Vacatia

Vacatia
Industry Internet, Resorts, Vacation Rentals
Founded San Francisco, California (2013)
Headquarters San Francisco, California,
United States
Area served
 U.S.
Products Vacatia.com marketplace

Vacatia, founded in 2013 and based in San Francisco, California, spun out of Vacation Listing Service Inc., launching originally as "an online marketplace for buying and selling timeshare interests", with plans to "...introduce rentals to the marketplace in the future."[1]

Investors in Vacatia's $5 million seed round in September 2013 included travel, hotel and vacation rental industry veterans, such as Spencer Rascoff (Zillow, Expedia, Hotwire), Erik Blachford (Expedia), Robert Spottswood (Hyatt Vacation Ownership), Raymond L. “Rip” Gallein Jr. (Starwood Vacation Ownership and Marriott Vacations Worldwide), and Barry Sternlicht and Steve Hankin (Starwood Capital Group)." Other investors included Bee Partners, Peterson Ventures and Meyer Ventures, as well as personal investments from Egon Durban of Silver Lake Partners and Gene Frantz of Google Capital.[2]

Vacatia raised $8.8 million in a Series A round in April 2015, led by Javelin Venture Partners. [3][4]

At the same time Vacatia announced its Series A funding, it announced substantial management team changes, the most prominent being the promotion of co-founder Caroline Shin from COO to CEO, with co-founder and former CEO Keith Cox being named Chairman. In addition, Mike Janes, formerly CMO at StubHub and GM of the online store at Apple Inc., joined as Chief Marketing Officer. [5]

In November 2015, Vacatia publicly launched its vacation rental marketplace for resort residences with search results and instant booking... for "hospitality, timeshare and premier independent resorts...that until now, access to these resort-condominium complexes was available exclusively through purchase options such as whole, fractional, or timeshare ownership." [6]

In May 2016, Vacatia expanded beyond the U.S. by adding 20 resorts in Cancun and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. These are Vacatia's 13th and 14th destinations, joining "...Maui, Kauai, Oahu, Big Island, Orlando, Pensacola, Panama City, Destin, Daytona Beach, Myrtle Beach, Branson, and Phoenix/Scottsdale." [7]

DVC started referring its members who want to sell their memberships to Vacatia's sales marketplace in May, 2016, "...a stamp of approval from the Disney Vacation Club." [8]

References

  1. ↑ "Start-Up Brings an Internet Sensibility to Time Shares". New York Times. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Vacation Ownership Site Gets $5 Million in Funding From Hotel Veterans". Skift. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
  3. ↑ "This Week in Travel Startup Funding: Vacatia, Localoye and More". Skift. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Phocuswright 2015: Vacatia launches family resort holiday rental marketplace". Travolution. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Vacatia lands $7 million funding amid reshuffle of management team". Tnooz. Retrieved April 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Phocuswright 2015: Vacatia launches family resort holiday rental marketplace". Travolution. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Family vacation rental marketplace Vacatia goes international with expansion into Mexico". Travolution. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  8. ↑ "DVC approves Vacatia, names its newest project". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
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