ABOUT US
Emma Villas, listed on the Euronext Growth Milan stock exchange on 29 September 2023, is Italy's leader in the vacation rental market (short-term rentals), specialising in villas, country houses, and prestigious residences
On a Journey!
By Giammarco Bisogno, Founder e CEO of Emma Villas"We built our company's success starting from our "centre" in Tuscany, then expanded throughout Italy. We sought a new balance in selecting properties for our international clientele, prioritising those that offer our guests both proximity to artistic sites and immersion in nature.
Our times have led us to rediscover the importance of this balance, deeming indispensable the privacy and relaxation that only green spaces, minimally impacted by human presence, can provide.
At Emma Villas, we have sought to develop a unique selection of vacation rentals that embody the harmony and balance between nature and art in Italy. We have chosen prestigious locations and residences where this balance is realised, encouraging our guests to have a profound experience of Italian travel and hospitality.
We carefully select properties whose beauty and atmosphere can enhance and preserve our guests' travel experiences. Over these 20 years, Emma Villas has continually pursued villas that generously immerse our guests in the captivating experiences of Italy's nature, art, and beauty.
We like to think of our model as unique, capturing the many facets of our country and the Italian lifestyle admired worldwide, making a dream tangible: feeling at home even while travelling!
20 YEARS SERVING PROPERTY OWNERS AND GUESTS
Our story
To retrace the milestones of our company's evolution, we return to 1979, when MB Real Estate Agency was founded in the historic headquarters of Chiusi Scalo (Siena). This company later became one of the most important and well-known in the real estate sector in central Italy.
The company's origins, initially under the name "Rent Tuscany," date back to the early 2000s, when the agency's customers began showing particular interest in exclusive vacation rentals, anticipating a trend that would become an increasingly relevant part of the market in the following years. The focus on the short-term rental sector led to the creation of www.renttuscany.com, fully dedicated to this business.
THE WEB, A WINDOW TO THE WORLD
The website, through significant advertising investments, gave the company strong visibility, generating contacts and bookings from clients around the world. The important collaborations established in the early 2000’s and the significant promotional activities carried out in Europe and the United States set the stage for a strategic phase of the company's growth, which, in July 2006, led to the birth of the new company Emma Villas S.r.l. (the name was chosen in honour of the founder's granddaughter).
Over time, activities and processes were optimised: from the selection of villas to their inspection, all the way to customer care in all stages of the rental. This vision, which placed the relationship with owners and guests at the heart of Emma Villas' operations through a unique and integrated approach, was made concrete by the determination of a motivated and professional staff.
THE TERRITORY: ITALY AT HEART, QUALITY AND EXCLUSIVITY
The strong knowledge and widespread presence of Emma Villas' collaborators throughout Italy accelerated the company's growth and led to the rapid acquisition of properties nationwide, originally concentrated only in Tuscany and Umbria. For this reason, in early 2013, during its first major television campaign, the company updated its logo, officially adopting the brand “EMMA VILLAS,” leaving behind the "Rent Tuscany" name, which, limiting the offer to the region of Tuscany, no longer represented the company's true dimension.
This is how the new reality was born; thanks to the constant work of the management and the strong push for innovation in products and services, Emma Villas, over the past 20 years, has built a loyal international and Italian clientele, managing exclusive properties of great charm and constantly working to expand its perimeter to a broad and differentiated target of property owners and clients.
An increasingly high standard of quality, the exclusivity of the properties offered, and the variety of services, along with a strong marketing and communication drive, are the strengths of Emma Villas.
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1979
MB Real Estate Agency Founded -
2000
The Rent Tuscany brand and website is born -
2004
First collaborations in the Amalfi Coast -
2006
Emma Villas is born -
2008
New collaborations in the Marche region New website launch and inauguration of new headquarters in Chiusi (SI) -
2011
Relocation of registered office to Rome -
2013
Portfolio expansion into six new regions (Veneto, Lombardy, Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Sicily, Sardinia) First TV campaign on SKY -
2014
Expansion and restyling of Emma Villas headquarters in Chiusi New collaborations in Puglia and Piedmont -
2015
First redesign of Emmavillas.com website Launch of the Emmavillasplus services platform -
2016
Second TV advert and fourth TV campaign on Sky Participation in the World Travel Market in London -
2017
First Emma Villas Tour for property owners with stops in Florence, Chianciano Terme, Pesaro, Catania -
2018
Redesign of Emmavillasplus services platform Second Emma Villas Tour in Milan, Florence, Rome, Pesaro, Lecce and Catania -
2019
Redesign of Emmavillas.com Launch of Wedding & Events activities Creation of White Label Site for Agencies Emma Villas LAB roadshow for property owners in various Italian cities Participation in BIT Milan and TTG Rimini -
2020
New advert and TV campaigns New collaborations and strategic development partnerships -
2021
Re-engineering of operating systems Launch of the new website Advertising campaigns in national publications Digitalisation of processes and services Partnerships with OTAs and Luxury channels PR office activation TV advert and campaign on La7 and SKY Property owners tour and dedicated advert -
2022
Launch of "Temporary HUB Store" project targeting hosts and guests to strengthen presence in new areas or those with high tourism potential -
2023
Stock market listing on Euronext Growth Milan Opening of flagship store in Siena, and temporary hub stores in Orbetello and Porto Cervo Management Team strengthening First Emma Villas Magazine Launch of a new website for training activities: emmavillasacademy.com -
2024
Portfolio reaches over 600 properties Technological upgrade for multi-channel capabilities and booking flexibility New advanced Property Management platform Portfolio growth and qualification in strategic areas: Puglia, Sicily and Tuscany Second special "experience" Magazine issue Launch of The Blog by Emma Villas Launch of Experiences platform and exclusive services Acquisition of Marche Holiday Villas and Domus Rental (Lake Garda) Organisational cross-growth -
2025
"Any villa you dream of…" campaign on SKY TV, RAI and various newspapers Property owners campaign on SKY
ORGANIZATION, GROWTH ENGINE AND DEVELOPMENT
The year 2020 was challenging due to the health emergency, but the company responded effectively: by intensifying its efforts, it first attracted and then retained Italian customers, strengthening its commercial network and laying important foundations for the future. The 2021-2022 period was marked by significant organisational evolution, growth in the villa portfolio, the development of new projects, and the achievement of important milestones. These set the stage for an ambitious 2023, which saw the launch of new collaborations and the opening of the HUB stores in high-tourism areas, first of all the flagship store in Siena.
The Emma Villas temporary HUB stores are functional for a greater presence and recognisability in new territories - or in which demand has grown - in which it is strategic to intensify acquisition and proximity activities. These allow:
▪️ to the commercial network of Emma Villas a maximum simplification and qualification of the meetings with new owners interested in joining the network
▪️ to the potential guests offer the opportunity to evaluate the properties in the portfolio, the services and the experiences supported by the Store manager
▪️ to local suppliers open the doors to new collaboration opportunities.
2023 represented a key milestone in the company’s history: its listing on the Euronext Growth Milan market. The listing was viewed as an opportunity to accelerate many pre-planned projects.
2023 was also the year the experience platform was launched, alongside the enhancement of offerings with the introduction of exclusive services and experiences for guests.
Today, this development, further strengthened technologically in 2024, allows all customers to seamlessly integrate, into their “shopping cart,” not only their accommodation but also a range of services and experiences, including food, wellness, cultural experiences, and more.
The year 2024 was a year of strong investments - considering the fast-moving nature of the holiday rental market - geared towards maintaining the competitive advantage in the medium to long term and maximising the protection of the cooperation with owners over time. These investments included:
▪️ the acquisition of portfolios in target regions for the company (Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany, Emilia Romagna, Sardinia);
▪️ the intervention where necessary in property improvements (to maintain high product standards);
▪️ the investment in the network and property management;
▪️ the expansion of the portfolio with foreign countries;
▪️ the growth of sales channels;
▪️ technological development, today an indispensable lever;
▪️ constant investment in training for all ‘professional families’;
▪️ the creation - unique in the sector - of the property management platform for villas and prestigious residences, which is now able to meet property management needs throughout Italy;
▪️ the expansion of acquisition activity also took place through M&A: acquisition of EMV International, Marche Holiday Villas (finalised in 2024 with the addition of 23 new properties in the Marche region) and Domus Rental, (finalised in July 2024).
Emma Villas' portfolio growth from 350 properties in 2022 to over 600 in 2024.
2025
The development activities of the last two years (2023-2024) have enabled a constant qualification of the Group's offer and strengthened its market leadership in Italy. Emma Villas is today able to guarantee, as the only Italian operator:
▪️ a quality stay, in more than 650 exclusive properties throughout Italy;
▪️ hosting over 55,000 international guests;
▪️ offer capillary property management and management services for the owners;
▪️ complement the simple stay with exclusive services and experiences.
This strength is the result of intensive work in the territories, of building proximity networks in an increasingly competitive scenario.
TRAINING AND SUSTAINABILITY
2023 also marked a significant expansion of training activities with the launch of the new Emma Villas Academy website (emmavillasacademy.com), as well as the creation of the company’s sustainability business division, EV Planet, which will centralise sustainability initiatives in 2024-2025.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
As part of its engagement strategy, the company has focused on strengthening dialogue with its community of owners and guests by:
▪️ Launching The Blog, a platform designed to engage with the guest community, encouraging the discovery of travel destinations and iconic properties.
▪️ Introducing the Your Property First platform, which, through targeted actions, in-person meetings, and webinars, facilitates continuous communication with the villa owner community.