Finding Meili is a subscription-based, curated vacation rental platform created by a highly successful property owner with deep experience in hospitality. The vision was to offer a trustworthy, high-end rental experience supported by a modern digital platform across web and mobile.
Endertech was engaged to design and build the custom web application (FindingMeili.com) and then extend the experience to a React Native mobile app, both powered by a shared backend. The result is a tailored platform for managing properties, subscriptions, and guest experiences with the flexibility to evolve over time.
Client Context
The client operates in the vacation rental and hospitality space, curating premium properties and experiences rather than simply aggregating listings. The business model centers on:
A subscription-based approach to accessing curated rental options
Direct relationships with property owners and guests
An emphasis on trust, quality, and consistent service
To support this, the client needed more than a generic rental marketplace. They required a custom platform tailored to their specific workflows, pricing structures, and quality standards, and they wanted that experience to be available on both web and mobile.
The Challenge
Before this engagement, users and internal administrators had raised concerns about the existing digital experience, including issues with trustworthiness, accessibility, responsiveness, and overall ease of use. At the same time, the business needed to support a more sophisticated operating model:
Managing a complex catalog of properties, units, amenities, and listings
Handling subscription-based billing and recurring payments
Coordinating bookings and communications between guests and hosts
Preparing for a mobile app that shared services with the web platform
Improving discoverability so travelers could find properties via search and maps
The platform also needed room to evolve. Over the course of the project, payment strategy shifted from an initial Stripe-centric implementation to a more flexible approach incorporating Adyen, requiring careful handling of subscriptions, webhooks, and transaction logging.
The Opportunity
By replacing the earlier platform with a custom solution, the client could:
Offer a more reliable and trustworthy experience for guests
Give admins efficient tools to manage day-to-day operations
Unify web and mobile experiences on a single backend for easier maintenance
Adopt a payment architecture that could adapt as the business and fees changed
Lay a stronger SEO and analytics foundation for long-term organic growth
Endertech’s Role
Endertech served as the client’s technical partner for:
Custom web application development (frontend and backend)
Payment and subscription implementation and later evolution
Admin tools and internal workflow design
React Native mobile app development tied into the same backend
Automation, email communication, and SEO infrastructure
Our goal was not only to build features, but to align the platform with real hospitality workflows and give the client a maintainable foundation for the next stage of growth.
Our Approach
We approached the engagement in phases, each grounded in concrete business needs:
Discovery & domain modeling: Understand how properties, units, amenities, listings, subscriptions, and bookings relate in practice, then design a data model and admin UX that reflected real operations.
Platform architecture: Implement a backend capable of serving both web and mobile clients, with shared authentication, membership logic, and payment workflows.
Payment strategy: Start with Stripe-based subscriptions and then plan for integration with Adyen, including handling webhooks, transaction logs, and provider-agnostic logic where practical.
Usable admin tools: Give non-technical staff intuitive CRUD interfaces across all key entities so they could manage the business with minimal developer intervention.
Automation & communication: Use CRON jobs and email automation to keep guests and admins informed without manual follow-up.
SEO & discoverability: Implement search-console, analytics, sitemap, and location-based page strategies to support organic traffic over time.
What We Delivered
1. Custom Web Platform for Vacation Rentals
On the web side, we delivered a tailored platform where travelers can browse curated properties and where the client can manage the full lifecycle of a listing.
Property & unit management: Admins can create, read, update, and delete properties, units, and related amenities, reflecting how real-world inventory is structured.
Listing creation and control: Listings tie together units, pricing, and availability so the platform can present accurate options to guests.
User management: Admin tools support managing users, memberships, and roles to ensure the right people have the right access.
Maps integration: Google Maps integration on property and unit pages helps guests understand location context at a glance.
2. Subscription Billing & Modern Payments
Because the business is subscription-based, payments and billing needed to be reliable and flexible.
Subscription and product setup: We implemented subscription logic tied to platform access, working with Stripe products and customers to manage recurring billing.
Webhook and lifecycle handling: Webhooks and related backend logic keep subscription status in sync with the payment provider, reducing manual reconciliation.
Transaction logging: The system records key payment events for auditability and customer support.
Adyen integration: As the client’s payment strategy evolved, we implemented Adyen components and SDKs, created Adyen customer and payment-method records, and prepared the platform for a more flexible payment-provider setup.
We intentionally avoid exposing low-level details of payment data handling publicly, but the overall result is a platform that can support multiple payment providers while maintaining consistent subscription behavior.
3. Robust Admin Tools & Data Management
A key success factor was empowering the client’s team to run the business without daily developer involvement.
Extensive CRUD tooling: Admins can manage properties, units, amenities, listings, users, subscriptions, and more through purpose-built interfaces.
CSV import & export: A unit listing importer allows admins to export a template, bulk-edit or create listings in CSV, and re-import, speeding up large catalog updates.
Operational visibility: Transaction logs, listing data, and user information are accessible through the admin, improving transparency for support and operations.
4. React Native Mobile App on a Shared Backend
To reach guests where they are, the client wanted a mobile app that did not duplicate backend logic.
React Native foundation: We set up the mobile app using React Native, enabling cross-platform delivery for iOS and Android from a single codebase.
Shared authentication and membership: The app connects to the same backend services as the web platform, keeping user accounts, subscriptions, and access rules consistent.
Mobile payments & platform compliance: We implemented flows for in-app purchases, Google Pay / Apple Pay, and integrated Adyen frontend components, aligning with App Store and Google Play guidelines.
This shared-backend approach reduces duplication, simplifies maintenance, and keeps the user experience aligned across devices.
5. Automation, Email Communication & Scheduling
To reduce manual work and ensure timely communication, we implemented:
CRON-based processes: Scheduled jobs tied to subscriptions and other lifecycle events help keep data and access in sync.
Automated emails: Welcome messages, password resets, booking-related notifications, and review prompts are sent automatically based on system events.
These automations reduce administrative overhead and create a more reliable, predictable experience for guests and property owners.
6. SEO & Discoverability Foundations
To support organic growth and make curated properties easier to find, we implemented a range of SEO and analytics features:
Sitemap and index management: A sitemap controller helps search engines crawl key pages efficiently.
Search Console & GA4: Integration with Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 provides insights into search performance and user behavior.
Dynamic meta tags: Dynamic meta titles and descriptions improve how property and location pages appear in search results.
City/state landing pages: Location-focused pages help travelers discover properties by geography.
Complexity Handled
The project required navigating several layers of complexity beyond basic website development:
Designing a rich domain model for properties, units, amenities, listings, and subscriptions
Implementing and evolving subscription billing and payment gateways (Stripe and Adyen) with webhooks and transaction logging
Supporting both web and mobile apps from a shared backend without diverging behavior
Coordinating admin UX, automation, and SEO so they work together as a coherent system
Throughout, we focused on maintainability, so future iterations—such as redesigns and roadmap enhancements—could be layered onto a solid foundation.
Results & Business Value
While specific metrics such as revenue or conversion rate changes were not provided for publication, the delivered work created several concrete benefits:
A unified web and mobile platform aligned with the client’s curated, subscription-based model
Greater control over properties, listings, and subscriptions through comprehensive admin tools
A more flexible payment architecture capable of supporting multiple providers over time
Reduced manual effort through automation, CRON processes, and email workflows
Improved foundations for organic discovery via SEO, analytics, and city/state landing pages
Collectively, these improvements give the client a stronger digital backbone for scaling their curated vacation rental brand.
Why This Work Matters
The Finding Meili engagement demonstrates how Endertech turns a specialized business model into a practical, maintainable digital platform. For organizations in hospitality, travel, or any subscription-based marketplace, it shows our ability to:
Model complex domains and operational workflows
Implement and evolve payment and subscription infrastructure
Deliver unified experiences across web and mobile
Build admin and automation capabilities that reduce day-to-day friction
Planning Your Own Platform
If you’re considering a custom platform for rentals, memberships, or other subscription-based services, Endertech can help you plan and implement:
Custom web applications tailored to your workflows
Mobile apps on shared backends for cohesive experiences
Payment, subscription, and billing integrations
Admin tools, automation, and SEO foundations
Have a similar challenge? Endertech helps businesses design, build, and evolve the digital systems that support real-world operations. Let’s explore how we can support your next stage of growth.