James Villas revived by Awaze after two-year closure 

Hoseasons owner Awaze is reviving the James Villas brand after a two-year hiatus with trade distribution planned from early next year.

James Villas will specialise in villa-only accommodation for families across 5,500 properties in core Mediterranean destinations including Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Greece. More than three quarters feature private pools.

The brand relaunch will be supported by a £2 million multi-channel marketing campaign to drive awareness and demand during the crucial post-Christmas holiday booking period. 

The campaign - featuring the new strapline ‘There’s a villa with your name on it at James Villas’ - will break on Boxing Day across ITV, Sky and Channel 4. 

Founded in 1984 in Maidstone, Kent by James and Shelagh Needham, James Villas Holidays, as it was known then, was acquired by Awaze - formerly Platinum Equity - in 2018. 

Following a period of closure since October 2023, the brand has now been revitalised to meet the surging demand from UK holidaymakers for a specialist, trusted villa brand, building on its 40 years legacy, according to Awaze. 

James Villas joins Awaze’s growing portfolio of specialist self-catering brands which includes Hoseasons, Cottages.com and Novasol. 

Awaze chief executive Matthew Price said: “This is a comeback built on 40 years of expertise in creating holidays for families, underpinned by one of the largest vacation rental groups in Europe. 

“Every element of the new James Villas brand - from the hand-picking of properties to our dedicated customer support - is focused on delivering quality-assured accommodation and hassle-free booking, helping customers create holiday memories to remember.”

Jennifer Day, chief growth officer at Awaze, said: “The launch of the new James Villas proposition marks a momentous milestone for Awaze and we’re hugely excited to be able to finally reveal the new look and offering. 

“Following the initial launch, our focus will be to bring on board our valued trade partners from early 2026, who will be an essential component of our distribution strategy. We’d encourage any travel agents keen to collaborate on this exciting chapter to get in touch.”