Meet Vinicius Frata, co-founder of Innova Yacht — a Miami-based luxury yacht charter bringing 5-star service to a previously underserved segment of the market.
Vinicius Frata
is a lifelong sailing enthusiast and certified international skipper. He combined his passion for the sea with a 17-year career in luxury brand positioning (primarily with Jaguar Land Rover) across Latin America and the Caribbean to co-found Innova Yacht earlier last year.
In this interview Vinicius shares his story about starting his career in tourism, and how with his co-founder Fabian built a luxury yacht business — Innova Yacht — in the largest yachting market in the Americas.
At the start of my career I did a 6-month internship at Air France but decided to change to for the Luxury Automotive industry, focusing my career in experiential marketing. In this business, I was passionate about creating unique moments for the clients — thus back to the hospitality industry through partnerships.
Working with Taylor Travel Management Group (who provide global VIP logistics) we took our clientele to unique places with high hospitality standards. For example, to Jalapao in Brasil, or a trip to Wales, where guests drove vehicles onto a Boeing 747 for transportation. We also took valued Range Rover clients on road trips from Colombia to Machu Picchu — starting on the Belmond Monasterio and closing it on the Sanctuary Lodge having a special toast with a special reserved Veuve Clicquot selection from 1939.
I’m a lifelong sailing enthusiast and international skipper certified by ISSA (International Sailing Schools Association), and wanted to combine my passion for the sea with my 17-year long career in luxury brands.
After researching the yachting industry in Cartagena, Panama and Miami, it was clear that Miami was the destination to develop a business — it’s also the largest yachting market in the Americas.
During our research (started in 2023) and chartering yachts with multiple companies, we identified a gap: a lot of companies in the business, a lot of yachts being chartered, but no one offering an adequate level of service.
A traveler stays in 5-star hotels, visits Michelin-starred restaurants, and finishes the trip having a simple 3-star yacht charter experience. Of course, the superyachts segment deliver a high level of service; however, in the range of 60 to 120 feet (18 to 36 metres), Miami lacks it.
Vinicius Frata and Fabian Albarracin, co-founders of Innova Yacht.
Alongside my co-founder Fabian Albarracin who owned a yacht charter company in Miami for the last 6 years, we got together and launched our company Innova Yacht in December 2024.
The concept is simple: “Nautical Precision with Hospitality Excellence”. We serve families, groups of friends, and couples who appreciate and value a modern and safe yacht with a high level of service — just like being onboard a 5-star hotel.
At the moment we are focused on South Florida and Bahamas, and increasing the company’s presence for corporate events. Learn more about Innova Yacht’s founding story on our website.
Miami has a big bay that shelters the vessels from rough waters, making our charters more comfortable. The bay features two incredible sandbars, clear waters with white sand, and stunning islands — some have luxury mansions while others are less populated.
Sailing from Key Biscayne to Haulover can take almost 2 hours with many ways to enjoy the journey.
Cruising the calm waters in Miami Bay on an Innova Yacht luxury charter.
Some clients prefer a more reserved and quieter place to anchor and enjoy the yacht, so we take them to Hurricane Harbor. Other clients enjoy to sail around the luxury mansions, docking in fancy restaurants with nice sunset parties like the Lido Bayside, Sea Spice, Casa Neos, Joia Beach or only dropping off to an amazing fine dining at Zuma. While clients with families prefer to visit the sandbars to swim with their children.
Since we’re close to Bimini in the Bahamas, more adventurous customers term-charter luxury yachts from Miami to the Bahamas, spending 5 or more days to explore the clear waters and nature that Bimini has to offer.
Miami is shifting away from being a “spring break” city and outlet shopping destination for Latin America to a global hub for luxury lifestyle and experiences.
A quick look at the stats: Miami International Airport (MIA) welcomed 56 million passengers in 2024, with international travel climbing by 8.4% to 25.2 million passengers. Additionally, MIA continues to be the fastest-growing mega airport in the U.S., with airline seat capacity increasing 24% compared to 2019.
In terms of luxury travel, more Europeans and Americans from New York and California are travelling frequently to Miami. This movement is raising the bar in terms of service. Restaurants are training staff, hotels are being refurbished, and new high-end hotels and residences are being launched.
Miami’s Design District is dedicated to innovative fashion, design, art, architecture and dining.
These new luxury travelers demand a different kind of products and services. Many high-end restaurants have opened in recent years. Miami Design District luxury stores are not only for branding purposes, they are selling high volumes of luxury goods to affluent travelers. For example, The Art Basel show brings leading galleries who sell an average of $87k per piece of art.
Luxury travelers who charter yachts in destinations such as the Mediterranean, Monaco, or St. Barth expect more than a vessel to simply see Star Island when they visit Miami — they demand high levels of service onboard and expect legally certified companies with safe, modern and curated vessels for their needs.
The old “spring break” yachts made for parties do not match the level of sophistication and luxury expectations these new clients demand, which is why we’ve developed a new class of yacht hire.
Read more on our blog: Miami’s Luxury Renaissance: How Tourism is Redefining the Magic City.
There are many different kinds of customers, but the most common are boaters who own yachts in their countries or cities and while in Miami want to charter a yacht to feel like home.
Another customer type are people regular visitors; they already know the city and visited all the land-based attractions Miami has to offer, so they utilise a yacht as a getaway from the city crowd.
A Numarine 78 Series that can be charted from Innova Yacht’s luxury yacht fleet.
Companies also make use of a yacht for corporate networking events as a luxury yacht can attract more qualified corporate guests which can lead to greater conversion for their investment. We have many repeat corporate customers after they try a yacht charter for the first time.
Clients can have very different preferences — for example we had a group of senior women chartering a yacht just to read books and do crochet; a couple who chartered a massive yacht with a private chef for a gastronomy cruise; and a mother chartering from Miami to Bahamas for her daughter’s birthday including massagists, DJ, a band, and private chef.
Some celebrities charter a lavish yacht to get to a party or restaurant, like an expensive Uber. Some customers are the opposite — they bring their aunt’s lasagna from home, watch TV, and hangout as if they were at home.
Our team is trained to read the client’s profile and offer not more nor less than they need, and are always looking to identify specific behaviors, hobbies, or wishes to delight them with unexpected small touches of hospitality.
The addressable market size for luxury yacht charters is estimated to be around 13 to 17 billion (USD) globally, and it’s a business that grows every year.
The largest global market for luxury yacht charter is the European summer across the continent including Italy, Greece, and Croatia. The islands of the Caribbean are also a big market, but Miami has a high flow of customers throughout the year. In fact, the winter is the high season due to an amazing “winter” weather.
Those who never owned a vessel usually tie the price of a charter to the size of the vessels. However, a modern 80ft 2025 yacht that costs 10 million dollars will never be rented at the same price as an 80ft from 2005 that costs less than a million. In our market, price is a function of luxury and value.
That differs depending on the consumer profile each company is looking for. In our case, boutique travel agents, other yacht charter brokers from Europe, hotel and residence concierges, and mouth-to-mouth is easily the biggest channel.
Extensively research your niche. Luxury is wide, as different customers have different perceptions of it. For example, some European fashion houses launch 2 different collections for each season, one specifically for modern consumers and another for classic consumers.
Always over-deliver. HNWI hate paying bills, but love it when companies surprise them.
Do not copy what everyone else is doing. Luxury must have identity; if you are copying the competition, clients won´t see your value and will look only for price.
In the USA — the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and the Palm Beach International Boat Show.
In Europe — the Monaco Yacht Show and the Cannes Yachting Festival.
— Thanks, Vinicius for sharing your story!
Learn more about Innova Yacht at innovayacht.com. Phone (+1 305 4000974) or email concierge@innovayacht.com. Connect with Vinicius on Travel Massive and LinkedIn.
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We appreciate the interview and the opportunity to share our passion and story.
If you are in Miami or tailoring special moments for your clientele, we can build a relationship — let´s meet for a coffee or over the phone.