BETHESDA, Md. — Marriott International’s Marriott Hotel brand is making its triumphant return to Athens following an absence of more than two years.

The hotel company has announced it has signed a new agreement with Chandris Hotels, which will mark the return of Marriott Hotel to the city of Athens. Once the hotel completes its US$15 million transformation, the Athens Marriott Hotel will debut in 2018 with 366 guestrooms.

The signing of this hotel, which Chandris Hotels currently runs as the independent Metropolitan Athens Hotel, underscores Marriott’s desire to work with owners to expand its 30 brands in European capitals. Chandris Hotels currently owns and operates five hotels in Greece.

“We are excited to work with Chandris Hotels, which has a strong history in the hospitality industry and shares our vision for innovating. We are also proud they selected us as their first collaboration with an international brand,” said Carlton Ervin, Marriott International’s Chief Development Officer, Europe. “Their plan to significantly refurbish this hotel highlights our shared confidence in Greece’s dynamic travel and tourism industry.”

The well-known Marriott name will adorn the building once the guestrooms and public spaces are completed. The hotel will feature two contemporary restaurants, a chic rooftop bar, fitness facilities, a swimming pool and state-of-the-art meeting space that can be customized with Marriott’s MeetingsImagined.com service.

The Athens announcement comes less than a month after Marriott International completed its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The transaction created the world’s largest hotel company, with Marriott International operating or franchising more than 5,700 properties and 1.1 million rooms, in over 110 countries. In Greece, Marriott’s distribution now totals 13 hotels and resorts, including eight under The Luxury Collection brand, making Greece the country with the highest concentration of Luxury Collection hotels and resorts in Europe.