The Hideaways Club Sells 20% of Ownership

The Hideaways Club, one of the UK's largest destination clubs, has brought in two new investors, Jonathan Feuer and Nick Bettany. Each has purchased a ten percent stake in the organization, bringing both capital and experience to the club.

The Veras Group met with Chris Moody, Director of Sales, to learn more about the investors and what it means to members and The Hideaways Club itself.

"Obviously it provides us more capital, but it also brings in some very experienced investors putting money into the real estate investment," Moody began. "They are two very experienced guys and our founders are very pleased to be able to raise capital in the current environment. I think that more than anything illustrates the business model is a good one."

Jonathan Feuer is a Managing Partner at CVC Capital Partners, a leading private equity and investment advisory firm based in Luxembourg. Feuer joined CVC in 1988, working previously for Baring Brothers in the Corporate Finance department and Ernst & Whinney in London where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Studying at the University of Warwick, Feuer has a degree in applied mathematics and has led several buyouts and acquisitions during his time at CVC Capital.

While new to The Hideaways Club, Feuer does have experience with the club's founders. In 2004, Feuer led the £1.7 billion leveraged buyout of Debenhams, a major British retailer. John Lovering, a Founder and investor at The Hideaways Club, is Chairman of Debenhams.

After studying Economics at the University in Bristol, Nick Bettany began his career as a Chartered Accountant at Pricewaterhouse Coopers, specializing in audits of financial institutions. He later went on to work for the Royal Bank of Canada and the Jersey Financial Services Commission before establishing Clink Renaissance Property Limitada, a real estate developer in Lisbon focused on renovating historical city apartment blocks into luxury living spaces. Bettany continues to serve as the company's Financial Director.

In 2006, Nick completed his MBA at INSEAD in Singapore and Paris before working at Avington Financial, an investment bank specializing in providing financial advice on mergers and acquisitions within the hospitality and leisure industries.

Bettany has served as a Director of the Banyan Tree Seychelles hotel, an organization that has their own destination club under the corporate group, Banyan Tree Private Collection. In his very little free time, Nick also serves on the Boards both at RatedOffshore Limited and Rentim Investments, is an active member of the London chapter of the Keiretsu Forum, and oversees the running of gold medal winning Cremant and Cabernet Franc red wine vineyard in the Loire Valley.

Members of the club will not be affected by the deal. "The property company itself is held by the shareholders," said Moody. "Member's shareholdings aren't affected at all. Their shareholdings are in a seperate company. The property company owns the properties and the management company manages the properties on behalf of the shareholders."

With the new capital injected into the firm, Moody let us know that Hideaways plans to acquire many new stellar properties to the club's portfolio before the end of the year. Check back soon to hear the rest of Chris Moody's comments about where The Hideaways Club will be going in 2009 and their plans for the future.

To learn more about The Hideaways Club, please contact The Veras Group, your complimentary destination club advisor, dedicated to assisting you through every stage of your destination club purchase.

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