Many years ago I read Guy Kawasaki’s book “The Art of Start”. It wasn’t the inspiration for Getaway Earth holiday rentals but it was the kick start we needed. The overriding message was simple: Just start. Forget trying to perfect, forget writing beautifully crafted business plans, forget financial projections. Just get on with it. Picking the book up again today for the first time since 2009 I was struck by one phrase: Think Big. Shoot for doing things at least 10 times better than the status quo.
It dawned on me that this is exactly what the next few phases of Getaway Earth are all about. We have the perspective of 15 years as holiday home renters and, as I wrote in a recent blog on holiday rentals versus hotels, we have experienced first hand how tough it can be to find your perfect holiday home.
So, how are we intending to make holiday rentals 10 times better? Thinking big (actually small) is how. Do holiday rental websites have to contain over 200,000 listings? What about if they just had a few thousand? Can a niche site survive? What about starting with the holiday maker’s needs, not the owner’s offerings? What about asking owners to commit and invest hours on their Getaway Earth listing? What about penalising owners who don’t invest that time? What about offering a virtual travel guide? It’s these questions we’ve been asking ourselves (and many others besides). And it’s some of these themes which we are currently coding into the next phase of Getaway Earth’s development.
What do you think? What would make holiday rentals 10 times better?
on February 25, 2012 at 7:37 pm
All the potential renter wants is good photos, good descriptions, and prices and availability.
Forget points of interest, they can search online for anything they could possibly want about the destination.
Forget ‘meeting the owner’ renters are not interested.
Forget the ‘personal touch’ not necessary at the advertising stage.
Facts and photos are all that are needed.
on February 25, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Thanks David for your comments. I 100% agree that good photos, descriptions, clear pricing and availability are key. So many sites let themselves down in allowing very poor listings. Getaway Earth has been guilty of that, something we’ll correct once our current phase of development is complete.
But permission to disagree that “facts and photos are all that are needed”. That’s a very black and white view when you’re dealing with something as precious as a holiday. I may be unique, but I like to know where the locals go, the inside track on finding off the beaten path beaches, etc. Yes you can find it online but far better to have a local recommendation. And I do always like to know the person I’m renting from, which is the point of our Meet the Owner series.
Thanks again.