THE VISION

Hi, I’m Pete and I’m the founder behind this site.

I love to travel and have been lucky enough to live in 8 different countries and have visited many more.  I enjoy being a foreigner and questioning the world around me.  There’s no greater sense of being alive than when exploring new places or seeing your own back yard with a fresh pair of eyes.  I am passionate about nature, culture and this thing called life!

I have put my heart and soul into building this website and I’ve learnt a lot along the way.  It’s been an interesting journey and it’s taken a lot of effort, determination and bloody mindedness to get this far (the proof!).

The idea stems from 2008 and had I know the efforts involved to make it real I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be here now.  Thankfully I am and I’m looking forward to the adventure of a lifetime!

The vision behind MyFriendsHotel.com

1. Are there millions of cool people in the world, like me?  Yes, of course!
2. How do I find them?  Through shared interests.
3. How do I talk to them?  By being transparent, open and honest.
4. What if I just want great accommodation?  Fine, we all want different things.
5. How do I make people come back?  Make a site that’s fun, full of energy and buzzing with possibilities!

Put simply – how can I help people make the most of their time when not at work and how can I help people get a little more out of life?

About me

This is a video I selflessly put together to get ‘The Best Job In The World’, in the hope of getting www.MyFriendsHotel.com some accommodation on Hamilton Island in the great barrier reef…sadly my mission failed but the thought was there!

Also, here’s a request I made to Richard Branson:

I’m still waiting to hear back from him.  It’s been a while now…

The Future?

Well, the big picture is a Utopian world where we can plan our trips around people we respect enough to consider ‘friends’.  Not friends in the true sense of the word – but people we share common ground with, the stuff real friendships are built on.  On some trips you may not want people, that’s cool, ‘people free’ accommodation is available too!

The Present

The site is almost ready and it feels good.

The Past

I’ve worked on this for a long time now, over a year in truth.  I’m the only guy involved and at times it’s been really tough.  I even have a finished site that’s built and paid for but it wasn’t good enough to launch the brand so I chose not to release it.  I took the agonising decision to start again.  The good new is that I’ve now made the best site possible.  With the right people on board it could be a brilliant site for us all to enjoy.

What’s so special about the site?

It’s unique.  Yes, really.  The competition, of which there is plenty, have simply opted for a different vision.  I’ve gone for a twist on social networking, added a really dynamic site, with slick design and lots of great Web 2.0 flexibility to help you build your own experience.

It’s more than a site to rent accommodation – it’s a community, a way to manage your freedom and discover new things about yourself and the world around you.

In short, there’s a lot special about this site.  But until the launch, I’m going to keep it under wraps.  I want to have some competitive advantage at least until the others catch up!

Thanks for visiting, go to the JOIN page to do as it says and I hope I deliver on your wishes.  Let me know where I could do better, I can handle constructive criticism!

Pete.

(For background information about the idea click here.)