ABOUT US

Brian has been involved in the Travel Industry, International Real Estate and online startups for the past 25 years. As CEO and co-founder of Rental Escapes, he is responsible for setting the company's strategic objectives and leading Rental Escapes' growth and acquisition strategies in new markets around the world.

Brian has established a customer-centric culture at Rental Escapes, where exceeding travelers' expectations is the goal for each and every team member, from the Marketing team to the Reservations department. This philosophy has helped make Rental Escapes one of the fastest growing villa wholesalers in the world today.

Beyond Rental Escapes, Brian enjoys traveling with his family, playing golf, and is an avid sports fan.

Daniel is an entrepreneur with a solid background in travel, sales, online marketing and website development. He has more than 25 years of management experience under his belt and before co-founding Rental Escapes, he held an executive position at a successful online marketing and technology company in his hometown of Montreal.

As COO of Rental Escapes, Daniel spends his days (and nights!) ensuring that all of the company's various departments and teams operate smoothly and efficiently to ultimately deliver a memorable and seamless experience for our guests. When he's not working, Daniel loves spending time with his family, dining, and traveling.

Willie Fernandez's experience in the travel industry spans more than 30 years across the cruise, hotel, vacation and villa industries. He is also an accomplished and award winning digital marketer who has transformed some of the industry's most recognized brands. As CMO, he is responsible for Rental Escapes' brand strategy and marketing initiatives. He also oversees the agency relations and product teams who liaise with our travel advisor partners and villa suppliers.

When he is not at his desk, you can usually find him competing nationally on the BASS circuit. He also enjoys spending time with family and traveling.

Samantha hails from Ontario, Canada where she graduated with an Honours Specialization in Language and Literature. She took her studies further to complete a Bachelor of Education as well as a Masters of Education.

With family living in Canada, The U.S., and Panama, Samantha is no stranger to the world of travel. Having worked in the travel industry for more than 10 years, she works daily to assist her team in providing the best experience for guests and partners when working with Rental Escapes! Her interest in world culture led her to explore many different countries and she shares that with her guests to help paint the picture of what a good trip can do to bring one closer to themselves, their loved ones, and their world. Being able to travel anywhere, stay in luxurious properties, and interact with new people is a growing passion for her.

It's through Samantha's experience in education and travel that she can create the best vacation for her clients at Rental Escapes. Her dedication and affinity for detail propel her to accommodate all requests, no matter how big or small they might be.

Justin is a native Montrealer who studied Commerce and Psychology in College. With that he brings over 15 years of sales and marketing experience and a thirst for travel. While running an online business, Justin spent 5 months traveling to Hawaii, New Zealand, Bali, Thailand, Hong Kong, the UK and the Caribbean before settling back in Montreal.
When Justin isn't practicing photography and music he's working hard to help his team deliver the best experience possible with a heightened level of service, support and attention to detail. It's this experience and his unrelenting drive to help others that has brought him to Rental Escapes.

Kristy's first passion growing up was dance, but travel was a very close second. Her love for travel began at a very young age when her family went on road trips to cities close to home in Montreal. As she grew up, and began visiting more distant destinations, her passion for travel was strengthened. Her favorite trips are those that blend learning about the history and culture of a region, along with fine dining, exploring local adventures and museums. Kristy started working in the luxury villa rental industry in 2013, and has loved every minute of it. She has had the opportunity to tour and stay in a variety of properties in the Caribbean, Costa Rica, and California.

Her passion for meeting new people, listening to and understanding their needs, and her wealth of industry knowledge, allow her to create memorable experiences for her guests. Outside of work, Kristy loves getting to know new people, going for long walks with her dog, and taking in as many concerts as she can!

With more than 15 years of experience working for luxury travel brands under her belt, Ashton joined the Rental Escapes team in 2015 when she moved to Montreal from Canada's east coast. Her vibrant personality, experience and passion for travel, made her a perfect fit for our reservations team. After seven years of planning countless stays for her guests, Ashton assumed the role of Director of Learning and Development, passing on her knowledge and experience to the team.

Ashton has travelled throughout the Caribbean, Europe and the United States. She has personally inspected and stayed in many of our luxury villas in destinations like Barbados, St. Martin, Anguilla, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, and Mexico. Ashton prides herself on being able to use her vast knowledge of the industry to help our team curate the perfect vacations for our guests.

Adam brings experience, eagerness and a scrupulous nature to an already amazing team. His work ethic and drive are second to none. Though not a frequent traveler, Adam's eagerness to learn has given him extensive knowledge of different places around the world. That knowledge has helped him move through the ranks at Rental Escapes. Adam is responsible for ensuring that every property in the Rental Escapes portfolio looks fantastic and provides our loyal travelers with a complete picture of all the features and amenities that the villa has to offer.

Born in Florida, Adam has lived in Montreal since 1994. Outside of work, he is completing a college degree and plays competitive curling. Adam is an avid sports fan and loves to spend his weekends on the baseball diamond or the hockey rink.

Originally from China, Yoky came to Canada to experience a new culture and study at McGill University. She earned her degree in Linguistics and Social Entrepreneurship. Yoky has studied many languages including French, Japanese, Russian and Latin. She is deeply attracted to the culture behind each language she learns and is very driven by her curiosity of the unknown. She has toured her native China extensively, as well as Singapore and Korea. While studying in Lyon, she explored France, Switzerland, Germany and other European countries. Since she has been in North America, she has been to a dozen cities in the United States and Canada.

When Yoky is not processing payments and helping balance the books for Rental Escapes, she is either planning her next road trip with friends, travel adventure, or relaxing at home with her two lovely cats.

Anthony is a Montreal native who has had an enthusiasm for programming since he was 9 years old. He is a natural problem solver and is passionate about keeping up with the latest technologies, trends and software. He studied Software Engineering at Concordia University and has been working steadily as a developer and lead engineer for nearly a decade. At Rental Escapes, Anthony works diligently to keep all our gears running smoothly behind the scenes.
Outside of coding Anthony loves experimenting in the kitchen and cooking. He might spend weeks obsessing over ingredients and techniques trying to perfect something simple like fries. Like most of us at Rental Escapes, he is also an avid traveler and frequent visitor to places like Lebanon, Greece, France, Germany and Italy.

Amanda has spent the last ten years working and living in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, where she developed and managed sales and customer care centres for a variety of companies. Her travels afforded her the opportunity to live in fabulous properties around the world and ignited her passion for travelling. Amanda is always looking for the next occasion to experience a new country and she particularly enjoys helping guests who want to leap out of their comfort zone and plan their first stay in a new destination.

Keith has worked in the Hospitality and Tourism industry since 2009 and has been an integral part of the Rental Escapes team since 2017. He has visited the majority of the destinations in the Rental Escapes' portfolio and stayed in a wide variety of our luxury villas. With his personal experience, he is able to provide the firsthand knowledge and expertise that his discerning clients rely on him for.

Keith knows that these unique and luxurious villa rental experiences, shared with friends and family, create special life-long memories. He takes great pride in finding the villa and destination that perfectly matches guests' needs. When Keith isn't traveling, he indulges in his other passions: tennis, hockey, music, and spending quality time with his wife and two dogs.

Levi's adventurous upbringing grew his love of travel. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he spent his childhood years. Later on as a teenager, he moved to Los Angeles, California. As a young adult, he spent time in Israel and then he eventually landed in Montreal, Canada. Levi has honed this passion for travel to a very successful career in the villa industry starting in 2004 when renting luxury villas was a fresh concept for most! Levi has consistently ranked in the top-tier among his peers, receiving many awards and accolades over the years. He has also personally visited and experienced many great villas in most Caribbean islands, Mexico, and sought-after areas in the US (particularly Hawaii).
At Rental Escapes, Levi is able to apply nearly 20 years of knowledge to guide guests to the perfect luxury vacations of their dreams. From his extensive first-hand experience and deep long term relationships, he fully appreciates the high-exacting standards, service and expectations our guests demand for their stays at our luxury high end villas.

Randee studied Law at Montreal's McGill University before beginning a varied and successful career in the corporate world. She worked as a talent recruiter specializing in the fashion industry and worked for more than 10 years in the Toy & Novelty industry in various management positions.
Randee travelled a lot growing up, visiting many Caribbean destinations like Cayman Islands, St. Lucia, St. Barts, St. Martin, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Puerto Rico, and Aruba; but she truly fell in love with travel when she was lucky enough to travel through Europe before beginning her Law degree. She spent time in numerous cities in the UK, France, Span, Italy and Greece. In fact, it was in Corfu that Randee almost chose not to return home for Law School at all, but ultimately did.
Since making a major career pivot and choosing to join the team at Rental Escapes, Randee has never looked back. She is passionate about helping our guests plan their perfect escapes and these days, when asked what she does for a living, she tells people she makes dreams come true.

Before choosing to pursue her career in travel, Tania studied accounting in university and worked as an accountant for 10 years. She held positions in a large accounting and consultancy firm, and Cirque du Soleil before joining the Rental Escapes team. Tania has travelled to more than 30 countries and destinations all over the world. She counts India, Morocco, Turkey, Colombia, and South East Asia among her favorites, but her absolute favorites are Tulum, Mexico and New York City where she lived for 2 years. These days though, Tania prefers to enjoy the sun-and-sand destinations of the Caribbean over some of the more adventurous places she's visited in the past.
Tania is also a huge foodie, particularly when it comes to pizza, and can probably name the best place to grab a slice anywhere her guests are going. She also really enjoys indoor spinning and drone photography, particularly in the sea (despite being a really bad swimmer).

Ali was born and raised in Indiana, where she attended Indiana University and graduated with a bachelor's degree in Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management. Her passion for travel led her to continue her studies in Australia where she spent several months studying and exploring the region. She had the opportunity to travel to New Zealand and Indonesia and has plans to continue exploring the world.
After completing her studies Ali worked in customer service and as an event planner, managing and organizing events ranging in size from a handful to thousands of attendees. As a Villa Specialist, Ali applies her love of travel and aptitude for organization to carefully curate experiences for her guests.

Deane was born in London, England and developed a passion for travel at an early age after his first trip to Barbados. When he was 17 years old, he relocated to Spain where he began a successful ten year career in International Real Estate. His experience selling luxury properties helped him develop his expert instinct for customer service. When working with clients, Deane always strives to go above and beyond to exceed their expectations.

These days, there's not much Deane enjoys more than meeting new people and immersing himself in new places and other cultures. Whether it's city life in Paris or small villages in Portugal, Deane loves exploring new locations and of course trying the local cuisine. His first-hand knowledge of overseas destinations allows Deane to plan exotic, luxurious vacation experiences that his clients never forget.

Elina was born in Sweden, but grew up in Finland. Before finding her way to Canada, she also lived in Australia, Germany and Spain. She holds a Master’s Degree in Business and previously worked in sales for a well-known fortune 500 company before starting her own company, offering her services as a business coach and consultant. Elina’s never-ending passion for traveling, learning new languages, visiting new countries and discovering new cultures is what led her to take the leap into the travel industry.

Elina definitely loves adventurous vacations - sailing the Whitsundays in Australia, or getting within meters of majestic animals in safari in South Africa or Tanzania - but also enjoys the pleasure of a luxurious stay at a villa when she can! In her downtime, Elina loves dancing salsa and bachata, practicing Yoga and meditation. And of course, learning French!

Erin has always enjoyed travelling. Growing up, she travelled throughout Mexico and the Caribbean with her family, and in her 20s she spent a good deal of time extensively exploring Europe. It wasn't until a fateful stay at a private home in Jamaica in 2014 that Erin fell in love with the villa vacation lifestyle. She decided to leave her career in insurance to pursue a new career in the luxury villa rental space, and she never looked back.

Erin has stayed in incredible properties around the world (her favorites have been Ani Thailand and Casa Aramara). Her favorite destinations are Italy, Maui, Napa and Mexico, but Erin mostly chooses destinations based on what she feels like eating, fully embracing the adage “will travel for food.” Wherever a guest wants to go, or whatever they want to do, chances are, Erin's done it. That's what makes her such a great addition to the Rental Escapes team.

Hannah holds a residential real estate license, and degree in Anthropology and Sociology. Before joining the Rental Escapes team, Hannah maintained an award-winning track record in a number of different industries, including non-profit, resource development, tourism, teaching, counseling, public relations, marketing and luxury real estate. It is in her current role as Villa Specialist, however, that Hannah has found the perfect way to marry her varied skills and experience with her passion for travel and helping others.

Hannah has also traveled extensively but her favorite places to visit are Italy, Jamaica and Egypt. In fact, she spent a year in Egypt and fell in love with the Mediterranean. Spain, Portugal and Greece are high on her travel bucket list, but ultimately, she looks forward to one day heading back to the Mediterranean and living by the sea!

Laura is a passionate traveller with more than 15 years of experience serving customers in insurance, luxury event planning and account management roles. She has travelled throughout the Caribbean, Europe, Mexico and Canada, usually preferring to venture off the beaten path. A part of travelling that Laura enjoys most is learning about new cultures and she always prefers to spend more time in fewer locations so she can enjoy a truly authentic experience. Some of her fondest memories are of the months she would spend visiting family in Hungary, or driving up the California coast with the top down. Laura credits her first solo trip to St-Petersburg, FL when she was 16, as the experience that sparked her love for travel. To this day, she still experiences the same thrill navigating airports, making her way from one gate to another, as she did that very first time.

At Rental Escapes, Laura is able to apply the planning and service skills that she has honed over her career to help guests meticulously plan luxury vacations and memorable experiences. She loves getting into the details and making sure that her guests pick a home and a destination that are a perfect fit. She feels great pride when her guests return home relaxed and excited to plan their next trip.

After graduating from the Desautels Faculty of Management at Mcgill University, Sam chose to take the road less travelled and spent time working as a musician. She was the lead singer of a band, and wrote and produced music for other artists, tv and film. Eventually Sam decided to put her education to use and began working in marketing. After a few years, Sam's passion for travel and hospitality led her to pursue a career in the travel industry.

Sam has travelled extensively through Europe, South East Asia and has lived in Los Angeles, where she spent her weekends travelling the West Coast. These days, her thirst for travel tends to lead her to a lounge chair on the white sandy beaches of Riviera Maya and the Caribbean. Becoming a Villa Specialist has allowed Sam to satisfy her passion for travel, while helping others see all the wonders that the world has to offer. Sam truly believes that travel leads to a richer life. As the saying goes, "why not take the scenic route? You never know what you'll see and learn along the way!"

Steph has always had the travel bug. Growing up, she was lucky enough to travel pretty frequently, visiting some of the most beautiful destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia, and South America. In her university years, she explored Europe with friends and travelled to countless destinations across the United States. These experiences left her with a real appreciation for experiencing other cultures whether through visiting museums or sampling local restaurants!

After graduating from business school with a marketing major, Steph spent more than a decade working in the fashion industry. Her position afforded her the opportunity to travel quite often and was always fascinated by the impact different cultures have on fashion. Eventually, Steph realized her passion wasn't for the clothes but for the places that inspired them. As a Villa Specialist for Rental Escapes, Steph gets to live her passion every day, whether it's by visiting beautiful homes in destinations around the world herself, or experiencing the excitement vicariously through her customers!

Bianca holds a degree in Hotel Management & Tourism and is a passionate traveler. She has visited over 25 different countries and cities and speaks four languages. She began her career at Rental Escapes as a Personal Concierge where she showed an exceptional capacity for working with guests to plan memorable experiences, and achieving the highest levels of customer satisfaction. Now, as a Senior VIP Concierge, Bianca continues to works closely with our team of Concierges to support them and our guests; sources and vets the best suppliers around the world; and works with her own guests to plan their holidays.

When she's not spinning a thousand plates, Bianca likes to relax with a good book. Preferably, somewhere with a beach and pool.

Marina is a native Montrealer with a background in event planning and management. She is fluent in three languages and has a passion for travel and all things beautiful. Before joining Rental Escapes, she spent more than 6 years working in the event industry, handling vendor relations and planning and coordinating events of all sizes. Those who know her would say she is a planner to her core, always the one to coordinate trips and activities with her friends and family. Even her own day-to-day is planned to the very end!

Marina has travelled frequently to many destinations in North America, the Caribbean and Europe, but her favorite – her home away from home – is still Greece. Her earliest memory of travelling as a child was of her first trip to Greece, where her mother was born. Next on her list are Italy and the South of France.

When she's not working as a VIP Concierge, planning the nitty gritty details of her guests' trips, Marina loves dining with friends and trying new restaurants – especially in new cities. She will even plan the occasional event on the side, just for fun!

Born and raised in beautiful Prince Edward Island, Canada, Jeremy graduated with a college degree in Travel & Hospitality and is fluent in English and French. He has spent over 10 years working in the hospitality industry and always enjoyed customer-facing roles the most. When it comes to planning vacations, Jeremy enjoys focussing on the little details because he believes it’s the small details that can make one's travels the most memorable and unique. It’s no wonder that Jeremy is the go-to guy for all his family’s vacation planning needs.

When Jeremy does manage to find some free time away from his demanding role as Personal Concierge, he enjoys visiting local heritage sites, and spending time with friends and family, thinking about where he would like to travel next.

Born in Montreal, Kara has made it her goal to discover as many places around the world as she could. She started traveling at the age of 15 and she has already visited over 30 countries. After studying Psychology, Kara studied Education in Belgium, and Marketing in Denmark. She made Copenhagen her home for several years and developed a passion for Danish design and Scandinavian furniture.

Kara has always enjoyed working in jobs that focus on customer experience and she takes her “joie de vivre” with her wherever she goes. She is a creative person with a propensity for adventure. She once went SkyDiving to get over her fear of flights. And it worked! Kind of.

Before joining the team at Rental Escapes, Ruby worked as a luxury real estate broker where she successfully applied her tenacious work ethic, attention to detail and creativity to match clients with their dream homes. Her love of real estate and passion for travel led her to join the Concierge team where she can leverage her skills and experience to help her guests pair perfect experiences with the homes they are renting. Ruby prides herself on always providing the highest level of service and support throughout the guest’s journey, and always strives to be compassionate and approachable as she caters to her guests’ unique needs.

As a mother to young girls Ruby seeks to set an important example, inspiring them to set goals, invest in themselves and work on their dreams daily. Aside from her girls, Ruby is passionate about staying fit, always making sure to get her 10k steps a day, but can't resist a good homemade Friday night pizza!

Taylor grew up on the sunny coast of Australia where she would start every day with a swim in the ocean. She is passionate about staying fit and managed several gyms up and down the coast near her home. She also spent many years working in the hospitality and service industry doing everything from tending bar to planning and managing events and conferences. Taylor’s other passion is travel. She has made the world her home for the past 10 years, meeting new people and exploring new cultures, before landing in Montreal. Her fondest memories are of traveling through South East Asia where she trekked through the mountains of Vietnam, stayed with a local tribe, and lived and fought in a Muay Thai fight camp in Thailand for 3 months. The trip that made her fall in love with travel first, though, was Japan where she traveled to small rural towns where they didn't speak English at all.

Taylor loves anything that keeps her busy and talking to people, which combined with her discipline and work ethic, has made her a perfect fit for our Concierge department. When she’s not working, Taylor enjoys keeping active by surfing, hiking, climbing and anything outdoors. And she gets very excited to look out the window when it snows!

Heather is a Montreal Native and avid world traveler who brings a wealth of experience and a passion for creating extraordinary guest experiences to our team. Since the age of 17, she has explored the vast landscapes of North America, ventured through the Caribbean, Europe, and even journeyed as far as India. With a solid foundation in guest services and hospitality, Heather discovered her love for the luxury travel industry as the first mate on a yacht in the Bahamas. Her dedication to working with high-profile clientele has only grown, and she finds immense joy in bringing to life the wildest adventure dreams of her guests.

Heather's commitment to exceeding expectations extends beyond the realm of luxury villa rentals. An entrepreneur at heart, she owned and operated her own fitness studio before the pandemic, showcasing her tenacity and dedication to going above and beyond for her clients. In Heather, you'll find not just a professional in the luxury travel industry but a passionate curator of exceptional experiences. Her genuine joy in turning adventurous dreams into reality ensures that your stay will be nothing short of extraordinary.

With two decades experience in the information technologies industry, Terence has been involved in projects serving companies of all sizes from household name big brands to startups. At Rental Escapes, Terence is part of the team that develops and maintains our website, internal tools and mobile application. He is passionate about keeping up with changing trends in web and mobile technologies, and is always eager to find solutions that best fit users’ requirements.

Apart from work Terence enjoys spending most of his free time with his family traveling, dining, and playing sports. His top vacation destinations are east Asia, the United States and, of course, different places in Canada.

Angela was born and raised in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario where she attended University and earned and Graduate Certificate in Human Resources Management. Her passion for travel and sense of adventure have led Angela to travel extensively — preferably off the beaten path — often spending months at a time immersing herself in her surroundings. She is thoroughly familiar with Romania, where she has spent many months, but has also extensively explored Madrid, Sevilla, Cordoba and other areas of Spain while living in Bilbao. In all, Angela has visited nearly a dozen countries across Europe. Recently, Angela embarked on a months-long road-trip across Canada's beautiful east coast where she lived out of a backpack and spent 5 weeks studying French in Nova Scotia.

Angela embarked on her biggest adventure yet when in September 2018, she decided to move on her own to Montreal, looking to establish a life in Canada's most exciting city. Her penchant for travel led her to Rental Escapes where she works with our team to carefully curate our website's content and inventory of properties. And, when the snow melts, she plans to run her first half-marathon.

Brittany was born in Vancouver, British Columbia but spent time living in Calgary and Toronto as she gradually moved east towards her current home in Montreal. She studied fashion marketing in college and worked in marketing, and in the airline industry for nearly six years before joining the team at Rental Escapes. Brittany has spent lots of time travelling around the Americas and the Caribbean, visiting destinations from California to Maine, New York to Florida, Punta Cana and Belize. But her favorite place to visit is New York City!

As part of the Web Team, Brittany uses her eye for detail and marketing know-how to curate and build the endless property listings and content that customers use on the Rental Escapes website everyday. In her downtime, Brittany enjoys spending time with family and can usually be found with her head behind a book, reading anything and everything she can get her hands on!

Driven by an insatiable desire to explore the world, Erika studied Hospitality and Tourism, and has visited numerous destinations around the world. Her adventures have taken her to around North America, the Caribbean, and Europe, where she indulged her passion for diverse cultures and landscapes.

When Erika is not hard at work keeping our property inventory to date and looking it's best, you'll often find her pedaling through the city streets on her road bike, savoring the sights and sounds of Montreal. Alternatively, she delights in experimenting with new recipes in her kitchen, always eager to tantalize her taste buds with culinary creations from around the globe. Erika's zest for life and her unwavering curiosity continue to guide her on her quest for new experiences and meaningful connections wherever she goes.