Jorge Zamora left Chile at 42 with no Greek, no plan, and a need to start over. Nearly two decades later, he is still the first person to greet you at Canaves Collection — and Santorini is no longer temporary.
He came from Valparaíso. He arrived without speaking the language, without knowing the island, leaving behind a career managing pharmaceutical distribution across Chile. The reason was simple and personal: a life that needed resetting.
A friend already working at the first Canaves property made the introduction. Jorge packed up and flew to Santorini. He was 42. He has barely left since.
“It was a way to clear my mind and begin again.”
The beginning was not glamorous. Before the season opened, Jorge helped with maintenance. Then came four months at the dishwashing station. Only after that did he move to the front of the hotel — and into the role that has defined the last eighteen years of his life.
Bellboy. A title that understates everything the job actually requires. On an island built on staircases, it is physical and relentless. But it is also, Jorge will tell you, deeply human. You are the first contact. The first signal. The person who tells a guest, without words, that they are in good hands.
Jorge eventually remarried — and in a detail that feels very Canaves, he and his wife are the first couple to have met while both working at the Collection. She was in housekeeping then. Today she works at Canaves Epitome. Together, they live here for eight months of the year, and spend the quieter winter months traveling or visiting family: three grown children, two in Chile, one in Athens.
“When the owners grow the business, it means they are doing good work. Happy owners, happy staff, happy guests — it’s that simple.”
He has watched Canaves Collection grow from two properties to what it is today. He remembers when the sons of Mr. Yiannis were still studying. He watched them return, step into the business, and build on what their parents created. For Jorge, that continuity — of family, of vision, of people — is what makes it work.
Now sixty years old, Jorge’s philosophy has not changed. He does not think too far ahead. He shows up, he gives his best, and he pays attention to the people in front of him — guests and colleagues alike.
Off the clock, you might find him swimming at Vlychada, drinking coffee in Kamari, or walking through the square in Oia at a pace the tourists never quite manage. Quiet places. Small routines. No need for anything elaborate.
He describes himself as a happy person. After eighteen years, three hotels, one marriage, and one complete reinvention of his life — that seems like exactly the right answer.
And when you arrive at Canaves Collection, he will still be the first face you see.
