Let me tell you about a call I received one July, about four days before a client’s arrival in Mykonos.

He had booked a villa through a well-known platform. Magnificent photographs. Strong reviews. Considerable money paid. And then, four days out, the owner rang to say it was not available. Double booking. The platform was terribly sorry. A refund was coming. Here, have a look at these alternatives.

The alternatives were rubbish. It was July. I should not need to explain what July means in Mykonos.

As CEO of Concierge Unique, I spent the better part of that afternoon on the phone with people I have known since before some of our competitors were in business. By evening, he had something considerably better than what he had lost. He has not used a platform since. Neither, if they are honest with themselves, should most people reading this.

The dirty secret of villa rental platforms

Platforms list what owners choose to put on them. This seems obvious until you think about what owners choose not to put on them.

The finest villa I know in Mykonos has never appeared on any website. The owner is a particular man with strong opinions about who sleeps in his beds. He has known me for twenty years. Every summer, certain weeks are set aside. No listing. No photographs for strangers. A telephone call, the right name, a confirmed arrangement.

This is not unusual. It is, in my experience, rather common among the properties worth staying in.

Platforms serve a genuine market and I do not disparage them entirely. But they deal in…

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