Paul Mallee and Rami Shamaa take luxury home rentals to the next level with Maison Privee

2020

A virtual hotel brand founded in 2017 by two Strategy& alumni has been flying high ever since. Maison Privee, the brainchild of Paul Mallee and Rami Shamaa, was launched to capture the opportunity in short-term luxury vacation rentals in Dubai. The company provides the service and convenience of a premium hotel and the privacy and comfort of home through its portfolio of luxury and unique properties. In August, the portfolio received a boost when Paul and Rami inked a deal with Gulf Sotheby’s International Realty to manage a portfolio of luxury Signature villas on Palm Jumeirah valued at US$100 million. “This partnership cements our position in Dubai and the region,” said Paul, noting that it brings Maison Privee closer to the near-term goal of being the largest operator of luxury properties in the UAE.

The success of Paul, Rami, and Maison Privee has not gone unnoticed, with the company garnering three nominations in the 2019 Gulf Capital SME Awards, for “Disruption of the Year” and “Customer Focus of the Year,” and Paul and Rami up for “Entrepreneur of the Year.”

A Series A funding round of $4 million in April 2018 supported the early growth of Maison Privee. “Implementation of a very strong hotel-like corporate structure, IT stack, and unique operating model has been fundamental to positioning us for growth,” said Rami. The two co-founders see the business as being globally applicable and have been exploring various modes of international expansion.

One such avenue opened up in February 2020 with Archipelago International, Southeast Asia’s privately owned and independent hotel operator. The license agreement brings Archipelago into the luxury holiday rental market in Dubai, operating the “Maison Privee powered by Aston” brand, while Maison Privee will be incorporated into Archipelago’s hotel platform, giving it access to the group’s scaling expertise, distribution, marketing, and corporate infrastructure in Southeast Asia.

The deal is the first of its kind in the UAE. For Paul and Rami, the partnership will help them achieve their ambitious growth targets over the next three years.