Investment company Viadi Group has acquired a majority interest in Caribbean villa rental specialist WhereToStay.com. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
WhereToStay.com says it connects clients with luxury vacation rentals across 22 tropical islands, including Anguilla, Barbados, St. Barth, St. Martin and Turks & Caicos. The business began in 1995 as a hotel travel guide “with a mission to help travelers find the perfect place to vacation in the Caribbean.”
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Viadi is partnering with the founders of WhereToStay.com, Thom and Shawna Dunaway, and general manager Andrew Macafee. The WhereToStay.com team, led by Macafee, will continue to operate from its Texas headquarters, with support from Switzerland-based Viadi in scaling up the business. Macafee says WhereToStay.com will continue to grow in the Caribbean while working on expanding into Europe.
“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,” Thom Dunaway says.
“Access to a wider pool of resources, economies of scale and fresh insight will all serve to propel the business," he adds, "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.”
WhereToStay.com “has an impressive track record and is well positioned to capitalize on the strong market growth we have seen within this sector,” says Auret van Zyl, cofounder and CEO of Viadi.
“The acquisition also bolsters the cross-selling opportunities within the Viadi Group and provides a springboard into the U.S. market for our other travel brands,” van Zyl adds.
Viadi is an independent investment company funded by three entrepreneurs who developed travel businesses for more than a decade. Viadi says it partners with “ambitious founders and teams to grow exceptional high-end travel companies.”