The Villa Search Engine

	Hi! I am Jim Whitelaw
	I have been involved in the tourist industry now for around 10 years, specifically in the private accommodation rental market. It started when I had to figure out how to rent out my own villa in Florida, and has escalated to where the business is now involved in rentals world-wide. We developed a very successful website based on the Central Florida market, but it meant that every time I took a holiday, I ended up in Orlando. Don't get me wrong, I love Orlando, but I just had a hankering to see some of the other exotic places in the world, so I hatched the idea of expanding our operation world-wide to give me the excuse to visit other places. We could easily see that there were many websites out there who offered private rental accommodation, but there wasn't one authoritative site which covered all areas of the world and was simple, free and comprehensive enough to be the one place where someone could go for all their requirements. What was required was the "Google" of private rentals. That was, and remains my challenge.
It certainly is a huge challenge to create a website for the private rental market, which will stand above all others, whilst still maintaining a safe experience for the buyer and seller alike. To acheive this aim, we have decided that we should be selective towards reputable websites which will assist our vistors to secure accommodation safely and securely. Our search engine continually updates the information from these websites to give our visitors current information. Our aim is to produce a one stop place where a potential guest can see all available accommodation in a particular area, simply by viewing a map of the given area. We do not take bookings on this website, but simply provide a direct link to the website where the home may be booked. Owners cannot add their home to this website. Inclusion is only by being listed in one of our selected websites. Website owners may request for us to include their website, but will only be accepted if a geographical position is available for the home. Information is obtained in two ways. Firstly, our spider continually updates the information on the selected websites and secondly, some selected websites provide a feed to ensure more accurate information. Three very important issues will determine the success of the website, over the coming years: Listing enough properties to ensure an authoritative website. We estimate this will require around 1,000,000 properties Retaining an up-to-date and informative database for both owners and guests. This costs money, so we require an income. Attracting the right advertisers to be able to continue to offer the website as a free resource to users. Sounds so simple, yes? Well, time will tell how well we succeed in this bold adventure. If you have any specific enquiry or suggestion on how to improve the website, we will be glad to hear from you.