Ascombe advises The Thinking Traveller on a £7m Investment from Piper
Ashcombe is pleased to announce that it has advised The Thinking Traveller – the world’s most thoughtful luxury villa brand – on a £7m investment from Piper. Ian Simkins, former CEO of Audley Travel, will join the business as Executive Chairman as part of the investment round.
Founded in 2002, The Thinking Traveller has carefully curated a portfolio of 220 luxury villas in seven destinations across the Mediterranean including Sicily, the Greek Ionian Islands and Corsica. This is supported by enriching & memorable experiences, unrivalled local knowledge & personal service which have propelled the company to be voted the world’s Best Villa Rental Company by Condé Nast Traveller for the last five years running.
Piper’s investment will help the business curate a broader selection of exclusive villas in both existing and new destinations through strategic acquisitions & partnerships and expand the brand further in its core markets including the UK, Europe, USA and Australia.
Huw & Rossella Beaugié, co-founders of The Thinking Traveller, commented:
“Thank you to the entire Ashcombe team for their invaluable advice over the last few months. They have helped us navigate the most difficult period in our company’s history and arranged a long-term financing solution that will enable us to emerge stronger from the pandemic and take advantage of the numerous strategic opportunities available to us.”
Simon Bullivant, partner at Ashcombe, added:
“It was a pleasure to support Huw & Rossella on this milestone fundraise. Whilst the travel sector has been impacted by Covid this year, we identified The Thinking Traveller as a first-class brand that is strongly placed to weather the temporary storm and strengthen their position as the global leader for luxury villa holidays. We are excited to watch them continue to develop with their new partner in Piper.”