Houlihan Lokey Advises Travel Chapter

Houlihan Lokey is pleased to announce that Travel Chapter, the leading platform for high-quality self-catering holiday rentals and a portfolio company of ECI Partners (ECI), has been acquired by the management team with support from Intermediate Capital Group plc (ICG).

Travel Chapter is one of the UK’s leading holiday rental platforms, offering a wide selection of c. 8,000 high-quality properties across the UK. It has a number of consumer brands, including its flagship brand Holidaycottages.co.uk and specialist lifestyle and regional brands such as Canine Cottages and Cottages & Castles, all of which focus on delivering exceptional customer service.

ECI partnered with Travel Chapter in 2018, and since then, the business has grown strongly, both organically and through completing seven acquisitions—significantly expanding its geographic footprint and the number of high-quality properties it has available. In June 2021, the business made its largest acquisition to date, acquiring the award-winning Sally’s Cottages brand, which boasts over 500 properties in the Lake District.

ICG is a global alternative asset manager with a 30+ year history, managing $69 billion of assets and investing across the capital structure. ICG provides flexible capital solutions to help companies develop and grow and cultivates long-term relationships with its business partners to deliver value for shareholders, clients, and employees, and uses its position of influence to benefit the environment and society.

Houlihan Lokey served as the exclusive financial advisor to Travel Chapter on the transaction. This deal highlights the firm’s deep sector expertise in the travel and e-commerce sectors.