Every property here cleared a bar.
TheChosenStay is a curated collection of luxury villas, ski chalets and private estates, selected for travellers who care about where they stay as much as where they go. Every property has been chosen against a clear set of criteria. None are listed by default. None are featured because someone paid for the slot.
The collection is small by design. It grows carefully, region by region, as new properties meet the standard. The intent is not to be the biggest catalogue of villas online. The intent is to be the one where every entry is worth the read.
The founding story
Why TheChosenStay exists
TheChosenStay was founded in 2026 by a team with deep roots in the luxury concierge industry. Between them, the founding team has spent more than a decade arranging stays and itineraries for ultra-high-net-worth clients, from business owners to royal family members. Across those years, the same problem kept playing out. Clients knew what they wanted from a holiday and how to ask for it. The market did not have a clean way to give them the answer.
Mainstream search platforms returned thousands of listings sorted by algorithm rather than by judgement. Premium platforms handled the listings end well but offered little in the way of editorial perspective, and no honest view on which property suited which trip. The back-and-forth between client and concierge to find the right private home for a specific holiday was time-consuming, repetitive, and entirely solvable.
TheChosenStay was built to solve it. A collection of properties that meet a clear standard, presented with the kind of detail you would expect from a team that has been to similar properties, knows the regions, and has watched what works and what does not across years of bookings.
Selection criteria
What we look for
A clear sense of place
Properties that reflect the region rather than importing a generic luxury aesthetic. A villa in Tuscany should feel like Tuscany, not like a hotel anywhere.
Design or architecture worth visiting
A clear architectural pedigree or a design quality strong enough that the building itself becomes part of the trip. Not every house needs to be a landmark; the ones in the collection have something specific to look at.
Service that knows the property
Reliable staff who know the house and its local context, who can answer questions about the area as well as the kitchen. A villa is only as good as the team that runs it.
Amenities that actually deliver
A private pool that is actually private. A chef who actually cooks. A wellness room that gets used. Amenities listed as features but never fit for purpose do not pass the standard.
Rating system
How we evaluate every property
Location
The setting, the views, the proximity to what guests will actually want to do. A house in the right place can carry a trip; one in the wrong place struggles to recover.
Design
The architectural integrity, the interior design quality, the way the building responds to its setting. Subjective by nature but applied consistently across the collection.
Amenities
What's promised versus what's actually delivered. Not the count of features but the standard at which they operate.
Uniqueness
What this property does that others in the same region do not. Generic luxury is not enough; the question is whether the place is worth choosing over its alternatives.
Editorial team
Who writes for the journal
The editorial side of TheChosenStay is led by Eleanor Whitfield, who oversees the journal and writes the destination guides alongside the property listings. Her focus is on the intersection of architecture, landscape and private accommodation. The journal exists to give travellers context that property listings alone cannot: which season suits which destination, what to do in each region, where to base yourself, and how to plan a trip that earns the cost.
The collection itself is shaped by the founding team, who review every property before it enters TheChosenStay. The founders remain in the background by design; the work is the product, not their names.
Independence
What we will not do
TheChosenStay uses affiliate booking partners to handle reservations. When a guest books a property through one of these partners, TheChosenStay earns commission. This means properties remain bookable through the platforms travellers already trust, while the curation, editorial perspective and recommendations live on TheChosenStay.
What does not happen: no paid placement, no sponsored listings, no inflated ratings in exchange for partnership. A property is not added because a booking partner asked for it. A rating is not raised because a commission is larger. The site exists to be useful to the traveller first; the commercial model has to fit around that, not the other way around.
Frequently asked
Common questions, answered
Press & editorial coverage
Press and partnerships
Press enquiries, partnership requests and editorial collaborations can be sent to support@thechosenstay.com.
Get in touch
Contact
Questions about a property, feedback on the journal, or any other enquiries can be sent to hello@thechosenstay.com.