Interview with Pavlos Psychogios, General Manager at Branco Mykonos

Lifestyle - Interview

by Melisa Kaya

We always want better. Holiday, holiday on an island, a holiday in the pearl of the Aegean, Mykonos, and staying at a hotel on one of its unique beaches. Yes, we always want more, it's in our nature. Branco Mykonos is a 5-star hotel located on the sandy beach of Platis Gialos. It offers its guests the privileges of Mykonos since 2017. A traditional Greek restaurant where you can try local delicacies, the bar that brings you together with flavors that will add color to your holiday, 21 luxury rooms decorated with the spirit of Mykonos, hot sands, and the waters of the Aegean Sea. Branco Mykonos promises a unique Mykonos experience to its guests. I talked with Pavlos Psychogios, General Manager at Branco Mykonos, about Branco Mykonos.

Pavlos, before talking about Branco Mykonos, could you tell us about yourself and your career?

I was born in 1985 in a small town close to Athens, named ''Xylokastro'', where I stayed until the end of school. After that, I entered the University of Crete and I graduated from the economics department. In 2008, I started the postgraduate program ''Master in Service Management'' with specialization in Tourism in the University of Athens. My first job was at the hotel ''O&B Athens Boutique Hotel'' as a receptionist and later as front office manager. In 2015 I worked as Hotel Manager at the same hotel until I moved to Branco Mykonos in 2017.

Branco Mykonos

Branco Mykonos is located at the shore of the Aegean Sea. Please tell us about your location and Mykonos.

Starting from the island of Mykonos, after 2 years there, I realized why this island is one of the most famous destinations. From the town with the windmills and the little Venice and the magnificent beaches, to some top places for food and drinks and the excellent customer service, this island is the perfect choice for everyone. Not only for couples and friends but also for families and solo travelers.

Talking about Branco Mykonos, the location of the hotel is one of its strongest advantages. It is a beachfront hotel, which is located at the widest part of Platis Gialos beach, one of the less windy beaches of Mykonos. In the same time, is close to town (10-15 minutes by car) and is between ''Psarrou'' beach and ''Paraga'' beach where the famous beach clubs ‘’Nammos’’ and ‘’Scopios’’ are located.

Branco Mykonos

What do you enjoy most about Mykonos?

For sure the atmosphere of the island. Everyone that is staying in Mykonos, from the people coming for holidays to the staff and the locals, are enjoying their time, they have positive energy and are happy to talk with you something that makes you feel very nice and comfortable.

Branco Mykonos

Could you tell us about Branco Mykonos and the overall concept?

Branco Mykonos is a 5 stars hotel, which opened in June 2017. It consists of 21 luxury rooms, a restaurant with fine Greek food and a beach bar. Our intention is to make Branco Mykonos one the best small resorts of Mykonos. Furthermore, we have very high standards in the customer service and we try really hard to make our guests feel at home and want to come back again and again.

Branco Mykonos - Prestige Suite with Jacuzzi, Sea View

What kind of different rooms and suites do you offer to your guests? Could you tell us about their features and design details?

All our rooms, except for one, provide direct Sea View either from their balcony or their private terrace. We have four Suites, three on the ground floor with Jacuzzi and one on the first floor. The rooms - suites that are located on the ground floor provide very easy access to the pool and the beach and have an entrance yard with a shower and a front yard with a double built bed. The rooms on the first floor provide amazing direct Sea View. White is the main color in all our rooms, which are modernly designed and constructed with care in every single detail.

Branco Mykonos - Restaurant

What would you want to say about the gastronomic diversity of Greece? How could your guest live this experience in Branco Mykonos?

Personally, I believe the thing that diverse Greek cuisine from other cuisines, is the existence of some top ingredients like olive oil and feta cheese and the fact that offers a wide variety of options from seafood and meat to spaghetti and pizza. In Branco Mykonos, we have a Greek restaurant on the beach, something rare for Mykonos. Our aim is to offer our clients a unique gastronomic experience by using fresh ingredients and inspired receipts.

Branco Mykonos - Pool

What are the privileges that you offer to guests that want to organize their weddings and parties in Branco Mykonos?

Weddings, parties and other special celebrations are very important for us that's why we have a specific department. What we offer, is mostly a special offer for their accommodation or a discount for their consumption at the other departments (Restaurant, Beach, Spa).

Branco Mykonos - Spa

How could your guests spend time at Branco Mykonos?

Our guests spend a lot of their time in our hotel, which is something very important for us. We have many guests that when they come, they reschedule their itinerary in order to spend more time in our establishment. A typical day for Branco Mykonos' guests, is to lie at the beach or the pool after their breakfast until early afternoon when they go for lunch either at the restaurant of our hotel or somewhere else. Many of our guests arrange a massage at the beach spa of our hotel and enjoy the sun at the comfortable sunbeds. For the night a very nice option is to enjoy a cocktail at the bar of our hotel before going for dinner. This summer, from the end of June until the beginning of September, we had a music event every Saturday, at the beach in which most of our guests participated either by having a complimentary bottle of champagne at the balcony of their room or by attending the event.

Branco Mykonos

What kind of additional services do you offer for the businessperson who can not leave their business life behind?

In Branco Mykonos, we have a small business center next to the lounge and a less noisy place, where our guests can attend a conference call or make a meeting. Free wi-fi is offered to everyone both at the room and all the public areas of our hotel.

Do you have any advantage packs or loyalty program that you offer to your regular and long-term guests?

Branco Mykonos is dedicated to offering the best services in order to create a basis of long term guests. This is a challenge for us and until now I can say that we are doing pretty well. What we are doing at the moment is to give a special coupon code to our repeated guests with a bigger discount for their accommodation and more flexibility as for the payment and cancellation policies. This is a coupon that they can use for their stay no matter if it is during the low or high season. In our plans is to create a loyalty program, which will be used not only for Branco Mykonos but also for our hotels in Athens.

Branco Mykonos

How can travelers make their individual or business/group reservations?

Travelers can make their individual or group reservation through our website: www.brancomykonos.com. It is very easy, fast and safe to proceed to a reservation via our website. Of course, our reservations department is more than happy to give all the necessary information and suggestions following the needs of the guests. By saying that, travelers can make their reservation also directly through our reservations department either by e-mail or phone call.

What are the most famous attractions near Branco Mykonos?

The most famous attractions near Branco Mykonos, are ''Psarrou'' beach, where the restaurant - bar ''Nammos'' is located, ''Scorpios'' in ''Paraga'' beach, which is one of the most famous places for food, drinks, and parties and ''Super Paradise'' beach.

Branco Mykonos

If you have only one weekend in Mykonos as a first-time visitor, in this limited time, what are the best things to do?

Just a weekend is a very short period for Mykonos, so the travelers should visit the most famous attractions on the island. These are Mykonos Town with the windmills, the little ''Venice'', the nice churches and the many places for shopping and restaurants for dinner. Except for the town, travelers should choose one of the nice beaches of the island to go for swimming or lie at the beach and either spend the whole day there having a meal or go to a nice restaurant-bar during the night.

How do you describe Mykonos in one sentence?

Paradise on earth.

Thank you Pavlos for your time.

For more information, please click here to visit the website of Branco Mykonos

This interview was conducted in a Question-and-Answer format. The answers were checked for grammar and punctuation and published without any additional editing. Friday, March 8, 2019. All photos are the property of their respective owners.