It started with eleven people and a Wi-Fi code.

HolidayHomeOS came from a trip to Portugal with a group of eleven of us, staying in an Airbnb.

On arrival, everyone was trying to find the Wi-Fi code. There was a welcome book and a guest book, but they were looking tired and dog-eared, with scribbled-out changes and information that was out of date. The things we needed simply weren’t all in one easy place.

Then came the little frustrations. The washing-machine buttons were so worn we couldn’t see what they did, and there were no instructions to help. We couldn’t get the oven to switch on because we didn’t realise you had to turn the timer knob first.

Even coming home after a day out meant searching for the property’s address again and putting it into the sat nav. Nothing dramatic, but all little things you’d rather not spend your holiday figuring out.

And there, in the room, was a big, black, empty TV screen.

I’d stayed in nice hotels where the TV welcomed me by name. I liked that. But usually there wasn’t much useful information beyond the greeting. Looking at that blank screen, I thought: why couldn’t a holiday home do the same, and make it genuinely useful?

A personal welcome. The Wi-Fi ready to scan. Clear instructions for the things in the house. Local recommendations. And the same information on your phone when you’re out, including how to get home again.

As a programmer and software designer, I tend to look at frustrations like these and think about what I could build to make them easier. This time, I was experiencing the problem myself.

That became the idea for HolidayHomeOS.

I wanted to bring together the things an owner knows about their property and the things a guest needs to know. Somewhere owners can keep information current, and guests can find it without hunting through messages or guessing which button to press.

The aim is simple: help guests settle in, help hosts spend less time repeating themselves, and leave everyone with more time to enjoy the stay.

— Ben, founder of HolidayHomeOS