Welcome Beyond

What Welcome Beyond does

Welcome Beyond is a privately held, Berlin-based online marketplace that curates and books hand-picked design-led boutique hotels and holiday rentals for design-conscious travelers. Founded in 2011 by brothers Oliver and Chris Laugsch, the platform lists 445+ properties across 41+ countries and organizes inventory into three property types (Hotels, Rentals, Special) and seventeen thematic collections covering use cases such as Remote Work, Family Holidays, Honeymoons, Wedding & Event Venues, Ecotourism, and Art/Design/Architecture Holidays. The company operates a direct-to-consumer, self-serve booking website (welcomebeyond.com) with multi-currency checkout across more than 30 currencies and a ChatGPT-powered Travel Assistant for conversational property discovery.

Underlying technology is light: no proprietary platform or model is disclosed, and the differentiating technical features are an owner-authored Explorer Travel Guide containing more than 3,000 curated travel tips and the third-party AI assistant integration. Distribution relies on content marketing, an email newsletter, earned media in major travel publications, and a Miles & More loyalty partnership that issues one mile per euro spent. Welcome Beyond is bootstrapped and founder-operated with no disclosed institutional funding; the 2021 acquisition of US specialist Stays extended curated inventory into North America and is operated as The Stays Collection.

Name

Welcome Beyond

Website

https://welcomebeyond.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Welcome Beyond is a Berlin-based, bootstrapped online marketplace founded in 2011 that curates and books hand-picked design-led boutique hotels and holiday rentals across 41+ countries for design-conscious individual travelers, operating a self-serve direct booking website with a transaction-fee revenue model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Boutique Accommodation Marketplace

NAICS

All Other Traveler Accommodation (721199)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Island, Beach & Resort Travel Agencies (THAKAFAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Luxury Boutique & Lifestyle Resorts (THAGACAO), Villas & Luxury Estates (THAMAAAC)

Keywords

• Boutique hotel marketplace
• Vacation rental platform
• Design-led accommodations
• Holiday home bookings
• Curated travel marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Berlin

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Property Booking Commission: Welcome Beyond earns commission on bookings made through their platform for listed boutique hotels and holiday rentals

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Welcome Beyond operates a curated online marketplace connecting travelers with hand-picked design-led boutique hotels, holiday rentals, and unique accommodations across 41+ countries. The company curates 445+ properties — ranging from €130/night B&Bs to €9,714/night private islands — and earns commission on bookings made through its self-serve booking platform.

Product overview

Welcome Beyond operates as a curated online marketplace for design-led boutique hotels and holiday rentals. The platform offers properties across 41+ countries including boutique hotels, bed & breakfasts, holiday apartments, holiday homes, villa rentals, beach houses, cottages, unique rentals, private islands, and special accommodations. Properties are organized into thematic curated collections including Remote Work, Photoshoot Locations, City Breaks, Family Holidays, Group Getaways, Summer & Beach Holidays, Winter & Ski Holidays, Winter Sun Holidays, Romantic Getaways, Honeymoon Destinations, Wedding & Event Venues, Spas & Resorts, Secluded Retreats, Food Travel, Ecotourism, and Art/Design & Architecture Holidays. The recent acquisition of US specialist 'Stays' has expanded their North American collection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Stays collection: A collective listing of the best stays from all sources in the United States — an authentically gathered selection of rental homes, boutique hotels, and B&Bs in North America.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Miles & MoreminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWelcome Beyond is a partner of Miles & More, allowing guests to collect 1 mile for every Euro they spend on bookings. This loyalty program partnership provides an added incentive for travelers to book through the platform.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Booking.com: Largest global hotel and accommodation OTA with broad portfolio including boutique and luxury segments. Competes with Welcome Beyond on hotel bookings and increasingly curates premium/boutique inventory.

Direct peers

• Mr & Mrs Smith: Curated luxury boutique hotel collection with a membership model and editorial content. Most directly comparable to Welcome Beyond in design-led curation, target customer (design-conscious affluent travelers), and commission-based booking marketplace model.
• Onefinestay: Luxury vacation rental collection acquired by Accor. Comparable to Welcome Beyond on curated high-end holiday rentals, design-quality curation, and concierge-style booking service for affluent travelers.
• The Thinking Traveller: Specialist villa rental company focused on high-end Mediterranean properties with hand-picked curation. Comparable on curated luxury villa rentals, design/quality vetting, and direct booking for affluent family and group travelers.
• Plum Guide: Curated vacation rental platform with a rigorous vetting process for design and quality. Directly comparable to Welcome Beyond on curated vacation rentals, design-quality curation, and self-serve booking marketplace model, though stronger in urban short-stay inventory.
• Oliver's Travels: Curated villa and holiday home rental specialist focused on distinctive, characterful properties. Comparable to Welcome Beyond on the design-led villa curation thesis and direct-to-consumer booking model across European destinations.
• BoutiqueHomes: Curated marketplace for boutique vacation rentals and architect-designed homes. Closely comparable to Welcome Beyond on the curated architecture-and-design-led property thesis and direct-booking marketplace model.

Broad incumbents

• Vrbo: Major vacation rental marketplace owned by Expedia. Comparable on holiday home rentals and family/group travel segments where Welcome Beyond also competes via its Family Holidays and Group Getaways collections.
• Airbnb: Largest short-term rental marketplace with an expanding curated offering via Airbnb Luxe. Overlaps with Welcome Beyond on vacation rental bookings and is increasingly encroaching on the design-led luxury niche.
• Soho House: Membership-based hospitality brand operating design-led hotels, houses, and venues globally. Adjacent to Welcome Beyond's design-led hospitality audience and curated luxury aesthetic, though operating its own properties rather than curating third-party listings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WelcomeBeyond
• Facebookfacebook.com/WelcomeBeyond

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Welcome Beyond