Mike Thiel

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Mike Thiel is president and founder of Hideaways International, an exclusive, service-oriented travel association. For 25 years, Thiel has served as the Editor-in-Chief of the travel publication, Hideaways Guide, and now serves as Editor-in-Chief for that publication’s successor, the bi-monthly newsletter, Hideaways Life.

Thiel is also the author and publisher of the book, Villa Vacations Made Easy, now in its sixth printing. As an expert and outspoken advocate of the vacation home rental experience, Thiel was dubbed “Mr. Villa Vacation” by travel writer, Arthur Frommer.

Thiel is also sought as a commentator on luxury travel and has appeared on CNBC, CNN, and was featured in The Travel Channel’s Great Vacation Homes, hosted by Samantha Brown.

Thiel’s extensive knowledge of little-known vacation finds are the essence of the Hideaways Aficionado Club.

[edit] Career

Thiel has lived and traveled extensively overseas, first as the son of a United States Diplomatic Corps officer, and later as a management consultant for the oil and gas industry. He worked for Exxon, Arthur D. Little, Inc., the acclaimed international consulting firm, and as a management advisor to Saudi Aramco. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from the Sloan School at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

At a time when mainly the rich, famous, and well-connected were privy to the secrets of private vacation rentals in the Caribbean, Europe, and other parts of the world, Thiel envisioned a villa matchmaking service, linking travel aficionados and vacation homeowners. In 1979, Hideaways International, Inc. grew out of this idea as well as his own frustrations trying to find renters for his New England vacation home, and places for his family to rent around the globe.