CUSTOMER STORIES / SPLIT · CROATIA
From Split to guests around the world.
VIP Holiday Booker has brought together local knowledge of the Croatian coast, luxury villas and personal guest support to create an internationally focused travel brand.
The story of Darijo Šarić, the team behind the bookings and relationships that last longer than a single season.
Discover the story ↓
- Founded
- 2013.
- Villas in the portfolio
- 1,000+
- B2B offering according to the questionnaire
- around 1,300
- With MyRent
- around 10 years
01 / PEOPLE AND BEGINNINGS
The idea began in Split. The ambition was international.
Darijo Šarić founded VIP Holiday Booker in 2013 with a clear aim: to offer guests visiting Croatia carefully selected villas and reliable personal support. A local agency grew into a brand specialising in villa rentals along the Croatian coast and on the islands.
Growth meant more than adding new properties. Over time, separate sales, marketing, distribution, finance and concierge processes took shape. Behind the offering is a specialist team working daily with guests, owners and international partners.
An important part of the agency's identity has remained unchanged: knowing the destinations, presenting properties clearly and building relationships with owners over several seasons.
02 / VILLAS AND DESTINATIONS
From Hvar and Split to Dubrovnik and Istria.
The agency has a particularly strong presence in Split and central Dalmatia, but its portfolio covers destinations along the Croatian coast and islands. Guests can choose from family villas, holiday homes and outstanding luxury and beachfront properties.
Local knowledge helps guests choose: how far a villa is from the beach, what its immediate surroundings are like and what to expect from a stay in a particular place.
Alongside accommodation, the team develops personalised concierge services – transfers, private chefs, excursions and other experiences that make organising a holiday easier for guests.
03 / RELATIONSHIPS WITH OWNERS
Professional sales start with presenting a villa well.
Cooperation begins with an assessment of the property's quality, location and market potential. Listing content, photographs, pricing, stay conditions and distribution through suitable sales channels follow.
For some properties, VIP Holiday Booker manages sales and reservations; for selected villas, on-site operations are agreed separately. This distinction allows owners to choose the scope of cooperation rather than applying a single model to every property.
Long-term relationships with owners are just as important as new reservations: a recognisable brand is built through consistency, transparent communication and quality support.
04 / TECHNOLOGY BEHIND THE SCENES
As a portfolio grows, shared data becomes essential.
VIP Holiday Booker has been using MyRent since approximately 2016. With a larger number of villas and team members, a shared view of reservations, availability, prices and financial and administrative information matters.
Today, a new reservation can be followed in one place: from dates and value to the statuses that sales, support and finance need to see. This reduces the need for separate manual checks.
Technology here does not replace personal service. It frees up time for the team to focus more on guests, owners and the quality of the offering.
Reservations
A central view of dates and statuses for teams handling a large portfolio.
Prices
Consistent data when selling and processing reservations.
Reports
Support for administration and financial monitoring of the business.
05 / WHAT COMES NEXT
Portfolio quality ahead of the number of villas alone.
In the coming years, VIP Holiday Booker wants to strengthen direct sales, its international B2B network, digital processes and the level of service provided to owners and guests.
The ambition is not simply to expand the offering, but to present every villa well, build lasting trust and give guests an experience that brings them back.
A TECHNOLOGY PARTNER'S REFLECTION
From an initial idea to an international agency: a partnership that grew with the business.
Neven Palčec
founder of MyRent
“I met Darijo Šarić at the very beginning of his entrepreneurial journey. When he contacted us, he did not have an established villa portfolio or a client base. He had something equally important: a very clear vision of the kind of travel agency he wanted to build, how it should operate and the values it needed to uphold.
MyRent was also a young system at the time. Through our cooperation, we grew together, exchanged ideas and looked for better solutions. Our role was not only to provide technology for daily work, but also to suggest simpler processes, a better user experience and how an agency website should look and function. I also remember a joint talk and presentation at the library in Split – one of the lovely moments of that cooperation.
As VIP Holiday Booker developed, Darijo brought together talented people from different fields: web development, SEO, sales and administration. I particularly appreciate that, alongside growing the portfolio, he also invested in his team's expertise.
I believe his discipline, hard work and consistent business vision were decisive in that development. The journey from an initial idea to an agency that today lists approximately 1,300 accommodation properties in its B2B offering shows how much can be achieved through sustained work and clear priorities.
What personally makes me especially happy is their openness to technology and change. Darijo and his team recognised early on that better organisation and automation mean fewer opportunities for errors, faster responses, better planning and better business decisions. I am equally impressed by how much attention they devoted to their own website and direct sales, rather than relying exclusively on large booking platforms.
For me, VIP Holiday Booker is proof that a Croatian travel agency, with a clear vision, a strong team, continuous learning and smart use of technology, can build its own brand and compete successfully with major international players.”
Neven Palčec – founder of MyRent
Watch the video on YouTube ↗
MEET VIP HOLIDAY BOOKER
Local knowledge. International reach. Personal support.
From the first villas to an extensive network of guests and partners, the business is backed by people who know Croatia's destinations.