DanCenter 65th anniversary in 2022

For 65 years, the country’s oldest holiday home rental agency DanCenter has mediated contact between private homeowners and holiday-hungry guests. The anniversary is marked with great ambitions for the future, just as a number of activities are launched which, among other things, will attract new homeowners.

Holiday homes have been popular in Denmark for many years. The first demand from German guests in particular was experienced as early as 1957, when one of today’s largest holiday home rental agencies saw the light of day under the name Dansk Centralt Kontor for Sommerhusudlejning. Today, the agency is called DanCenter and can thus celebrate its 65th anniversary as one of the country’s leading holiday home landlords:

– I am incredibly proud that DanCenter, as the oldest rental agency in Denmark and the first commercial rental agency in Europe, has helped to create the foundation for holiday home rental as we know it today. In 65 years, we have set up an extensive network of local offices throughout Northern Europe and created a completely unique contact between homeowner and guest – a business model that we can humbly take credit for having spread, says Kim Holmsted, who today is CEO at DanCenter and chairman of Feriehusudlejernes Brancheforening.

DanCenter was originally run by Kim Holmsted’s father, Kurt Holmsted, who has helped build the company as director and owner.

Anniversary events should attract new homeowners

In connection with the anniversary, DanCenter is planning a number of activities, including a brand-new TV commercial, which, among other things, will help to attract more homeowners. Capacity limitation has been an ongoing challenge in the industry – and thus also at DanCenter, which last year saw a growth in the number of booked weeks of eight percent compared to 2020, which was a record year.

– Even though a lot of water has flowed under the bridge in 65 years, the challenge with us and in the whole industry is the same then as it is now. We must continue to attract more holiday home owners. It not only benefits the homeowners themselves to make their house available, it also has great significance for the whole of Denmark, which benefits from increased tourism turnover and more jobs in the country’s holiday home areas, Kim Holmsted explains and continues:

– Our overall purpose is to spread tourism in Denmark, and therefore I am personally very passionate about the relationship with our homeowners. In addition to benefiting society financially, homeowners are our best tool for continuing to develop DanCenter. If we manage to maintain our good reputation among our home owners, there is fertile ground for both growing and strengthening the business.

Great ambitions for the future

The anniversary marks a growth journey that over the years has positioned DanCenter as one of the country’s leading holiday home agencies. But despite this, Kim Holmsted still has great ambitions for the future:

– It is my goal that over the next five years we will be able to boast of being the world’s largest holiday home landlord. This will be done through a strengthened collaboration with our Indian owner OYO Vacation Homes, which will contribute to a greater integration of DanCenter with our sister company Belvilla, which is a leader in the southern European market, says Kim Holmsted and ends:

– I am enormously honored to be able to lead this journey and at the same time help shape the industry that I was born into and love. It is a great opportunity and I look forward to doing my best to fulfill the ambitions.

DanCenter currently rents out 10,000 holiday homes in Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Germany.