An true insider who personifies the exquisite Myconian Collection’s hospitality concept.
The values that have helped me in my work…
…in all my years in high-level hospitality, my starting point has been honesty in communication. I have the ability to understand what everybody needs, to care for the visitor at a personal level and to really give them my attention – usually these people end up being my best friends.
If a loved one were to come to Mykonos from the other side of the world, the first place I would show them on the island…
…would be Yalos, down on the beach. It is the most authentic place in town, with all the flavours of then and now.
I would also welcome them to the area of the group’s businesses…
…which is a specific corner in Korali with a lovely view. This is where it all started for me; it
is my own little corner.
I feel different in Mykonos compared to the rest of Greece…
…I feel safer. I have lived on the island for a long time and had the luxury of observing nature and the changing seasons throughout the year. In spring, there is the expectation of the season; then comes the joy of working; then tiredness… I experience each season with its own particular feeling.
There is a place on the island that has remained untouched by time…
…and I find it truly relaxing: it’s the Armenistis Lighthouse. I like to go there to unwind, especially when it is very windy.
When guests arrive (at the Myconian Collection Hotels & Resorts), I spontaneously tell them, “Welcome home”. This is our code.
However, the island produces its own wealth.
…we the people of Mykonos are very lucky. Every genuine Myconian invests in their island, in the same way that the Daktylides family has done. They grow up on the island, go to school here and work here with no intention of going away or leaving it in the hands of strangers.
People have left me speechless for many years now…
…being with them is like having Christmas twice a year. People come back loaded with gifts for me. When they arrive, I spontaneously tell them, “Welcome home”. This is our code. To them, the hotels are their home to which they long to return. Imagine how astonishing this is! People from Central Europe who do not often let their feelings show let themselves go here. How can I forget one Belgian customer who always kept to himself? Once, he was in a bad mood and when one of our employees went by and tenderly touched his hair, putting a stray strand back in place, he was so moved that he burst into tears. What we would consider a simple gesture, set him free.
For most visitors to Mykonos, the excess of the 90s is long gone, and has been replaced by…
…intense life experiences.
Today, the Mykonos miracle is all about…
…release! Exploring one’s innermost desires. Everyone comes to the island wanting to get something out of their system. Partying is a way to let off steam and an experience in itself.
My job has taught me so much and I have felt myself improving throughout the years…
…I have acquired knowledge, wisdom, wealth, and I’ve come out stronger. I have found virtue in people and benefited from it. I have developed my communication skills and learned to give more. I remember the people that are now running the businesses, when they were very young going to school, and I was helping them with their homework. I am so proud of what they have achieved. We all are. Last year, at the end of a very hard season for all of us, an employee asked Marios Daktylides if she could write something on his shirt, and she took a permanent marker and wrote, “Always in love with you! Your staff!”.