Laundromats mushrooming to serve visitors at short-term lets

Looking up the address 38 Falirou Street in Koukaki, central Athens, on Google Maps, you will find a photo of a car repair shop. If you actually go to the spot, however, it will be a letdown if you had been hoping to have your car repaired, and Google Maps won't be to blame, as a new enterprise has only just begun operating at this address in the last few weeks.

This is a laundry service called Bugada - one of the many such enterprises that have been mushrooming in the neighborhood in recent years in order to serve visitors staying at the many short-term holiday rentals in the area.

Such laundromats are now easy to find in neighborhoods such as Koukaki, Pangrati and Mets - i.e. where an increasing number of apartments are being let on platforms such as Airbnb and HomeAway. Most operate on a 24-hour basis, seven days a week, and many offer the full set of services:...