You've got 6 months (November–April) to prepare the assets that need to perform across a 4-month season (May–August). Most owners leave it to the last 2 weeks, then pay 3× the cost and end up with lower-quality work. Here's a month-by-month checklist to reach May 100% ready.
The Mykonos season is genuinely 4 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. 1-day shoot + 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. 2–3 weeks design + 1 week 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 = -10% conversion).
The secret of owners who post +30% revenue every 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 6-week project crammed into 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.