About Holiday Velvet

Holiday Velvet - a little history

Unlike so many great companies, Holiday Velvet didn’t start in a garage... but it did start in a rather tiny place too: a 25sqm holiday rental apartment in the center of Rome. James and Vanessa, both rental agents at the time, decided here that they could take their local business to a multi-national level.

Why Velvet? You guessed it, that lovely little rental had a sumptuous velvet throw on the sofa... and the silky luxurious fabric became the meaning behind their mission: to provide a smooth booking experience of quality rentals to travelers around the world.

2006 - First basic version of the website with 100 rentals in Rome, Venice and Florence

2007 - We have a total of 250 and cover also Paris and Cape Town

2008 - We recruit rental owners in London, Barcelona, Thailand and New York

2009 - We launch our online booking system and allow rental owners to subscribe worldwide

2010 - We now have 315 destinations and nearly 10,000 rentals and serviced apartments

2011 - On our way to be the number one agency for holiday rentals? You bet!

2 Offices - London & Barcelona

Holiday Velvet - booking holiday rentals the safe way

Although the holiday rental industry has been around for years, it has in 2010/11 enjoyed a new hype around the world. Previously when you spoke about holiday rentals, people pictured a large villa on a beach while now, it is the new way to enjoy city breaks around the world. Afterall apartments have much to offer over hotels: you are able to cook at home saving on restaurant bills, you have more space and you get that delicious sense of experiencing a city like a local.

Where there is hype there is an industry in the making - and so if you are looking for a holiday rental today and search long enough you will be confronted with a million websites and usually two ways to book: with the owner directly or with an agency like Holiday Velvet. A comparison table:

Some Testimonials

"Excellent service and response, the booking process was so easy. The apartment was as stated and all very good and high standards. Excellent!" Review by Mark who booked Canal View in Amsterdam

"Holiday Velvet was fast, easy to use, and accurate in property descriptions!" Review by Sarri who booked Plaza del Fiori in Rome

» More Testimonials