Viadi Group buys Edge Retreats for undisclosed sum
UK / Switzerland: Viadi Group SA, a growing collection of high-end travel companies, has announced the acquisition of global luxury villa rental marketplace Edge Retreats for an undisclosed sum.
Based in London, venture-backed Edge Retreats was founded in 2013 and has a portfolio of 6,500 villas across more than 50 countries.
It marks the third acquisition for Viadi after it purchased a majority stake in Caribbean-focused villa rental company WhereToStay.com in January this year and experiential tour operator Explorations Company in 2022.
Oli Corkhill, co-founder of Viadi, said: “I’ve followed Edge Retreats since inception and they have an impressive portfolio of properties around the world, especially in Europe. WhereToStay.com and Edge Retreats are highly complementary, and this latest acquisition will propel the business across both sides of the Atlantic.
“Adding the Edge Retreats properties to the mix will see the overall portfolio of vacation rentals within Viadi approaching 10,000 properties globally,” he added.
Edge Retreats CEO Aurelie Lepercq said: “We are pleased to see Edge Retreats join a collective of such successful luxury vacation rentals and travel brands. Over the years, Edge Retreats has achieved tremendous growth and presence with 6,500 properties across 164 destinations, serving a valued global base of affluent and ultra-affluent clients in 74 countries.
“We look forward to becoming part of the Viadi Group and WhereToStay.com,” she added.
Thom Dunaway, founder of WhereToStay.com, said: “Making this acquisition so early in this next chapter of the WhereToStay.com story is pivotal and allows us to bring product in Europe and the rest of the world to our largely North American-based clients whilst attracting more guests globally.
“We’ve built a highly efficient technology platform over 25 years with unique business logic that will stand us in good stead as we grow the portfolio and client base,” he added.
Viadi will now be looking to capitalise on its growing client base by encouraging loyalty across the collection of brands while remaining on the lookout for further expansion opportunities in new and existing markets, as well as exploring growth in other specialisms within the travel industry.
Viadi’s growing collection of high-end, vacation rental and travel firms include a tour operator, ski chalet specialist, Caribbean villa rental company and now global villa marketplace, all of which are focused on delivering “exceptional” holidays for affluent clients globally. The company has four hubs in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates.
The name ‘Viadi’ comes from the Rhaeto-Romance [a subfamily of the Romance languages spoken in south-eastern Switzerland and north-eastern Italy] for ‘travel’ or ‘journey’.
From the Côte d’Azur to Lake Como, Turks and Caicos to the Swiss Alps, Edge Retreats provides affluent individuals with access to private retreats in more than 50 countries.
The company’s portfolio of estates includes designer homes, private islands, estates and castles, ski chalets and beachfront properties. Bespoke services on offer range from bookable private chefs to nannies, super-yachts and other highly coveted experiences.
In November 2021, Edge Retreats secured an oversubscribed – but undisclosed – round of financing and appointed HomeAway co-founder Carl Shepherd to its board of directors.
CEO Aurelie Lepercq recently spoke at IHM’s Short-Term Rentals Urban Living Insights event on the topic of ‘Scaling a short-term rental / hospitality brand: How to build a pan-European VR company’ alongside speakers from Homes & Villas by Marriott International and Pets Pyjamas.
