60 seconds with... Sani/Ikos Resorts' Lee Barker

Q. You introduced new villas at Ikos Andalusia this year – tell us more.

When we looked at our client trends, we noticed we were attracting larger families, and while we have two and three‑bedroom villas already, we knew we needed to introduce something extra, so we added two four‑bedroom single‑storey villas at Ikos Andalusia. These come with the Deluxe benefits such as Taittinger on arrival, two back and neck massages a week and an upgraded Tesla Model Y – and we allow them to book two Teslas for a day a week due to the higher occupancy.

Q. How have the villas been received?

Feedback has been brilliant. As soon as we announced them to the trade, agents fed back that they thought it would be a very popular option as many book several suites and penthouses for big groups, but this allows for one booking and everyone to be together. As the brand expands we will introduce more villas at our existing properties and villas will also be incorporated in our future expansion. We definitely want to have more villas in our portfolio.

Q. Talk us through your upcoming openings.

We’re really excited about our plans for new openings. We’ll open in Crete in 2026 with Ikos Kissamos. That will be followed by Ikos Pinomar in Marbella in 2027 and Ikos Cortesia in Portugal in 2028. With so much expansion and development, our relationship with the trade will only continue to get stronger and stronger.