Tella Thera: Building a 5-star sustainable sanctuary in Western Crete

Tella Thera is a 5-star bioclimatic retreat in Crete’s rugged western frontier. From plant-forward cuisine to renewable, sustainable materials, every detail at the nature-inspired hotel has been carefully crafted to reconnect guests with the wonders of the natural world.

Together with a team of hospitality experts, designers, architects, engineers, chefs, farmers, friends and family — all of whom share the same love and conviction towards sustainability, Co-Founder Loukas Tourkomanis and his wife have created a space guests can call home, where all are welcome to gather, and where every detail has been carefully crafted to respect and conserve the environment.

Building a property like Tella Thera from the ground up, especially in Crete, came with its fair share of challenges.

Local PMS options were rigid and unintuitive. Instead of simplifying operations, they added layers of complexity that pulled attention away from guests.

On top of that came regulatory pressure. Greek fiscal laws require tight alignment between hospitality operations and government-mandated invoicing systems, leaving little room for error and no patience for tools that couldn’t integrate seamlessly or adapt quickly.

Hiring only amplified the challenge. With a shrinking labor pool and a seasonal workforce, onboarding was a constant reality. Any system that took weeks to learn simply wouldn’t work — especially during peak season.

There were also brand realities to navigate. As part of Design Hotels, Tella Thera needed to connect with legacy corporate booking systems while still running a modern, agile operation behind the scenes.

Approaching his search for reliable hospitality technology like a seasoned product leader, Loukas ran formal Requests for Proposals (RFPs) and ultimately chose Cloudbeds.

Instead of stitching together a patchwork of tools, Cloudbeds brought PMS, distribution, reporting, and integrations into a single, unified platform. This eliminated unnecessary complexity and gave the team a clear, reliable source of truth for daily operations.

Just as critical was the balance between local compliance and global flexibility. Cloudbeds integrated seamlessly with Greek invoicing providers while also connecting to Sabre’s SynXis platform required by Design Hotels.

On the guest experience side, Cloudbeds enabled a more personal, high-touch approach. Through Whistle, guests could request anything — from a buggy ride to insider recommendations — directly via WhatsApp, with every interaction visible to the entire management team. Nothing fell through the cracks, and service stayed fluid and responsive.

Distribution was also simplified. Rather than managing multiple third-party relationships, Loukas was simply able to access premium channels like Tablet Hotels and Mr. & Mrs. Smith, expanding reach without adding operational strain.

Since opening in July 2025, Cloudbeds has quietly transformed how Tella Thera operates by giving the founders and their team something increasingly rare in luxury hospitality: time.

Administrative work has been reduced by 90 percent, freeing leadership to be present on property instead of buried in back-office tasks. Onboarding has become fast and frictionless, even during peak season. One team member, aged 60 and with no prior tech background, was even fully confident using the system in just two days.

Operational simplicity has also empowered better service. Drag-and-drop room moves, automated financial logging, and clear visibility across the entire operation allow the team to maintain a high employee-to-guest ratio without burnout or chaos behind the scenes.

Most importantly, the founders are free to build real human connections. Loukas and his wife now meet every guest at breakfast, sharing hyper-local insights and personal stories that no guidebook, app, or chatbot could ever replicate.

With systems that support their values instead of constraining them, the team has gained the confidence to think beyond a single property and already have plans to expand the Tella Thera philosophy to new destinations.

By choosing a partner like Cloudbeds, Loukas and his team have reclaimed their time, allowing them to lead by example and inspire their guests to live more sustainably. They aren’t just running a hotel; they’re leading a movement, grounded in truth and powered by clear, purposeful technology.