Cimalpes
Cimalpes is a French integrated luxury Alpine property services company operating across 24 ski stations, offering short-term vacation rentals, real estate transactions, property management, and tiered concierge services to wealthy travelers, high-net-worth buyers, and property owners.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersAlbertville, France
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Cimalpes does
Cimalpes is a French SAS (Société par Actions Simplifiée) founded in 2003 and headquartered in Albertville, providing integrated luxury property services across 24 Alpine ski stations in the French Alps. The company operates three core revenue streams: short-term vacation rental commissions on chalets and apartments, real estate transaction fees for buying and selling premium properties (€385,000 to €4,200,000+), and full-service property management for owners. A fourth stream, concierge services delivered through tiered PASS packages with up to 20% markup on external service costs, attaches to the rental experience. Operations are anchored by 24 physical agency locations staffed by locally-based expert teams, supported by an online platform enabling property search, booking, and self-service valuation tools (Estimateur Locatif and Estimateur Immobilier). The company serves three primary customer segments: wealthy travelers seeking curated Alpine vacation experiences, high-net-worth property buyers and investors, and property owners seeking hands-off management and rental income optimization.
The business model is a hybrid sales-led and self-serve approach combining direct agency sales with digital booking. The company holds French professional card CPI 7301 2016 000 009 436 from the CCI of Savoie, maintains mandatory RCP insurance through GALIAN-SMABTP, and carries financial guarantees of €11.3M for property management, €120,000 for real estate transactions, and €160,000 for tourism services. Inventory consists of 841+ luxury properties curated across the portfolio, with reported 92% customer satisfaction across travelers, owners, buyers, and sellers. Content marketing is delivered through the Alps Living blog and the annual Panorama Cimalpes market study, while the product surface extends to specialized offerings including new development programs, exclusive and off-market listings, pet-friendly rentals, and themed property collections (ultra-luxury, traditional, family-friendly, ski-in/ski-out, wellness, gastronomic, and apartment residence categories). No proprietary technology platform or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed; the moat is operational and relational rather than technological.
Cimalpes firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cimalpes
- Legal name
- CIMALPES
- Website
- https://cimalpes.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Cimalpes is a French integrated luxury Alpine property services company operating across 24 ski stations, offering short-term vacation rentals, real estate transactions, property management, and tiered concierge services to wealthy travelers, high-net-worth buyers, and property owners.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cimalpes industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Luxury Alpine Vacation Rental & Real Estate Services
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510)
- SIC
- Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Chalets & Ski-In/Ski-Out Homes (THAMAEAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Mountain & Ski Homes (THAMAAAG)
Keywords
Where Cimalpes is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Albertville
- HQ country
- France
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices23 records
Markets served
Cimalpes business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Short-term rental commissions: Cimalpes earns commission on short-term vacation rentals of chalets and apartments across their 24 station network. The rental model involves collecting 25% deposit upfront with balance due 30 days before arrival.
- Property transaction fees: Real estate sales commissions for buying and selling premium chalets and apartments in Alpine destinations. Sellers pay agency fees for transaction services.
- Property management services: Full-service property management for owners including administration, maintenance, rental management, and concierge services for properties year-round.
- Concierge services: Concierge services offered through PASS tiers, with additional services available at up to 20% markup on external service costs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Standard rental booking with 25% deposit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Weekly rental rates by property type |
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Property purchase prices |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Cimalpes product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cimalpes operates a dual-platform model combining luxury vacation rentals (chalets and apartments) and real estate transactions (buying and selling) across 24 French Alpine ski stations. The company also provides full-service property management for owners and tiered concierge services (PASS) for travelers, supported by 24 physical agency locations with year-round local teams.
Product overview
Cimalpes operates a dual-platform model combining vacation rental (Location) and real estate transaction (Transaction Immobilière) services across 24 Alpine destinations in the French Alps. The core Location platform enables travelers to search, filter, and book chalets and apartments with varying service levels, while the Transaction platform facilitates property purchases and sales. Supporting services include property management, concierge (PASS Conciergerie), and valuation tools (Estimateur Locatif and Estimateur Immobilier). The company also publishes the annual Panorama market study. Specialized offerings include new developments (Programmes Neufs), exclusive listings (Exclusivités, Off Market), themed property collections (Collections Location), and pet-friendly rentals (Animal de Compagnie).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Location (Vacation Rentals)
- Real Estate Transactions (Acheter / Vendre)
- Property Management (Gestion de Propriété)
- PASS Conciergerie
- Panorama Cimalpes Market Study
Quantifiable outcome
- 92% customer satisfaction rate across travelers, owners, buyers, and sellers
Companies that use Cimalpes
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Cimalpes technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cimalpes partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Cimalpes competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Vrbo: Major vacation rental platform (Expedia-owned) with significant presence in European ski destinations. Competes with Cimalpes for direct bookings on chalets and apartments but lacks local on-the-ground service.
- Interhome: European-wide vacation rental agency with managed apartments and chalets across Alpine markets, including France. Comparable broker-of-stays and local-staffing model, but without Cimalpes' transaction or property management depth.
- Booking.com: Global online travel agency offering short-stay lodging including chalets and apartments in French ski resorts. Competes on demand acquisition for the same renter base and increasingly in curated/luxury inventory.
- Pierre & Vacances: Integrated French resort-and-vacation operator with managed residences and family-oriented stays across Alpine and other destinations. Overlaps significantly with Cimalpes on traveler accommodation and property management but at a much broader, mid-market scale and with owned resort infrastructure.
- Airbnb: Global vacation rental platform actively expanding into 'Airbnb Luxe' and curated luxury stays. Competes for the same end-booker in Alpine destinations, though without the local agency presence and concierge depth that Cimalpes offers.
Direct peers
- Le Collectionist: French luxury vacation rental platform offering curated chalets and villas in the Alps and beyond, with concierge services. Same hyper-luxury niche, same customer persona, and a similar broker-curator business model, making it the closest direct analogue to Cimalpes.
Others
- Sotheby's International Realty: Global luxury real estate network with active Alpine-resort representation. Overlaps with Cimalpes' real estate transaction services for high-end Alpine property buyers and sellers, though Sotheby's focus is exclusively on sales.
- Knight Frank: International luxury real estate advisor with dedicated French Alpine ski-resort coverage (e.g., Courchevel, Megève, Val d'Isère). Directly comparable to Cimalpes on the transaction commission side for high-net-worth property deals.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Cimalpes social profiles
Digital presenceCimalpes financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cimalpes leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Cimalpes funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cimalpes 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 Cimalpes
What does Cimalpes do?
Cimalpes operates a dual-platform model combining luxury vacation rentals (chalets and apartments) and real estate transactions (buying and selling) across 24 French Alpine ski stations. The company also provides full-service property management for owners and tiered concierge services (PASS) for travelers, supported by 24 physical agency locations with year-round local teams.
Is Cimalpes a public or private company?
Cimalpes is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Cimalpes founded?
Cimalpes was founded in 2003. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Cimalpes based?
Cimalpes is headquartered in Albertville, France, in the Europe region.
How does Cimalpes make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Short-term rental commissions are the primary driver. The others are property transaction fees, property management services and concierge services.
Who are Cimalpes's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Vrbo, Interhome, Booking.com, Pierre & Vacances and Airbnb. Le Collectionist is listed as a direct peer. Others are Sotheby's International Realty and Knight Frank.
Does Cimalpes have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cimalpes.
What industry is Cimalpes in?
Cimalpes's product category is Luxury Alpine Vacation Rental & Real Estate Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAMAEAD, Luxury Chalets & Ski-In/Ski-Out Homes, with a secondary code of THAMAAAG, Mountain & Ski Homes. Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 6531.