Exploring Myconian Collection: A legacy of Greek hospitality

Interview - Anastasios Naoum, Commercial Director, Myconian Collection
2025-01-20
/
/ New Delhi
Exploring Myconian Collection: A legacy of Greek hospitality

Myconian Collection offers travellers a selection of luxurious hotels, each with unique character and amenities

The Myconian Collection, a renowned family-run luxury hotel group in Mykonos, traces its origins back to 1979, founded by George and Elefteria Daktylides. Over the decades, the collection has blossomed with a portfolio of 14 five-star hotels, offering unparalleled experiences to travellers from around the world.
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The Myconian Collection, founded in 1979 by George and Elefteria Daktylides, is a family-run legacy that embodies the charm and beauty of Mykonos, the famed Greek island in the Aegean Sea. 

Anastasios Naoum

Anastasios Naoum

Now led by their four sons, the collection offers travellers a selection of luxurious hotels, each with unique character and amenities.

In an interview with India Outbound, Anastasios Naoum, Commercial Director, Myconian Collection highlights the offerings of the luxury hotel groups and their ambitions for the Indian market. 

What are the origins of the Myconian Collection? 

So, the Myconian Collection started back in 1979. It was the dream and the vision of the founder of the group George Daktylides. It is one of the biggest families on the island of Mykonos. And together with his wife, Elefteria Daktylides they opened the first property in Mykonos town in 1979.

It used to be more like a bed and breakfast with just a couple of dozen rooms. But as tourism started to grow and the demand for the destination evolved, they decided to add more properties into this same area.

One of the milestones in the history of the group is our first five-star property, which is the first five-star property of the island, the Mykonos Ambassador, back in 1992. Then, from 2000 onwards, we added more properties on different locations. We started working with affiliations.

 And from 2010 onwards, the evolution has been enormous. Only in the last 10 years, we have implemented six new developments and we renovated all the other existing properties.

So, right now, we have a portfolio of 14 hotels. Three of them were added last year with the acquisition of two existing hotels because all the other properties on the island are newly built.

The group’s heritage is big. We are probably the oldest provider of accommodation on the island and possibly the first ones in the luxury segment. We take pride in having 14 hotels, all of them into the five-star segment. All of them are affiliated with different brands and we have six different brands within the collection. 

Since it is run by an authentic Greek family, how does it enhance the experience for the travellers? 

Hospitality is in the core of our DNA, not just as a hotel group but as Greeks, which is generated from the second generation, who have over the management of the properties and the construction of the newer projects. 

The difference is that we are Mekonian natives, so we obviously look after the properties and we look after our guests like being at home. Our home is Mykonos, and for that reason we make sure that people will first love the destination and obviously they will experience our hotels and enjoy this experience.

How many Indian travellers did you receive in 2024? 

The percentage, I would say, after Covid-19 has dropped down. So, it is a small ratio compared to other markets. I would estimate that it is not more than 3 pc.

But I have to highlight that the hotels have a very diverse volume of international travellers, with the biggest market, which is the United States market, is at 20 pc. So, all the other markets are varying between 5 to 10 pc. And I would say that we have guests coming from all over the world, literally from all five continents.

For Indians in particular, what is your projection for 2025? 

For 2025, I believe that with the dynamic presence of our group and efforts by the Greek Tourism Board, we can anticipate that we will manage to increase these numbers and have the pleasure to welcome more Indian guests in Greece overall. 

We have high hopes that these numbers will drastically change from 2026 onwards, as there is solid information that airlines will start flying directly to Greece, although I have to highlight that the current connections, especially for the island of Mykonos, are quite convenient, as we have guests travelling through various Middle East airports directly to Mykonos already. 

What is your promotional strategy when it comes to India? 

Because Greece is not an unknown destination, we want to remind people about the warmth and the hospitality we offer, not only in the destination of Mykonos, but all over Greece.

Of course, by educating the trade and educating the end consumers, we strongly believe that people will reconsider visiting Greece again in the years to come. 

We have to increase the number of visits we have on the ground, explore synergies, explore opportunities through various travel trademarks.

And so, obviously, the major shows that will take place in India in the coming year, we anticipate that we will be present, either directly or through our partners.

Do you customise your hotels for the Indian guests, for example for food?

So, I would say first that the culture and the historical background of Greece has a lot of similarities with the Indian one. I would say that in the Mediterranean diet, the use of vegetarian ingredients is part of our daily diet routine. So, for us, offering choices for the Indian clients is not something alien, it is something that is common.

A lot of the famous Greek recipes are purely vegetarian, but we are not only relying on this, but in our restaurants, in our hotels, they offer vegetarian choices in the menus or separate vegetarian menus overall. 

So, also a lot of the recipes we offer, when they are non-vegetarian, they can be offered in a vegetarian way. So, no Indian food is being offered as of now, since the market is not that big, but as this market will grow, we will definitely consider including this as a choice in one of our hotels. 

Do you have any special kind of packages or special kind of offerings for honeymoon travellers or young travellers?

Honeymoon travel or special anniversaries celebration is one of the prime markets we have in our properties. So, I would not categorise it under a certain package.

I would categorise it as a culture within our service, where people celebrate these special occasions, we make sure with many different ways and surprises to offer the best experience. 

So, Mykonos is a popular honeymoon destination. We know well that we not only welcome guests, but we have to undertake a mission that this trip will be very special for them. There are particular amenities and small surprises offered during their stays.

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