Page 73 - MYCONIAN COLLECTION MAG 2017

"My parents would sacrifice anything to create opportunities
for us. Dad worked from morning to night and invested all the
profits back into the business", Vangelis recalls.
Above: Young Eleftheria Daktylides with her parents at Delos.
On the right: Marios, Vangelis, Markos and Panos Daktylides.

Concurrently, George started trading in cement, bricks and sand island’s first 5-star hotel, the Myconian Ambassador Relais & Chateaux.
that he was hauling to the mines and construction sites, and for ten “By that stage, my parents had realised that we needed an education
years mixed concrete and brought in coils of rebar used for structural in international management”, says Vangelis. All four sons attended
reinforcement. “I can still remember the ringing sound of both of my in turn the premier establishment of its kind, the world-renowned
grandfathers hammering to uncoil the steel just below our house. hotel school in Lausanne. “There was never a question in our minds
Everything was done by hand.” whether this is what we wanted to do”. Once all four brothers
Tourist accommodation on the island had grown modestly with the state- were back on the island, they were ready for a new challenge: the
funded construction and informal room and board offers, but demand conquest of Elia bay. If the seaside beaches around the peninsula
from visitors drawn to experience the warm hearts, rich culture and are the golden crown of Mykonos, few are said to gleam as brightly
the exceptional hospitality of the locals continued to grow. It was not as the broad swathe of fine sand on the South side of the island.
uncommon for cash-strapped backpackers in the 80s to be invited to So, in securing the most scenic cliffs and gentle slope of fields that
open up their sleeping bags on private terraces under the stars. joined them with the ocean, they acquired the perfect setting for
So, with his burgeoning contacts in trading and construction, George the new stars in the Myconian Collection’s luxury constellation:
decided to undertake a development of his own, seeing an opportunity the 5-Star Royal in 2000 and the Imperial in 2002, followed by the
to build the first hotel on Mykonos outside of town. Marios recounts: Villas, Utopia and Avaton.
“He came home one day on a Caterpillar that he picked up second- Throughout this time, the Collection never lost the sense of family and
hand and it remained his favourite set of wheels, long after he could organic growth. Interwoven with their managerial philosophy and
have any car he wanted.” The well-worn but solid 920 four-cylinder operation approach, it pervades the relationships between the Daktylides
diesel loader went on to dig the foundations of his first four hotels, family, the island and the staff – and flows into guests’ experience of
starting with the 25-room Kohilii in 1979. Set high above town and warm and personalized service, as well as the privileged relationships
looking directly onto the seven famous 16th Century windmills, the that discreetly open doors to the island’s best suppliers and services.
charming little hotel that commanded sweeping views of the Aegean The family remains firmly rooted in Mykonos. Their children go to
by day, and the glittering spectacle of the town by night. Kohili was school on the island. And their dedication to give back to the island
the first private hotel on Mykonos outside Chora, and an instant hit, finds expression in environmental conservation initiatives, local sourcing
followed by Korali a year later to double the room count. and consistent support to the Cycladic communities: waste is recycled,
Their success was built on the back of hard work. Eleftheria made worn linen is donated to old age homes, prisons and monasteries in the
breakfast for all the guests and did the housekeeping and laundry, as Cyclades, seawater is desalinated.
well as providing meals for the 40 construction workers who were busy Even nowadays, five years after stepping down as CEO, George
erecting the new hotel. She was also raising four sons, and somehow Daktylides remains a busy man. His way of relaxing is getting involved
still found the time to take her boys for a daily swim. “I can still smell in the new projects, as well as making sure that all nine grandchildren
the cake she baked for the hotel in our kitchen”, Vangelis recalls. “She have a steady supply of “real” food. He does his rounds to every home
gets emotional when we talk about those times... My parents would once a week in a Toyota Hilux, with trays of farm eggs on the passenger
sacrifice anything to create opportunities for us. Dad worked from seat and home bred lamb and goat’s meat in the back, as well as cheese
morning to night and invested all the profits back into the business, and cake made by Eleftheria. “As you see, I’ve got my retirement sorted
and my mother had one good pair of Sunday shoes which she would out”, says Vangelis. “And it’s a good thing that we are four brothers,
only wear before walking into church”. because our parents’ shoes are very big to fill”.
The personal touch and attention to detail that to this day defines the “Someone once asked me what advice did our parents give us along the
Myconian Collection, inspired a loyal clientele and a reputation that way. My answer was short: they led by example. In French, I believe
spread by word of mouth. Six years later, Kyma and Kalypso joined Kohili there is a term for it, l’�ducation silencieuse. We are each other’s most
and Korali to form what became known as ‘K-Hotels’. In anticipation honest critic and loyal allies. When we balance the pragmatic demands
of growing demand for luxury destinations, George purchased a plot of a competitive business with deeply rooted emotions, we’re not just
in 1986 on the south coast above the bay of Platys Gialos and built the planning for the financial year, but also for the next generation”.

MYCONIAN COLLECTION 73