Friends, Partners, and Clients:
I am excited to share that Celebrated Experiences has secured significant investment which will enable us to be an even stronger and more innovative partner.
What does this all mean for our clients? Our extraordinary team remains in place to assist you and your clients. This new investment simply gives us greater tools and opportunities to serve you even better moving forward. Our new partners are extraordinary leaders with a track record of impressive results. The future is bright for all of us.
It is extra meaningful that today’s terrific news comes on what would have been my Mom’s 85th birthday. There is no doubt that our co-founder Leni Epstein, who was so key to our company’s growth and reputation, is beaming with love and pride.
Below is the official press release that details this exciting partnership. Our team is so eager to deliver the best for you in 2023…and beyond!
All the best,
Jonathan
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Celebrated Experiences Secures Significant Investment from Snowdon Partners to Fuel Further Innovation and Growth
ATLANTA, January 9th, 2023 Luxury Destination Specialist and Hotel Marketing Company, Celebrated Experiences, has announced a partnership with Snowdon Partners, a private investing firm based in Montreal, Canada. Snowdon Partners is the direct investing arm of Sweet Park Capital, the family office for businessman Aldo Bensadoun, founder of Aldo Group. This partnership further enhances Celebrated Experiences’ growth opportunities by fueling investment in the company’s team and strategic innovations, while also adding new services desired by clients.
Jonathan Epstein continues as Chief Executive Officer and remains a significant shareholder of the business. He is joined by the entire company’s leadership and team, including industry veteran Ty Horn.
Over the past four years, Celebrated Experiences nearly doubled to 50 team members, and experienced significant market share growth through the pandemic as a result of investments in new revenue streams and partnerships. These include the acquisition of Guidelines to Britain, the introduction of guides and special experiences to the company’s Italy Division, the launch of Celebrated Homes, the addition of dozens of new Celebrated Hotels to their curated portfolio, and the creation of a travel advisor recognition program: Celebrated Legends and Celebrated Heroes.
These investments, driven by the company’s best-in-class team, led to record-breaking results, including revenue growth of more than 100% when compared to 2019, the company’s previous best year.
Epstein said: “We are thrilled by this partnership and energized to deliver even better service and travel experiences for our clients. After weighing our options, we were drawn to partnering with a family office backed investment group, rather than with a traditional private equity firm. My family and our team share similar business values with Mr. Bensadoun, and we are eager to collaborate with the thoughtful and strategic team at Snowdon. We will continue to design vivid, personalized itineraries designed by the hardest-working team in the industry.”
“We are thrilled to partner with Jonathan and his high caliber team,” said Dan Chetrit, Partner and Co-Founder of Snowdon Partners. “We review hundreds of investment opportunities each year, and Celebrated Experiences is a truly distinctive platform with a rare combination of attributes. The company’s team is focused on delivering unparalleled travel experiences, from selecting specific hotel suites for clients, to acquiring tickets to the hardest-to-book events such as Wimbledon. Moreover, their wizardry in leveraging expertise and relationships cultivated over decades to delight both travel advisors and customers confirmed that this would be an exciting investment for us.”
Partner and Co-Founder of Snowdon Partners Liroy Haddad added: “While we are inspired by their team, we are equally impressed by Celebrated Experiences’ financial strength, their operations, and how well they navigated the pandemic and the comeback of 2022. We are so excited for the future.”
“Celebrated Experiences possesses all of the characteristics we look for in a business for our direct investing program” said Norman Jaskolka, CEO of Sweet Park Capital. “We are particularly drawn to the way the team creates value for each of its stakeholders which is something we care deeply about.”
Mr. Bensadoun added: “We are impressed by what the team at Celebrated Experiences has accomplished and we look forward writing the next chapter of this exciting journey together.”
About Celebrated Experiences
Founded in 1990 by Preston and Leni Epstein, Celebrated Experiences has grown into one of the luxury travel industry’s most relevant and innovative companies. In 2006, Jonathan Epstein, their son, joined the business as CEO. The Celebrated Experiences team designs personalized itineraries featuring a curated Collection of annually-inspected Celebrated Hotels and Homes with hand-picked drivers and guides. Focusing on the beloved destinations of England, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales, the business also maintains a significant focus on price transparency. Through a 33-year history serving elite travel advisors, Celebrated Experiences maintains strong partnerships with the industry’s best advisors and agency owners.
About Snowdon Partners
Founded in 2013, Snowdon Partners has built a track record of investing in great entrepreneurs and building enduring businesses. They lead direct investments in private companies for Sweet Park Capital, the family office for Mr. Aldo Bensadoun, a Canadian businessman and philanthropist. He founded the Aldo Group in 1972 and built it into a global retail leader. Sweet Park invests for the long term, with an objective of having a lasting impact on businesses, their teams, their clients, and their communities. As stewards of family capital for Sweet Park, Snowdon understands the importance of investing for the next generation, not the next exit.
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