Early pioneers in the Hotel Industry:

Gregory Taylor (Sotirios Tavoularis) came to NY in l907 from Marmara. By l930, he was the general Manager of the St. Moritz; a few years later, he purchased the same and the Buckingham. Half his total employees were Greeks. Today, there is still a scholarship in his name given to a worthy individual graduating from the Cornell Hotel School. He served as president of the Holy Trinity Cathedral and later was Chairman of the Greek War Relief. Together with his wife, Lone, they were a familiar site in the Greek social scene.
John, Socrates and Angelo Nicholas came from Thrace in the early l920's. They took on the name "Nicholas" from Hadjiyanakis. Over the years, they owned the Pickwick, the Byron, the Athens, the Atlas, the Rex and the Newton, as well as the Floridian Hotel in Miami Beach. The Rex Hotel was a special hotel because it became a meeting location for many who came to meet their newly arrived immigrant relatives. This location also served as the home for the Rex Travel Agency, still flourishing today, but owned by another Greek family at another location.
The Catskills was an area that proved to be a good vacation location, so several Greek owned hotels flourished there. Some of the best known were The Sunset Springs Hotel in Haines Falls, owned by John Stames, the Kalithea Hotel and the Majestic. Big name Greek singers performed there, including Nick Gounaris, Eva Styl and the Trio Bel Canto.