How travel advisors can make the most of booking private homes in 2025
Exclusive-use rental properties, like those offered by Hidden and Found, are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to hotel villas.
For many advisors however, the idea of finding a holiday home for clients can feel overwhelming. It can feel like a tall order, with far more research and planning than your typical luxury holiday, also requiring agents to find and oversee services that would otherwise be handled by the hotel.
Everything from housekeeping and cooking, to concierge and security must be arranged, and if the staff don’t already know each other, they might need a few trial runs before the rental takes place.
There’s also the job of selecting the right property in the right location – a test that, if failed, can damage an agent’s relationship with their client.
So it’s no surprise that, with so much extra work potentially involved, many go for the options increasingly being offered by luxury hotel groups. It’s a trend that has been invested in heavily by major brands such as Marriott Bonvoy, Four Seasons and One&Only, who either build large exclusive residences adjacent to hotels or offer large villas on property. Meanwhile, Mandarin Oriental has made a more direct move into the exclusive-use homte rental space.
For many advisors, the idea of finding a holiday home for clients can feel overwhelming
While these villas are undeniably luxurious, they are often limited in the privacy and space expected by the elite traveller today. It’s also unlikely that a hotel will be able to cater entirely to their villa guests, due to the restrictions of the brand. The result is that, even in the finest of hotel rentals, clients are forced to compromise.
That’s where Hidden and Found comes in. The unique hospitality company was established in 2008 by British entrepreneur Ed May, who, after years of working in high-end hotels in the US, saw a gap in the market for a different type of luxury accommodation.
“Hotel guests would say that they wished they could take the staff back with them to their own villa in The Bahamas,” May recalled. “I just remember thinking: ‘what if you could take this service out of the hotel and bring it into the home?’.”
He says Hidden and Found has worked with more than 600 luxury properties since its inception, and today, curates those featured on its website to about 40 to 50 chalets, villas, manors, farmhouses and castles.
All homes, some of which are password-protected on the site, are handpicked to be exclusively used by the client. Each property is also fully staffed by Hidden and Found’s own team, who are trained according to the brand’s strong hospitality values.
“I just remember thinking: ‘what if you could take this service out of the hotel and bring it into the home?”
“While the properties are all different, we make sure Hidden and Found’s signature touches are consistent throughout the collection,” May explains. “For example, the turndown service is always the same – you’ll have the same Hidden and Found-style messages and the same truffles on your pillow.”
Clients can also request to have the same team of staff for their next Hidden and Found stay, or bring their own teams to the property.
The clients themselves vary, May says, but can be mostly divided into four categories: American families travelling for leisure; high-performing business executives; athletes looking to recharge; and companies holding corporate retreats. Hidden and Found has also hosted a number of high-profile guests, including celebrity chef Tom Aikens and the Goldfarb family.
Tried and tested revenue stream
Hidden and Found positions itself as an extension, rather than a competitor, to agents’ services. May says it currently sources about 25-40% of its bookings via advisors, but knowing how important the trade is in the luxury travel ecosystem, May is keen for this number to increase.
“There’s huge revenue to be gained from this,” he says. “People were asking for it 20 years ago. But advisors were wondering, how do we do it? It can be quite daunting.”
May says Hidden and Found can simplify the process for agents, handling all practical details and packaging them together seamlessly.
“We’re a one-stop shop,” he says. “We can either provide the hospitality service for a home agents have already found, or we can provide a fully staffed home from our own portfolio.” Most commonly, advisors choose the latter, asking Hidden and Found to supply a fully serviced home in a location for their client.
“We then pull the option or options together based on what we think would provide the best type of stay within the budgets given and pass back to the agent for them to discuss with their client,” May explains.
Private rental benefits vs hotel villas
Luxury hotels with villas and private rentals are often spoken about interchangeably, but the two properties can offer a very different guest experience, May says. For example, not only are guests more relaxed in the knowledge they won’t bump into any strangers in a private stay, they are also given undivided attention from staff.
“Overall, there are far fewer boundaries with private rentals,” May explains. “Hotels often need to work within a confined structure, which can dilute a personalised stay.”
Not only are guests more relaxed in the knowledge they won’t bump into any strangers, they are also given undivided attention from staff.
“Guests interact directly with staff and experience how the house operates, creating a genuine, transparent hospitality experience, unlike the ‘behind-the-scenes’ nature of hotels,” says May. A private rental also makes it easier to hire multi-purpose staff, which results in less people milling around and creates a more homelike atmosphere.
“In the past, a lot of these families had butlers and housekeepers 12 hours a day,” May said. “But now, they want more discreet service. We can create this with three key people; a housekeeper, a server and a chef. They can run a household of eight guests perfectly and it reduces the amount of people buzzing around.”
May says this is something that can be especially important for clients who are high-profile in their regular lives, and just don’t want to feel “watched over” during their holiday.
Finally, private homes are ideal for extended stays, and can be occupied for weeks, months, or even a year.
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Place of registration: England and Wales.
Company number 08723341.
Registered address: 6th Floor, 2 London Wall Place, London EC2Y 5AU
