After a 20-year career in institutional trading, Natasha Martsekis decided it was time to pursue a passion for hospitality and founded Bright Blue Villas.
The business, which was founded in 2014, operates in the luxury market.
“The same way I had learned to operate in banking, I thought the owners were desperately looking for someone who would speak their language—not necessarily the financial language, but mostly the language of trust, of accountability, of seeing them as strategic partners in what the company does. So that was the mantra and the DNA of the company from the very beginning,” said Martsekis during an interview in the PhocusWire studio at Phocuswright Europe 2026.
She added that this “institutional approach” was one of the things she got right but feels she should have been more aggressive in building the portfolio at the time.
The portfolio has grown to 325 villas across 20 destinations in Greece and Martsekis believes there is great opportunity to grow further within the destination.
“I think it is scalable, because what we're seeing now is some exceptional villas continuing to be built on the smaller islands—something we didn't have when we started the company.”
She also discussed the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the luxury market and said it can facilitate rather than replace the human touch.
Martsekis believes AI can make a difference in pre-booking and pre-arrival phases and to offer them similar stays at different properties when they book again.
She also touched on the challenges in operating the business, destination evolution and acting as an experience concierge.
From banker to luxury villa specialist