Viadi Group

What Viadi Group does

Viadi Group is an independent, founder-controlled investment holding company headquartered in Villars-sur-Glâne, Switzerland, that acquires and operates specialist luxury travel and vacation-rental brands. Founded in late 2021 by Florian Steiger, Auret van Zyl, and Oliver Corkhill — the founders of Leo Trippi — the group functions as a roll-up platform, providing capital, cross-brand resources, and international expansion support while preserving each acquired brand's identity and founding team. As of mid-2023, the portfolio comprises six brands: Leo Trippi (luxury chalet specialist, heritage dating to 1882), Edge Retreats (global luxury villa rental platform, ~6,500 properties across 50+ countries), Explorations Company (philanthropic-led tailor-made travel, founded 1989), Villa Guru (bespoke fully-staffed villa experiences), WhereToStay.com (Caribbean villa specialist, 2,000+ villas), and Prospero Travel (Latin America experiential travel).

The group's offerings are organized around ultra-luxury villa and experiential travel: ski chalet holidays, designer private-island and estate rentals, Caribbean villa vacations, philanthropic-led journeys, and Latin America itineraries. The group's operating footprint spans four regional hubs — Switzerland (Villars-sur-Glâne), the United Kingdom (London/Poulton), the United Arab Emirates (Dubai, JLT), and the United States (Boerne, Texas) — collectively reaching clients in 74 countries across 164 destinations. Revenue is generated through commissions on luxury villa and chalet bookings via the Edge Retreats and WhereToStay.com platforms, and through transaction fees for tailor-made travel experiences sold by Explorations Company, Villa Guru, Leo Trippi, and Prospero Travel. Pricing is opaque and bespoke, consistent with a white-glove service model targeting affluent and ultra-affluent individual travelers and families rather than enterprise accounts. The group's go-to-market is enterprise-style field sales and direct client relationships supported by curated content, industry awards (10 consecutive World's Best Ski Travel Agent titles for Leo Trippi, Condé Nast recognition for Oliver Corkhill), and selective event presence such as the Short Term Rentalz Summit. No AI/ML technology, proprietary platform architecture, or disclosed revenue figures are referenced in the available data; competitive advantage is grounded in brand heritage, founder expertise, and supplier relationships rather than in technology.

Name

Viadi Group

Legal name

Viadi Group SA

Website

https://viadigroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Viadi Group is a Swiss-based, founder-controlled holding company that acquires and grows specialist luxury travel and vacation-rental brands — including Leo Trippi, Edge Retreats, Explorations Company, Villa Guru, WhereToStay.com, and Prospero Travel — serving affluent and ultra-affluent travelers worldwide through four hubs across Switzerland, the UK, the UAE, and the USA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Travel Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Travel Agencies (THAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ultra-Luxury Villas & Estates (THAMAEAA), Lodging Booking & Accommodation Management (HSACAKAC)

Keywords

• Luxury vacation rentals
• Bespoke travel services
• Ski chalet holidays
• Villa rental platform
• Experiential luxury travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Villars-sur-glâne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Vacation Rental Commissions: Viadi Group generates revenue through its portfolio of vacation rental companies (Leo Trippi, Edge Retreats, WhereToStay.com, Villa Guru) which earn commissions on luxury villa and chalet bookings. The companies match discerning clientele with ultra-luxury properties worldwide.
2. Travel Services: Revenue from tailor-made travel experiences through Explorations Company and Prospero Travel, specializing in experiential, philanthropic-led travel to extraordinary destinations.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Viadi Group is a privately-held independent investment company that owns and operates a portfolio of specialist luxury travel and vacation rental brands. The company provides ultra-luxury villa and chalet bookings, bespoke tailor-made journeys, and experiential travel services to affluent and ultra-affluent clients globally through its owned brands Leo Trippi, Edge Retreats, Explorations Company, Villa Guru, WhereToStay.com, and Prospero Travel.

Product overview

Viadi Group is an independent investment company operating as a house of luxury travel brands. The company functions as a platform that acquires, invests in, and grows exceptional high-end travel businesses. Its portfolio includes six distinct brands: Leo Trippi (luxury chalet specialist, heritage dating to 1882), Edge Retreats (global luxury villa rental marketplace with 2,500+ properties), Explorations Company (tailor-made travel with philanthropic focus), Villa Guru (bespoke villa holiday experiences), WhereToStay.com (Caribbean villa specialist with 2,000+ villas), and Prospero Travel (Latin America travel specialist). These brands operate independently while benefiting from shared resources, cross-selling opportunities, and collective growth through Viadi's investment and expansion support. The company has four hubs in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Leo Trippi: Luxury chalet specialist creating exceptional ski holidays and tailor-made mountain experiences. Heritage dating back to 1882. Awarded World’s Best Ski Travel Agent for 10 consecutive years (2014-2023).
• Edge Retreats
• Explorations Company
• Villa Guru
• WhereToStay.com
• Prospero Travel

Products and services

• Leo Trippi Luxury chalet specialist with heritage dating back to 1882, creating exceptional ski holidays and tailor-made mountain experiences in the most sought-after destinations worldwide. Awarded World's Best Ski Travel Agent for 10 consecutive years (2014-2023).
• Edge Retreats Global luxury vacation rental platform based in London, pairing a discerning clientele with over 2,500 ultra-luxury homes in over fifty countries worldwide. Offers lavish designer homes, private islands, estates, castles, ski chalets, and beachfront properties with bespoke services including private chefs, nannies, and super-yachts.
• Explorations Company Tailor-made travel specialist founded by Nicola Shepherd in 1989, specializing in philanthropic-led travel experiences with unrivalled knowledge and expertise in creating unforgettable journeys that protect and benefit local nature, wildlife, and communities.
• Villa Guru Designs bespoke holiday experiences around the world's most exceptional fully-staffed villas and exclusive use properties.
• WhereToStay.com Leading Caribbean villa specialist based in Texas, USA, founded in 1995. Represents over 2,000 carefully selected villas across over 20 islands. Listed in National Geographic Traveler's '5 Best Travel Websites' and Forbes' 'Best of the Web.'
• Prospero Travel Highly bespoke Latin America travel specialist creating unforgettable and life-affirming journeys that immerse travelers in extraordinary destinations, protecting and benefiting local nature, wildlife, and communities. Founded in 2021, acquired by Explorations Company in July 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10 consecutive years as World's Best Ski Travel Agent

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• AJL Atelier / Simon LehmannminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 24 January 2023AJL Atelier, represented by Simon Lehmann based in Cham, Switzerland, facilitated the acquisition transaction of WhereToStay.com by Viadi Group.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Belmond: Owner-operator of luxury hotels, trains, and river cruises - operates at the high end of the luxury travel space that Viadi serves, though with owned rather than agency/marketplace inventory, making it a broad incumbent peer.
• Luxury Retreats (Airbnb): Acquired by Airbnb and now operating as part of Airbnb Luxe, this was a pre-eminent luxury villa rental platform - a direct competitor to Viadi's villa rental portfolio.
• Airbnb Luxe: Airbnb's ultra-luxury tier featuring professionally vetted luxury homes, dedicated trip designers, and concierge services worldwide - a larger incumbent competitor to Viadi's Edge Retreats and WhereToStay.com brands.

Direct peers

• Villiers: Luxury villa rental and chalet specialist operating globally through a curated portfolio - directly comparable to Edge Retreats and Leo Trippi chalet/villa businesses within the Viadi portfolio.
• Kuoni: Swiss-headquartered luxury and premium tour operator with deep heritage in tailor-made travel and destination management - directly comparable to Viadi's Swiss heritage and luxury travel agency positioning.
• Scott Dunn: Luxury tour operator specializing in tailor-made holidays, private villas, and family experiential travel - directly comparable to Viadi's experiential and villa holiday brands serving affluent families.
• Traveller Made: Members-only network of high-end travel designers and agencies focused on luxury bespoke itineraries - comparable to Viadi's exploration and tailor-made travel brands serving affluent clientele.
• Abercrombie & Kent: Pioneering ultra-luxury tour operator founded in 1962, offering tailor-made private travel, villas, and cruises to affluent clients globally - directly comparable to Viadi's bespoke experiential travel brands (Explorations Company, Prospero Travel).
• Black Tomato: Boutique luxury travel company offering bespoke experiential trips and villa holidays to affluent travellers - directly comparable to Viadi's Leo Trippi and Explorations Company brands.

Emerging players

• Sir Resorts / TheSiriGroup: Boutique hotel and villa collection focused on experiential luxury travel - an emerging specialist peer addressing overlapping affluent travel demographics in some destinations served by Viadi.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viadi-group-sa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Viadi Group