ThirdHome, the global luxury private travel club for second-home owners, continues to take the hospitality industry by storm, as it builds on its recent success and prepares to enter another key market: Japan. As Founder, Chairman & CEO Wade Shealy heads to Tokyo this month for the Japan & North East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit (JHIS) 2026, this pioneering company is also approaching a major milestone: its 100,000th global booking.
Founded in 2010, ThirdHome has been built from the ground up, expanding progressively from North America to Europe and Australia. In 2025, this innovative home exchange program was officially launched in Asia, forging successful partnerships and gaining new members in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Hong Kong. This rapid growth is reflected in ThirdHome’s bookings, which are now nearing the 100,000 milestone.
Now, ThirdHome is preparing for the next important phase of growth: its debut in Japan. As the world’s fourth largest economy with an affluent population of well-travelled, high-net-worth individuals – including an estimated 2.9 million millionaires¹ – Japan marks a logical step in the group’s international expansion. It is also one of the world’s most aspirational tourism destinations, creating compelling opportunities for ThirdHome’s community of more than 30,000 luxury second-home owners.
ThirdHome’s Japan strategy will be revealed by Wade Shealy, who is providing expert insights to the “Branded Residence Workshop” at JHIS 2026, which is being staged at Hilton Tokyo Odaiba from 24-25 September 2026. As part of a distinguished panel session attended by key industry stakeholders, Wade will discuss how today’s high-end, experience-focused guests are seeking new ways to travel and places to stay that give them a deeper connection to their locale – including private homes and branded residences.
According to the Asia Branded Residences Market Review² by C9 Hotelworks, Japan is emerging as Asia’s next core market for luxury branded residences. While the country ranks sixth in the region in terms of value (USD 3 billion, in a total regional market of USD 40 billion), it is second – only behind the Maldives – in terms of average price per unit, and has among the highest proportion of standalone residences not connected to a hotel or resort. This provides strong potential synergies for ThirdHome, which offers a global portfolio of luxury second homes and villas with an average value of USD 2.4 million.
ThirdHome already offers a collection of impressive residences in Japan, including beautiful chalets in popular ski resorts such as Niseko and Hakuba, and a spectacular mountain retreat in Hakone. Following its official market entry into Japan, ThirdHome expects to significantly increase its nationwide portfolio, with a focus on exclusive urban apartments in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, ski-in, ski-out residences in Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps, culture-rich retreats in Kyoto, and even beachfront villas in Okinawa. Part of this growth could come through ThirdHome’s hospitality partners such as The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, Hyatt Vacation Club, and Minor Vacation Clubs. But much of the expansion will also be organic, driven by new Japanese members who offer their multi-million-dollar homes for rental.
Entering Japan just feels right for us. Japanese travellers have always looked outward, and they gravitate to places and experiences that feel genuine. Japan is also somewhere people dream of visiting, especially those who love to travel well. It’s no surprise that demand for branded residences is growing – people want the comfort of luxury and the freedom of a real home, wherever they are in the world. We can’t wait to welcome our members, old and new, to everything Japan has to offer with ThirdHome,” said Wade Shealy
ThirdHome has grown rapidly in the last 16 years to become the world’s largest private network of luxury second homes. Currently, it offers a global portfolio of 30,000 vacation homes in 2,500+ destinations worldwide, spanning more than 100 countries.
