpar now means unsafe, unregistered, or non-compliant.

3. What actually happens to a “low standard” property

When a property doesn’t keep up, three things usually follow. Here is what happens:

On Airbnb

Reviews mention dirt, noise, bad beds, misleading photos
Your rating slips below your area’s average
You fall down in search results
You may get flagged in Airbnb’s quality system
In repeated or serious cases, your listing can be suspended or removed

With the authorities

Missing registry numbers or undeclared stays → fines
Unsafe, illegal, or non-compliant layouts → larger fines or shutdown
Problem areas (e.g. restricted city zones) will face stricter checks

For your investment

Guests avoid you once they read the reviews
You’re forced to lower your nightly rate to attract bookings, which leads to terrible quality guests
Your occupancy drops
The property gains a “bad reputation” that is hard to wash away

This is why “I’ll fix it later” is now very expensive thinking.

4. What “high standard” really means in practice

Let’s flip this around.

What does Airbnb—and Greece—want from a “good” rental now?

1. Legal + safety baseline

Your property is:

Registered, declared, and properly taxed
Equipped with basic safety: fire extinguisher, clear exits, safe electrics
Covered with the right insurance
Not a dark storage room pretending to be a suite

This protects you from nasty surprises down the line.

2. Reliable comfort

This is what guests now assume by default:

Clean. Every stay. Every time.
Things work: Wi-Fi, hot water, A/C, appliances
Beds are comfortable, not an afterthought, sheets are quality
Photos are honest: no fake window views, no AI fantasy
Clear check-in, clear house rules, clear communication

Miss these and your rating + reviews will tell the story.

3. Thoughtful, cohesive design

This is where you rise above “just another Airbnb”:

The design is cohesive, not random: furniture, art, lighting and textiles all feel intentional
The layout makes sense—good storage, easy circulation, no awkward dead corners
Lighting is layered and flattering: ceiling, wall, and table lighting, not one bright bulb
The style fits Greece, but in a modern, elevated way—not cliché blue-and-white and cheap prints
There’s a quiet sense of story: guests feel they’re in a well-designed space, not a leftover rental

That’s what earns you 4.9–5.0 ratings and the kind of photos guests bookmark and share.

5. The upside: design as your risk shield and growth engine

Here’s the good news:

For expats, foreign investors, and Greek diaspora buying or renovating in Greece, this shift is actually an opportunity.

If you design and set up your property properly from day one, these new rules can actually work for you, not against you.

A well-designed, compliant property in Greece can:

Sit in the top tier of Airbnb results in its area
Achieve higher nightly rates
Keep a 4.9–5.0 rating consistently
Attract better guests who respect the space
Grow in value as a long-term asset, not just a short-term listing

Design isn’t just about beautiful photos anymore.

Design is part of your defense system (against fines and poor reviews) and your growth strategy (for revenue and resale value).

In this new landscape, the most expensive position you can hold is “average.”

Average listings will:

Be subject to the same tax rates as properties that rank higher
Face the same regulations
Spend more on constant fixes and guest compensation
Earn less per night, and struggle to maintain occupancy
Sit in the bottom half of Airbnb’s search results, or disappear entirely

High-standard, story-led, compliant design is not a luxury anymore.
It’s how you protect your investment, grow your revenue, and stay on the right side of both the algorithm and the law.

That’s where a studio like mine operates:

At the intersection of **design, hospitality, and compliance**.
Not just “making it pretty,” but making it **perform**.

How Studio de la Serna can help

This is exactly the world I design for.

I specialize in turnkey, story-driven interiors for rentals, small hotels and homes in Greece, specifically for:

Expats and Greek diaspora buying in Athens, the Riviera, and the Peloponnese
Foreign investors turning properties into Airbnb / STR assets
Owners who live abroad and need a partner they can trust on the ground

Why the above clients, you may ask? Because I was an expat that moved to Greece and invested in properties, too.

I experienced and witnessed everything you “hear” about - plumbers trying to rip me off, shipments getting lost, companies refusing to return bad products, construction workers trying to get away with shoddy work, trying to pass it as “standard” , oh, and the bureaucracy… I tried and tested the market and after 2.5 years, figured it out.

Over the last 5 years I built a team I trust, and have partners that deliver on their promises and on time.

Greece is a magnificent country. It’s beauty is surreal at times and she has SO much to offer. I love Ellada and know her potential, and I want to help people just like me get their Grecian Dream without the stress and learning curve.

So, here’s how I can help you meet—and exceed—these new standards:

Airbnb-Ready Design Audit

A focused, professional review of your existing rental:

Walkthrough (virtual or in person)
Clear list of risk areas: safety, layout, comfort, aesthetics
Practical, prioritized recommendations: what to fix now, what to improve next
Styled mood direction to upgrade your look without waste

Perfect if you already have a rental and want to protect your ratings and income.

Renovation + Full Interior Design for STRs

For outdated or newly purchased properties that need more than a “refresh”:

Space planning and layout for light, flow, and storage
Design of kitchens, bathrooms and wardrobes to meet modern expectations
Selection of durable, guest-proof materials and finishes
Complete furnishing, decor and art direction in a cohesive, elevated style
Ready-to-photograph spaces calibrated for Airbnb and booking platforms

You get a space that meets legal standards and feels like a boutique hotel—not a rushed rental.

Turnkey Setup for Absentee Owners

For clients abroad:

We handle purchasing, deliveries, installations, interior styling and final checks
We prepare the property for professional photography
You receive a digital asset library: floor plan, styling notes, and a guest-ready design guide

So you can launch (or relaunch) confidently, even if you’re not in Greece.

View our Short Term Rental Services

Future-proof your Airbnb in Greece

If you’re:

Worried your rental won’t meet the new expectations
About to buy a property in Greece and want to set it up properly from the start
Already hosting, but your ratings or bookings are slipping

…this is the right moment to step in and redesign strategically, not reactively.

Here’s what you can do next:

Book a 60-minute Airbnb Design Strategy Call
- We’ll talk through your property, your numbers, and your goals.
- You’ll leave with 2–3 concrete steps to protect and grow your rental.
Request an Airbnb-Ready Design Audit
- Ideal if you already have a listing and want a clear, professional action plan.
Start a Full Turnkey Design Project
- For investors and expats who want their Greek property to be guest-ready, compliant, and truly memorable from day one.