Established only a decade ago, Le Collectionist, a French luxury vacation rental company, is a fast-growing business, meeting the needs of the increasing number of people demanding tailor-made holidays in style. Through partnerships with homeowners, the Le Collectionist platform offers clients access to a hand-picked list of ‘only the most exceptional’ homes, which are located in some of the world’s most sought-after destinations.
Company co-founder Max Aniort says: “Le Collectionist is the leading brand for luxury rental properties with services – we create the most amazing holidays in private properties by curating the best places, services and teams, having local offices in each destination where we operate. In short, the purpose of the company is to create the best holidays in the right properties, to create unforgettable memories for our clients and their families and friends.”
And the company seems to be well recognised for that effort. Conde Nast Traveler has named Le Collectionist as one of the best holiday companies, and, most recently, the company was listed as one of the ‘champions of tomorrow’ within the French Tech 120, a government support programme dedicated to the most successful French start-ups.
Perfect place, perfect service
Originally focusing on France, Le Collectionist’s reach today is much wider and includes not only other European countries but also South Africa and Costa Rica. The company today operates from ten offices – Paris, Marseille, St Tropez, Bordeaux, Cap Ferret, Barcelona, Ibiza, Verbier, Annecy, Athens – and offers over 1,800 luxury villas, chalets and residential homes in more than 30 destinations.
Max Aniort openly admits that Le Collectionist operates in the high-end luxury market. “The average basket price is around 28,000 euros for a 10 day stay. The biggest booking we made this year was for two million Swiss francs, for a three-month stay in the Swiss Alps.”
One of the company’s differentiators is, no doubt, its utmost customer focus. How does it work? Le Collectionist first finds the ideal holiday home for the client and then customises it with a myriad of services and memorable experiences. Every detail can be personalised to create the perfect stay. This may include vintage car rentals, secret treks, Michelin star dinners, in-house chefs, babysitters, private teachers… just anything that a guest may require to make their stay exceptional.
“Holidays are about creating memories and sharing once-in-a-lifetime moments with the people we love. This is what lies at the heart of everything we do at Le Collectionist. We want our guests to be given the best experiences and the attention they deserve to embrace and share precious time with family and friends,” says Max Aniort.
Local knowledge
“Having local teams in each destination we operate is the key,” he affirms. “That makes a big difference from distributors who only list properties without operating them or being able to guarantee the quality of the service,” says Max Aniort, pointing out that the company serves, in fact, two types of clients – the guests, for whom Le Collectionist provides all the logistics and services – and the owners, who make use of the property management services.
“The focus on local is key. Our local offices cover 90% of our bookings – we are humble enough to realise that locals are better than us at operating locally. Local leverage, local knowledge is irreplaceable, making it possible to arrange a perfectly smooth, exceptional stay for our clients.”
That approach clearly works very well, as evidenced by the company’s continuous growth. Since the beginning of its operation, Le Collectionist has acquired six companies, with four of those acquisitions concluded last year. These include Bramble Ski, an award-winning luxury chalet provider in Switzerland, acquired in 2021, and The Greek Villas, the market leader in Greece, that joined Le Collectionist last year.
Funded to grow
The plan is to continue with acquisitions in new markets as well as consolidate offerings in exiting destinations, and the company seems to have no difficulty in attracting funds to materialise this vision – in December 2022, Le Collectionist received an additional funding round of 60 million euros, lead by Highland Europe, the spin-off from the US VC giant Highland, to spur business growth.
“Highland is a major brand in this segment and the investment will promote our international growth. We already have different nationalities and different cultures but the partnership with 
Highland will make us even more open-minded to welcome more destinations and a wider range of international clientele.
With the new funding, Le Collectionist aims to grow its headcount by 120 this year across its Parisian HQ and local offices around southern France, Spain, and Switzerland, as well as in future London and New York branches.
Max Aniort points out that growth across different countries and cultures requires an increased focus on well-managed integration, establishing a common ground, and making sure that everyone is properly on board, with the same understanding of the business purpose and the same approach to guests and owners. “In this respect, communication is absolutely key.”
Controlled growth
He further reflects that post-pandemic, the company has seen more bookings outside the key seasons, as people started to work remotely, as well as an increasing environmental consciousness in some, particularly young, clients. “CSR comes quite naturally for us, we are a very diverse team. promoting gender equality and inclusion. Our CSR vision is to bring resources and visibility to associations that are working hard to protect the destinations in which the company operates and has a direct impact.”
That will remain unchanged as the company expands further. “The idea is to pursue both organic and M&A growth while creating a virtuous circle for all parties, clients and teams. And importantly, to progress carefully, without losing our DNA, sustaining the right balance between growth and quality, never losing that personal touch that makes us special and appreciated by both guests and owners.”
As the travel industry is continuing to grow post-pandemic, and demand for unique travel experiences, personalised holidays and exceptional travel memories is clearly on the rise, Le Collectionist is set to consolidate its position as a global industry leader.
