Travel by Interest

What Travel by Interest does

Destsetters (operating the Travel by Interest sub-brand) is a Greek hospitality strategy and concept development firm founded in 2012, with headquarters in Athens and a registered presence noted in Larnaca, Cyprus. The firm creates hotel concepts, branding, typology studies, feasibility analyses, and operational briefs for hotel investors, developers, architectural teams, and existing hotel operators across Greece and the wider Mediterranean. Its stated outputs include Concept Manuals that translate strategy into specifications for architects, interior designers, lighting designers, and landscape designers, and a formalized Hotel Concept Making methodology announced after completing 20+ projects, supported by a Hotel Rebranding service launched in 2024. Customer-facing evidence includes named projects in destinations such as Mykonos, Rhodes, Naxos, Paros, Kos, Tinos, Crete, Zagorochoria, and Laconia, plus collaborations with groups including CHC Group and a Mutual relationship with Hilton for chain affiliation pathways.

The business model is project-based B2B professional services: revenue is generated through custom quotations tied to project scope, property type, and development stage, with no publicly disclosed pricing or recurring subscription component. Go-to-market is driven by direct strategic consultations (website contact forms, phone, and email), industry event participation (100% Hotel Show, Premium Real Estate Expo 2026 as official Sponsor of the Real Estate Forum), and a content-led funnel comprising blog articles authored by the CEO, newsletters, and webinars via the Hotelier Academy. The firm maintains a small team (1-10 employees per firmographics) led by Nikos S. Morantis (Hotel Strategist & CEO) and Zenios Zenios (Hotel Concept Maker), with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or public listing. The company operates under the legal entity DESTSETTERS MARKETING & PROMOTIONAL SERVICES SOLE-MEMBER LTD, is GDPR-compliant, and extends its brand surface through Travel by Interest and Hotelier Academy.

Name

Travel by Interest

Legal name

DESTSETTERS MARKETING & PROMOTIONAL SERVICES SOLE-MEMBER LTD

Website

https://destsetters.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Travel by Interest (Destsetters) is a Greek hospitality strategy firm developing hotel concepts, branding, feasibility studies, and operational briefs for investors, developers, and operators, with 20+ completed projects across Mediterranean destinations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospitality Consulting Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (56151), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Travel Agencies (THAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Adventure & Expedition Travel Agencies (THAKAFAB), Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

Keywords

• Hotel concept development
• Hospitality consulting services
• Hotel repositioning strategy
• Hospitality market research
• Hotel branding services

Headquarters

HQ city

Larnaca

HQ country

Cyprus

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Hospitality Strategy and Concept Development Services: Destsetters generates revenue through professional consulting services including hotel concept development, branding, market research, feasibility studies, typology studies, and HR culture services. Services are priced on a project basis with consultation-driven sales. The company works with new hotel investors, existing hoteliers, consulting firms, and architectural teams requiring complete hotel specifications.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Travel by Interest is a hotel promotion and repositioning sub-brand of Destsetters, focused on creating original hotel concepts around the world. It aligns with Destsetters' Hotel Repositioning Service, supporting tourism product promotion and connection with niche travel interest markets to increase global direct sales.

Product overview

Travel by Interest is a sub-brand of Destsetters, a hospitality concept and strategy development company. Destsetters operates as a hotel concept making company offering services including Hotel Market Research, Typology Study, Feasibility Study, Hotel Concept Development, Hotel Branding, HR Culture, and Hotel Real Estate services. The company positions itself as the first Hotel Concept Making company in Greece, having developed 20+ new projects. Travel by Interest appears to be the tourism promotion brand aligned with the Hotel Repositioning Service. The overall offering is a consulting and strategy services portfolio rather than a unified software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Travel by Interest: A related travel platform/startup created by the founders of Destsetters.
• Hotelier Academy

Products and services

• Travel by Interest

Quantifiable outcome

• 20+ hotel projects developed with proprietary concept methodology
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• CHC Group / CHC HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 October 2023Destsetters collaborated with CHC Group (Chnaris Hotel Management, Development & Consulting) to develop The Noverian Elounda Retreat in Crete. This collaboration involved hotel concept development, branding, and strategic positioning for a new luxury hotel development. The project also involved architectural teams a4-engineers and GMG Constructions.
• Smart InteriorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestsetters collaborated with Smart Interiors (led by Angeliki Ampelioti) for the YeeOn hotel project in Gytheio. Smart Interiors translated the hotel concept into physical design and operational organization, including the spa with natural rock, cave-like room, and ground floor restaurant/reception areas.
• HiltonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestsetters works with Hilton and presents ways for properties to join the Hilton hotel chain, helping hotel owners understand the process of becoming a Hilton-affiliated property.
• Architectural and Design Teams (per project)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDestsetters collaborates with various architectural and design firms for project execution. For the Semeli Coast project, architectural teams are selected by the investors/project owners and participate in overall development decisions. The company creates Concept Manuals to guide these design teams.
• Dimitris Papanastasiou (Papanastasiou Architecture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArchitectural partnership for the Ammades All-Suite Hotel project in Rhodes. Dimitris Papanastasiou served as the architect for the hotel development.
• Hotelier AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDestsetters is associated with Hotelier Academy for educational content and webinars. The Hotelier Academy organizes free webinars featuring Destsetters' Hotel Concept Maker Zenios Zenios, covering hotel concept development techniques. Official email addresses include @hotelieracademy.org and @hotelieracademy.gr domains.
• Christos Drazos (Hotel Photographer)minorOthersDestsetters collaborated with Christos Drazos, a leading hotel photographer, for the Diles & Rinies photography project. The collaboration created innovative hotel photography featuring everyday people and conceptual shots that narrate hospitality experiences.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Yabu Pushelberg: International design firm with deep hospitality practice developing luxury hotel concepts, branding, and interiors. Overlaps with Destsetters' work on premium lifestyle and destination properties.
• The Gettys Group: Hotel design, branding, and concept development firm creating end-to-end hotel identities for investors and operators. Similar integrated concept-to-brand-to-operations value chain as Destsetters.
• ForrestPerkins: Hospitality interior design and concept firm serving luxury and resort properties — comparable in delivering concept-driven design for premium hotel investors.
• Stonehill & Taylor: Hotel interior design and concept firm serving independent and boutique luxury hotels, including full concept-to-design workflows similar to Destsetters' integrated offering.
• HBA (Hirsch Bedner Associates): Hospitality interior design firm creating concept-driven hotel brands and guest experiences for luxury and lifestyle properties worldwide. Overlaps heavily with Destsetters' concept development and branding service lines.
• Pierre-Yves Rochon (PYR): Luxury hotel interior design and concept firm creating bespoke hospitality brands and atmospheres — strongly comparable to Destsetters' premium positioning and lifestyle concept work.
• Horwath HTL: Specialized hotel and tourism consulting firm offering feasibility studies, market research, and operational advisory to hotel investors — directly comparable to Destsetters' feasibility and market research services.
• WATG (Wimberly Allison Tong & Goo): Global hospitality planning, design, and concept development firm that delivers hotel concept, branding, and operational advisory services to investors and developers — directly comparable to Destsetters' core offering at a larger scale.

Broad incumbents

• JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group: Global real estate services firm with a dedicated hospitality practice advising investors and operators on hotel transactions, feasibility, and strategy — a scaled incumbent offering partial overlap with Destsetters' feasibility and investment advisory services.
• Cushman & Wakefield Hotels: Global commercial real estate services firm with a large hospitality advisory practice covering investment, valuation, and asset management. Adjacent broader incumbent offering feasibility and investment consulting that competes with parts of Destsetters' value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCZbLJGZAcW1NmTeBIXTk5SQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/destsetters
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/destsetters
• Instagraminstagram.com/destsetters
• Xx.com/destsetters

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Travel by Interest