You've got 6 months (November–April) to prepare the assets that need to perform across a season of roughly 5 months (May–September). Most owners leave it to the last 2 weeks, then pay extra for the rush and end up with lower-quality work. Here's a month-by-month checklist to reach May 100% ready.
The Mykonos season really runs about 5 months (May–September), peaking in July and August. If you're unprepared then, you miss your shot at 80% of the year's revenue. This guide gives you a prep timeline that starts back in November.
November: Audit & strategy
As the season winds down, while the data is still fresh:
- Analytics review: which pages pulled traffic? Where did the bookings come from (Booking.com vs direct vs walk-in)?
- Reviews audit: which themes came up again and again in your Google/Tripadvisor reviews? (the good and the bad)
- Competitor scan: your 5 closest rivals — what did they change on their site/social/menu this season?
- Budget setting: brand, web, marketing and photography for next season.
December: Brand & photography
These are the jobs with the longest lead time. Start now so you have room for revisions.
- Brand refresh (if needed): logo, colours, typography, menu/signage updates. 3–5 weeks.
- New photography: hero shots, room shots, food photography, lifestyle. 2-day shoot + 2 weeks in post.
- 360° tour: if you don't have one, now's the ideal time. 2–4 hours on site + 48h delivery.
Why now? The photographer actually has availability, and the island is "clean" — no crowds getting in the way of your shots.
January: Website refresh
- Update the copy: new rates, new experience options, fresh staff intros.
- Upload the new photography.
- Update the FAQ with whatever people kept asking last year (from emails/messages).
- Page speed audit (PageSpeed Insights). Fix the issues.
- Schema markup review.
- Multi-language coverage (add FR/DE if you don't have it).
February: Print + signage
- Print materials: menus, business cards, brochures, welcome packs. 1–3 weeks design + 3–5 working days print.
- Signage refresh: exterior, interior, room numbers, do-not-disturb cards.
- Packaging for takeaway/retail.
- Print on Mykonos (cmykonos.gr or a local printer) — skip the delivery wait from Athens.
March: Marketing setup
The goal: launch campaigns 2–3 weeks before the season to build awareness ahead of time.
- Meta Pixel + Google conversion tracking — verified and working.
- Audience research: lookalikes from last year's guests, interest stacks updated.
- Creative production: 3–5 video ads + 5–10 static ads.
- Search ad campaigns: brand + non-brand keywords.
- Email automation: pre-arrival sequences ready (5 emails).
- Content calendar for social: April–September ready.
April: Soft launch + final checks
- Launch the ads (lower budget for the first week, then scale).
- Social posting begins (3–5x per week).
- Press / influencer outreach (luxury travel bloggers, local press).
- Staff training on the new brand voice / phone scripts / email templates.
- Final website QA: book a fake reservation end-to-end. Squash the bugs.
- Backup plan: what do you do if the site goes down at peak in August?
May onwards: Execution mode
From here on, you don't change strategy. You execute. Optimise ads weekly (don't overhaul them, just tweak). Collect reviews. Reply fast to enquiries (every hour of delay noticeably cuts your chances of closing the booking).
The secret of owners who grow revenue year after year: everything above is ready before May. They're not wrestling with websites and brochures while running 80% occupancy.
What you lose by leaving it to the last minute
- Photography: rush bookings in April = €2,500 instead of €1,500.
- Web design: a 3–5 week project crammed into 1–2 = compromised quality.
- Print: Greek printers are fully booked in April. You head to Athens and lose 5 days.
- Marketing: algorithms need 2–3 weeks to optimise. Launch on 1 May, see results on 20 May = you've lost 3 weeks of season.
Frequently asked questions
It's my first time opening — where do I start?+
How much should I budget overall?+
Do you do it all together, or do I have to pick?+
What if my budget is tight?+
Ready to start your prep?
We take on new clients November–February. From March we're almost fully booked. First call, no strings attached.