AccorHotels has announced its entry into the online holiday rental business by purchasing a 49 percent stake in Squarebreak, a digital platform that rents private upscale properties in resort locations primarily in France, Spain, and Morocco, and a 30 percent stake in Oasis Collections, the company that pioneered the “home meets hotel” category of accommodations.
Squarebreak is a French startup created in 2013 by hospitality, e-tourism, and real estate experts Hugues van Heesewijk and Maxime Lesaulnier.
“With this investment, AccorHotels is positioning itself to better understand the expectations of guests in a sector where the stay experience and the quality of service are particularly important,” says Vivek Badrinath, deputy CEO of AccorHotels.
“AccorHotels’ investment in Squarebreak will allow us to go quickly to the next step of our development,” says van Heesewijk. “Every day our teams endeavor to propose a new hotel experience in private homes and to simplify the vacation rental market for travelers.”
Oasis Collections was launched in Buenos Aires in 2009, and manages 1,500 properties in 18 destinations in Latin America, the U.S., and Europe. The company offers personalized services including concierges and access to members’ club venues, as well as exposure to international travelers for homeowners.
“Oasis Collections allows us to explore new complementary offers to upscale hotels,” explains Badrinath.
“We are pleased and proud to have AccorHotels alongside us and to benefit from its experience as a global operator and its support in infrastructure and demand generation,” says Parker Stanberry, co-founder and CEO of Oasis Collections. “We share the same hospitality DNA, and this partnership will give us the means to match our ambition to reach 70 top key cities by 2019.”
