What Awaze does

Awaze Vacation Rentals Ltd is Europe's largest managed vacation rentals group, headquartered in Lowestoft, United Kingdom, and owned by private equity firm Platinum Equity since 2018. The company aggregates over 105,000 holiday properties across more than 25 countries under six consumer-facing brands: cottages.com (UK cottages), Hoseasons (UK holiday parks and lodges), Novasol (European holiday homes), James Villas (Mediterranean premium villas), Finca Mallorca (Mallorca villas), and Ardennes Etapes (Belgian Ardennes). Awaze serves two customer segments: holidaymakers booking self-catered accommodation (with 51% of revenue from repeat bookings) and property owners who entrust full-service management, marketing, and guest communications to Awaze's regional teams across Europe.

The company's core technology is a property management and booking platform integrated with AI-powered discovery tools, most notably a conversational holiday search and booking app launched within OpenAI's ChatGPT in February 2026. Awaze operates eight consumer mobile apps across iOS and Android, maintains machine learning-based recommendation and pricing engines, and invests £45m annually in technology and AI, including an internal AI Champions upskilling program. Distribution is primarily direct-to-consumer through owned brand websites and apps, supplemented by a Google search partnership, national TV campaigns (such as the £2m James Villas relaunch), and a pilot physical retail channel via James Collection high street stores in Whitby and Southwold.

Revenue is generated primarily through booking commissions on holiday rental transactions and full-service property management fees for owners, with regional teams delivering local expertise on the ground. Reported Q2 2025 revenue was €93m, with Q3 occupancy up 4% year-on-year and over 1m guests served in August 2025. Q2 2025 revenue grew 2% year-on-year at stable pricing, Easter 2025 set booking records exceeding prior peaks, and guest satisfaction rose 30% on the back of technology and training investment. The competitive position rests on inventory depth (over 90% exclusive properties), multi-brand distribution, and on-the-ground local property management.

Name

Awaze

Legal name

Awaze Vacation Rentals Ltd

Website

https://awaze.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Awaze is Europe's largest managed vacation rentals group, operating six consumer brands including cottages.com, Hoseasons, Novasol, and James Villas across 105,000+ holiday properties in 25+ countries, serving both holidaymakers booking self-catered stays and property owners seeking full-service management and marketing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Vacation Rental Services

NAICS

Traveler Accommodation (7211), Residential Property Managers (531311)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Full-Service Vacation Rental Property Management (THAMAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Owner Services, Reporting & Portfolio Administration (THAMAKAI), Full-Service Vacation Rental Property Management (BPAJAIAA), Vacation & Short-Term Rental Management (BPAJAFAI), New-Listing Onboarding, Setup & Launch Services (THAMAKAO)

Keywords

• Vacation rental services
• Holiday home rentals
• Property management services
• Self-catering accommodation
• Managed vacation rentals

Headquarters

HQ city

Lowestoft

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices16 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Holiday Rental Booking Commission: Commission-based revenue from booking holiday properties across portfolio of 105,000+ properties. Company manages properties and bookings for owners while facilitating guest stays.
2. Property Management Services: Full-service property management including cleaning, maintenance, guest communications, and property care for holiday homeowners. Regional teams provide local expertise.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Awaze operates Europe's largest managed vacation rentals group, offering over 105,000 holiday properties across 20+ countries through brands including cottages.com, Hoseasons, Novasol, James Villas, Finca Mallorca, and Ardennes Etapes. The company provides consumer-facing booking platforms for travelers seeking self-catering and villa accommodation, alongside full-service property management for holiday homeowners including cleaning, maintenance, guest communications, and revenue optimization. Awaze invests £45m annually in technology and AI to power discovery, booking, pricing, and owner services across its portfolio.

Product overview

Awaze operates a multi-brand platform model serving Europe's holiday rentals market with over 105,000 properties across more than 20 countries. The portfolio comprises six distinct consumer-facing brands: Cottages.com (UK cottages), Hoseasons (UK holiday parks and lodges), Novasol (European holiday homes), James Villas (premium Mediterranean villas), Finca Mallorca (Mallorca villas), and Ardennes Etapes (Belgian Ardennes). A new AI-powered ChatGPT app enables conversational holiday discovery and booking. Properties are professionally managed by local teams, with over 90% of properties exclusive to Awaze. The company also operates the James Collection premium managed service with high street stores in Whitby and Southwold.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cottages.com

Quantifiable outcome

• 55% of bookings now for properties with hot tubs (up from under 40% pre-pandemic)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• OpenAI / ChatGPTcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 February 2026Awaze launched a new AI-powered app within OpenAI's ChatGPT designed to simplify how travelers discover and book cottages in the UK. The app allows travelers to describe ideal breaks in conversational language and receive tailored results with live availability and pricing, connecting directly to Awaze's live inventory.
• GooglecoreTechnology or IntegrationExpert team works closely with Google and other partners to ensure property visibility in search results. Partnership focused on digital innovation and search optimization for Awaze brands.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sykes Cottages: Sykes Cottages is one of the largest UK holiday cottage letting agencies, offering professionally managed self-catering accommodation across the UK. It directly competes with cottages.com and Hoseasons in Awaze's home UK market.
• Vrbo (Expedia Group): Vrbo is a major online vacation rental marketplace operated by Expedia Group, competing with Awaze's brands in UK and European destinations. Both platforms serve property owners and travelers seeking holiday rental inventory with similar booking and listing experiences.
• Sonder: Sonder operates a portfolio of professionally managed short-term rental apartments across North America and Europe with an asset-light operations model. Comparable as a tech-enabled, managed short-stay accommodation operator serving both leisure and business travelers.
• Marriott Homes & Villas: Marriott Homes & Villas is the global hospitality giant's vacation rental offering, partnering with property managers to deliver professionally managed whole-home rentals. It competes for premium rental demand against James Villas and the James Collection.
• Wyndham Vacation Rentals: Wyndham Vacation Rentals (formerly TripAdvisor vacation rentals) is a large professionally managed vacation rental network with strong presence in the US coastal destinations. Comparable as a managed-service rental business attached to a major hospitality brand.
• Vacasa: Vacasa is one of the largest full-service vacation rental management companies in North America, offering professional property management, cleaning, and booking services. It is the closest direct competitor to Awaze's full-service managed rental model outside of Europe.
• Belvilla: Belvilla is a European holiday rental specialist operating across multiple countries with managed holiday home inventory, directly overlapping with Novasol in Scandinavia, Germany, and Benelux. Comparable managed-service rental model focused on European destinations.

Broad incumbents

• Airbnb: Airbnb is the largest global vacation rental marketplace, operating across all of Awaze's European geographies. While Airbnb's marketplace model differs from Awaze's managed-service approach, it is the dominant consumer-facing brand competing for vacation rental demand.
• Booking.com: Booking.com is one of the world's largest online travel agencies with a significant vacation rental offering across Europe. It competes with Awaze's Novasol, James Villas, and other brands on both listings and direct booking share.

Emerging players

• Plum Guide: Plum Guide is a premium curated vacation rental platform operating in major European cities and destinations. It targets the same high-end traveler segment as James Villas and James Collection, with a quality-vetted inventory model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/awaze

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries6 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 Awaze