Welcome Beyond hand-picks small hotels and vacation rentals that are truly original.

Many reflect their owners’ passion for distinctive architecture and design. Some border on quirky, several are quite posh. And a few are downright rustic.

What all properties have in common is that they’re exclusive — in the best sense of the word. Each is singular, memorable and definitely worth writing home about.

Who’s behind this

Welcome Beyond was founded by two Berlin-based brothers who’ve spent their lives studying and working around the globe. In addition to a lot of genes, they share a fundamental insight about travel – that where you stay is as vital to the experience as what you see and do.

Oliver Laugsch has been a designer and art director with agencies in the US, France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, creating the only known connection between clients such as Deutsche Bank and the Chemical Brothers. Oliver channeled his lifelong love of design and architecture into formal studies at the Art Center College of Design.

Chris Laugsch worked in finance for a German multinational, ultimately taking on a management role with its Brazilian subsidiary. He was educated at the European Business School in London and Santiago de Chile. Chris alternates between German and English with his older brother – and throws in some Spanish or Portuguese to keep it interesting.

Hand-picked selection

We review every property carefully and only accept those that meet our high design & quality standards — in all price ranges.

Personal service

We want you to find your perfect stay. If you need help, email us:

Best prices & a little extra

Found your hotel cheaper elsewhere?
Contact us and we’ll always try to match the price. Guaranteed. And you’ll also often get a gift or upgrade when you book with us.

The Sunday Times: The Villas Handbook

Best Villa Companies 2020

November 2020

Wow is what you’ll utter when you step into any one of Welcome Beyond’s properties, available in dozens of countries from Mexico to Germany. Personal touches (you actually know who the owners are) and design feature heavily in their preened pads — from mirror-clad houses in the wilds of Italy to California farmhouses — and while they do cater for that top end of the spectrum, there are plenty of flash places to be had at real-people prices, too.

The Wall Street Journal: For design-minded iconoclasts

For design-minded iconoclasts

June 2018

Founders Oliver and Chris Laugsch, Berlin-based brothers, curated a collection of unusual houses (and small hotels) in 41 countries that they say favor personality over pretension. That might mean a rustic 19th-century barn in Tivoli, N.Y., with curtains for walls or a fully staffed Swahili beach house built by native artisans on Kenya’s Lamu Island.

Spiegel Online: So finden Sie Ihre Traumunterkunft

So finden Sie Ihre Traumunterkunft

January 2017

Aus Berlin stammt das Konzept für Welcome Beyond. Oliver und Chris Laugsch sind mit ihrem Portal immer auf der Jagd nach ausgefallenen oder hippen Unterkünften für Individualisten – angefangen von hübschen Boutique-Hotels, Strandhäusern und Apartments bis zu ausgefallenen Schlafplätzen in einem Hausboot auf der Spree oder im Jurtenzelt in Patagonien.

The New York Times

Hey, how did you find this place?

May 2012

Recently, I logged onto VRBO.com, only to find my head spinning at the length of its roster. Scrolling through Hotels.com and Airbnb.com, I almost gave up.

Welcome Beyond offers lodgings with personality: a six-bedroom, cliffside villa in Phuket, Thailand, goes for 1,338 euros per night (chef included), and a cozy forest hut in Sweden with no electricity costs 44 euros. Welcome Beyond is best for the adventurous traveler who can appreciate the unusual.

Travel + Leisure: Best Villa Rental Agencies 2015

Best Villa Rental Agencies 2015

July 2016

This rental company is the brainchild of two brothers from Berlin, and is a testament to their passion for architecture and design. They hand pick every property, currently available in 38 countries around the world.

The Guardian: The best travel websites ever

The best travel websites ever

July 2011

For a property to make it on to this site it needs to be architecturally interesting and something of an interior design delight. Choose, say, between a cave in Sicily or a rooftop apartment in Buenos Aires. You can search by location or interest, whether that be culture, nature or simply staring at the (beautifully decorated) walls.

Press enquiries