Europea Residences 1A

Equity
The best European homes with tailor-made concierge services
€200,000
total amount raised in round
  • Backed by over 100 investors
  • Eligible for a tax reduction
This campaign ended

Description



Based in Brussels, Europea was founded in January 2016 to enable and stimulate business and travel trips to Europe through a unique portfolio of luxury accommodation for short and medium rentals, and an array of services which can be customised based on the clients’ interests and needs. Europea offers luxury accommodation currently in Paris, Brussels, Barcelone, Milan and London.

Problem


The hospitality industry has been revolutionised by online platforms offering a renewed focus in experiencing life as a local, as well as a need for large and equipped space for bigger groups, and an attractive price much lower than standard hotel prices.
Despite advances in the industry and new applications of technology, problems remain, including:

  • Complicated and restrictive booking procedure: customers must request a booking and wait for a reply, then pay the total amount upfront
  • No concierge services
  • Poor security measures
  • Owners are rarely available

Idea



EUROPEA Residences offers travellers access to unique and spacious properties in the heart of the most beautiful cities of Europe, with a range of taylor-made services. Clients benefit from:

  • The best European luxury properties/boutique apartments.
  • Digital access to Conciergerie services and guide tours (breakfast, fill-the-fridge service, private chef at home, private chauffeur, guided tours, magazine with local tips..).
  • Educational services during their stay (cooking lessons, language lessons and access to certain university courses..).
  • As of 2017, access to special rates exclusively for "Club" members.


Why EUROPEA needs your support


Europea needs your support to grow in 2017, to open an office in Tokyo and expand in Europe.


Current achievements :


  • A user-friendly website in 5 languages (EN, FR, JA, ZH, and KO)
  • A strong website distribution network in Asia: Hong-Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, Sydney and Singapore
  • An internal and unique back office
  • Intellectual property of the domains and web technology
  • Travel magazine: europea-travel.com
  • €560,000 euros of sales turnover and 265 satisfied clients (€2,100 average reservation).
  • 9 partnerships with European local property managers.
  • 260 luxury apartments in 5 destinations available through online booking.
  • 250 other new luxury apartments signed, which will soon be published online, in 8 destinations including Rome, Lisbonne, Amsterdam and Munich.
  • 22 Global Distribution partnerships.
  • 7 Asian Distribution partnerships.

Goals for 2017 :


  • Open an efficient sales office in Tokyo with the active support of the Japanese government. The company has been selected for the JETRO IBSC programme including a free office in Tokyo for 50 days and free consulting services for 1 year.
  • Expand in Europe including publication of new destinations and development of Travel products ( Multi destination package, City-Countryside package..).
  • IT innovations : travel agencies and corporate partners full access; digital platform for clients to design uni-destination trip or multi destination trips.
  • Brand and Logo protection.
  • Launch a social media marketing campaign and a specialised magazine to create a safe and welcoming image on the web.
  • Website update : Improve communication ; integrate new marketing tools to create a community of travel users ( membership, special offers, data management..).

Marketing strategy


Effectively combine different B2C and B2B strategies to achieve sales and marketing objectives. Implement different online marketing campaigns, to reach customers and collaborate with global and local booking platforms.
In Asia, focus on local social media, and to expand the B2B network (OTA, Travel agencies, relocation agencies, wedding agencies, Fashion agencies).

Distribution strategy


Distribution is the base of a growing hospitality company. In 2016, their strategy was to reinforce their global distribution with main actors in the travel industry. They signed partnership deals with, among others, TripAdvisor, Expedia, Booking.com, Only Apartments and 18 others to bring in a steady flow of clients.
Recent contact made with Asian travel actors including Zhubaija, Tujia, Andsel etc.
A strong and niche distribution network in Asia will allow for growth in 2017-2020.

Internationalisation strategy


Europea Residences plans to open a reservation office in Tokyo, Japan. This will help to quickly answer inquiries in a different timezone. Europea benefits from knowledge of the Japanese language, market and client habits combined with the active support of Japanese government through its JETRO ISBC program.

Intellectual Property


Their website and IT identity is the property of EUROPEA Residences. A specific agreement has been signed with their WEB Partner KARAKAS (Brussels based Belgian company) to cover all web platforms and web designs done under the project EUROPEA.

Major contracts


On the product side, the company has signed with the most prestigious property management companies in Europe: One fine Stay, SweetInn, Resorts and Towns, Guest trotters, Paris For stay, Oxis, Joya de Lisboa, Rome Unique....

Main partners