Le Collectionist is a luxury travel brand offering a selection of holiday rentals around the world. SME caught up with Eliott Cohen-Skalli, co-founder and chief marketing officer to find out more…
What countries do you operate in?
We have over over 1300 properties in over 120 countries, with new offices just opened in Cannes, Ibiza and Mykonos.
What is the next country to target?
We are planning to develop our offers in the Mediterranean basin (Croatia, South of France, Spain, Italy, Greece) but we also look at new trending destinations like Cartagena, Comporta, Caesarea, and some islands in Greece like Kea or Skiathos etc. Also we will consolidate our presence in the destinations where we are already and will hopefully have some new off market properties to list.
What is your global plan?
Our global plan is to create a world famous luxury brand that offers exceptional experiences in unique locations
How much research goes in to setting up overseas expansion? Do you visit the places you are looking to sell to?
All our properties are thoroughly vetted, sighted and undergo a rigorous evaluation process to ensure they not only meet Le Collectionist’s high standards, but surpass our clients expectations.
What have been the main challenges of building an international presence?
With HNWI clients, it is important to meet them in person during the booking process. As a start-up we only had one office in Paris, and therefore it was difficult to create frequent events and meetings in those major cities where our clients are located.
What cultural differences have you encountered, and have they affected the way you do business with certain regions?
Yes of course, especially with this type of client where each of their needs are so unique. We make sure to adapt to cultural needs at all times. For example, renting properties is more and more frequent, but it is clearly not embedded in the culture.
