Kiwi Collection
Kiwi Collection is a Vancouver-based online luxury hotel booking platform curating over 2,000 properties across 130 countries. It operates a commission-based model serving affluent travelers, travel agents, and Visa premium cardholders through proprietary ratings, exclusive perks, and the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersVancouver, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Kiwi Collection does
Kiwi Collection is a Vancouver-based, privately held online luxury hotel booking platform founded in 2003 by Brian Mumby. The company curates a collection of over 2,000 luxury hotels and resorts across 130 countries, with properties personally inspected by in-house experts and rated using a proprietary ten-criteria system called the Kiwi Score. Headcount of 51–100 supports operations from its Vancouver headquarters (200 Granville Street, Suite 1030), with the company functioning as a global two-sided marketplace between curated hotel supply and demand from affluent travelers, travel agents, and Visa premium cardholders.
The underlying technology is a proprietary booking platform integrating search, reservation, customer account management, and the Kiwi Score rating engine. The product surface includes the core booking site, Kiwi Perks (complimentary on-property extras such as upgrades, welcome amenities, and credits), a Best Rate Guarantee with 24-hour price matching, the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection (a white-labeled channel offering seven premium benefits to eligible Visa cardholders at 900+ properties), the Travel Agent Portal (free B2B membership with full commission pass-through), and the Partner Portal for hotel supply management. Editorial and demand-generation assets include Passport Magazine (a travel content blog), Wow Picks, the Hot List, and Kiwi Awards sub-brands, supported by organic social (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, Pinterest) and email newsletters.
Kiwi Collection operates on a commission-based revenue model, earning fees from hotels on bookings facilitated through its channels. Consumers pay no membership fees; travel agents receive free membership and full commissions paid directly by hotels. Distribution is multi-channel: direct website and phone sales staffed by luxury hotel specialists, the B2B travel agent portal, and the embedded Visa co-branded channel. The company is founder-led, with no disclosed institutional funding rounds, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Senior leadership comprises Brian Mumby (President, Co-founder), Brooke Van Hatten (VP Marketing), Cynthia Verboon (VP Hotel Programs, ex-Starwood), Faruq Abushamat (VP Finance, CPA), and Dana Hangai (Director, Product Management, Stanford AB / UVA MBA, ex-Thomson Reuters, IBM, Capital One).
Kiwi Collection firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Kiwi Collection
- Legal name
- Kiwi Collection Inc.
- Website
- https://kiwicollection.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Kiwi Collection is a Vancouver-based online luxury hotel booking platform curating over 2,000 properties across 130 countries. It operates a commission-based model serving affluent travelers, travel agents, and Visa premium cardholders through proprietary ratings, exclusive perks, and the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Kiwi Collection industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Luxury Hotel Booking Marketplace
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Vacation Rental Marketplaces (Curated/Verified Villas) (THAMALAH)
Keywords
Where Kiwi Collection is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Vancouver
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Kiwi Collection business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Hotel Commission: Kiwi Collection earns commissions from hotel partners for bookings made through their platform. Travel agents also receive full commissions direct from hotels for bookings with valid credentials (IATA, TIDS, ARC, or CLIA numbers).
- Travel Agent Membership: Free membership for travel agents providing access to the hotel collection, booking tools, and ability to extend Kiwi Perks to clients. Kiwi Collection benefits from increased transaction volume through the agent network.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | No membership fee - free for consumers |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free travel agent membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Kiwi Collection product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Kiwi Collection operates a curated online marketplace that helps travelers find and book luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, providing access to more than 2,000 handpicked properties across 130 countries. The platform combines personally inspected and rated inventory (Kiwi Score), exclusive perks such as upgrades and welcome amenities, a best rate guarantee, and personalized service from luxury hotel specialists. Bookings generate commission revenue from hotel partners, while consumers use the service for free.
Product overview
Kiwi Collection operates as a curated luxury hotel booking platform offering access to over 2,000 handpicked properties across 130 countries. The core platform (Kiwi Collection Platform) enables travelers to search, browse, and book luxury accommodations. The offering includes several value-added modules: Kiwi Perks provides complimentary extras like upgrades and welcome amenities at participating hotels; the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection partnership extends seven premium benefits to eligible Visa cardholders; and the Best Rate Guarantee ensures competitive pricing. Supporting products include Passport Magazine for travel inspiration, the proprietary Kiwi Rating System for hotel evaluation, Wow Picks and Hot List for curated selections, and the Travel Agent Portal enabling travel professionals to access and book hotels while earning commissions. The Partner Portal allows hotels to manage their presence. Together these products form an end-to-end luxury travel booking ecosystem.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Kiwi Collection Booking Platform Consumer-facing online platform that enables travelers to search, compare, and book more than 2,000 curated luxury hotels and resorts across 130 countries, with no membership fees.
- Travel Agent Portal Free membership platform for professional travel agents, providing access to Kiwi Collection's hotel inventory, commission management, search and booking tools, and the ability to extend Kiwi Perks to clients.
- Partner Portal Secure portal enabling hotel partners to manage their listings, availability, and relationship with Kiwi Collection.
Quantifiable outcome
- 2,000+ luxury properties curated across 130+ countries
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Kiwi Collection
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Kiwi Collection technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Kiwi Collection partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Visa Inc.coreKiwi Collection powers and manages the Visa Luxury Hotel Collection, an exclusive program available through Visa's white-labeled sites and Kiwi Collection. Eligible Visa premium cardholders (Signature, Infinite, Platinum, Gold) receive seven benefits: best available rate guarantee, automatic room upgrade, complimentary Wi-Fi, continental breakfast, $25 F&B credit, VIP Guest status, and late check-out. The partnership covers 900+ Kiwi Collection properties globally.
- Travel Agent NetworkcoreKiwi Collection provides free membership to travel agents with valid credentials (IATA, TIDS, ARC, CLIA numbers). Agents receive full commissions on bookings, instant access to 2,300+ properties, powerful search and booking tools, and ability to extend Kiwi Perks to their clients. The partnership enables travel professionals to offer exclusive benefits while earning competitive commissions.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Kiwi Collection competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Tablet Hotels: Curated boutique hotel booking platform (now part of Michelin) that focuses on expert-recommended hotels in major cities. Directly comparable curated-luxury proposition with a similar editorial lens.
- Mr & Mrs Smith: Curated luxury hotel booking platform with a members club, hotel reviews, and exclusive perks. Closest direct competitor to Kiwi Collection's curated, paid-perks approach to luxury accommodation booking.
- Leading Hotels of the World: Long-established curated luxury hotel collection with hotel-vetted quality standards and a leader club program. Comparable to Kiwi Collection in offering expert-curated luxury stays with exclusive benefits.
- Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH): Collection-based luxury hotel brand and booking platform with a curated roster of 500+ boutique luxury properties. Mirrors Kiwi's curation-first, quality-vetted approach with a global footprint.
- Virtuoso: Luxury travel advisor network providing curated hotel bookings and exclusive perks for high-net-worth clients via travel agents. Overlaps directly with Kiwi's travel-agent channel and curated-luxury positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Booking.com (Booking Holdings): World's largest online travel agency with extensive luxury inventory and aggressive commission-funded marketing. Competes with Kiwi on every luxury booking but does not specialize in curation or exclusivity.
- Expedia: Major OTA with luxury hotel inventory and partner programs. Competes with Kiwi across price, breadth, and rewards programs but lacks Kiwi's curated-luxury positioning.
Emerging players
- Belmond: Luxury hotel brand with strong direct-booking capabilities and curated experiences. Comparable high-end clientele and stays, but Belmond owns its inventory where Kiwi is a marketplace.
- Plum Guide: Vetted luxury vacation rental marketplace serving affluent travelers with quality-tested homes. Adjacent to Kiwi's curated-luxury thesis but focused on private rentals rather than hotels.
- Aman Reservations: Aman operates direct booking for its portfolio of ultra-luxury resorts and competes for the top-end of the same high-net-worth traveler set Kiwi targets, though it does not aggregate third-party inventory.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Kiwi Collection social profiles
Digital presenceKiwi Collection financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Kiwi Collection leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Kiwi Collection funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Kiwi Collection M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Kiwi Collection
What does Kiwi Collection do?
Kiwi Collection operates a curated online marketplace that helps travelers find and book luxury hotels and resorts worldwide, providing access to more than 2,000 handpicked properties across 130 countries. The platform combines personally inspected and rated inventory (Kiwi Score), exclusive perks such as upgrades and welcome amenities, a best rate guarantee, and personalized service from luxury hotel specialists. Bookings generate commission revenue from hotel partners, while consumers use the service for free.
Is Kiwi Collection a public or private company?
Kiwi Collection is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Kiwi Collection founded?
Kiwi Collection was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Kiwi Collection based?
Kiwi Collection is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Kiwi Collection make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Hotel Commission is the primary driver. The others are travel Agent Membership.
Who are Kiwi Collection's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Tablet Hotels, Mr & Mrs Smith, Leading Hotels of the World, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLH) and Virtuoso. Broad incumbents are Booking.com (Booking Holdings) and Expedia. Emerging players are Belmond, Plum Guide and Aman Reservations.
Does Kiwi Collection have an API?
No public API is recorded for Kiwi Collection.
What industry is Kiwi Collection in?
Kiwi Collection's product category is Luxury Hotel Booking Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMALAH, Luxury Vacation Rental Marketplaces (Curated/Verified Villas).