Viadi Group acquires a majority interest in US based villa specialist, WhereToStay.com
Today, Viadi Group SA (“Viadi”) is proud to announce that we’ve acquired a majority interest in WhereToStay.com, LLC, (“WhereToStay.com”), partnering with the founders of the business, Thom and Shawna Dunaway, as well as, the General Manager (and Chief Beach Officer), Andrew Macafee.
Headquartered in Boerne near San Antonio in Texas, WhereToStay.com is a market leader in villa rentals in the Caribbean, with over 2,000 villas across 22 islands from Barbados to St Barths and beyond. The transaction was facilitated by AJL Atelier, Simon Lehmann, based Cham, Switzerland.
WhereToStay.com has a long track record and has enjoyed exceptional organic growth over recent years, underpinned by its knowledgeable and friendly team, as well as, highly efficient technology. Thom Dunaway, Co-Founder, of WhereToStay.com commented: “After more than 25 years of running the business, we’re excited to partner with Viadi to take WhereToStay.com through the next chapter of growth. Access to a wider pool of resources, economies of scale and fresh insight will all serve to propel the business and we’ll be sure to retain the fun and charismatic approach to renting villas that we’ve always had - born out of the team’s passion for the Caribbean islands”.
Auret van Zyl, Co-Founder & CEO of Viadi added: “From the outset we wanted to add a villa business to the Viadi portfolio. WhereToStay.com has an impressive track record and is well-positioned to capitalise on the strong market growth we have seen within this sector. The acquisition also bolsters the cross-selling opportunities within the Viadi Group and provides a springboard into the US market for our other travel brands, including Leo Trippi and The Explorations Company, which was acquired this time last year and already has a strong US following.”
The WhereToStay.com team led by Andrew Macafee will continue to operate from their HQ in Texas and will be supported by members of the wider Viadi family to scale up the business. Andrew commented: “The first port of call will be business as usual, making sure we serve our clients and continue to grow in the Caribbean with new product. In parallel we’ll start working on plans to expand into Europe”.
Viadi Group SA
Viadi is an independent investment company founded and funded by three entrepreneurs who successfully developed travel businesses for more than a decade. The company partners with ambitious founders and teams to grow exceptional high-end travel companies. The name “Viadi” comes from the Rätoromanisch for travel or journey.
WhereToStay.com, LLC
WhereToStay.com began in 1995 as a hotel travel guide, with a mission to help travelers find the perfect place to vacation in the Caribbean. Luxury villas set sail under the WhereToStay.com flag in 2001. Today, WhereToStay.com is one of the leading villa rental specialists and has been listed in National Geographic Traveler “Best Travel Websites” & and Forbes “Best of the Web.”
