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THE COMPANY
OCI was founded by Mr. Alfredo Merat and Ms. Wendy Wachtel in 1985. The company was incorporated in the State of Delaware as Student Housing Service, Inc. d/b/a Overseas Connection. Overseas Connection, Inc. is wholly owned by Mr. Merat.
After 20 years of success with our company, my partner Wendy Wachtel and I, have decided to go our separate ways and in the process have expanded to 2 separate firms. I have retained control of OCI . and VOW. Wendy will be working on her own with her new Villa company, Villa Magazine and will collaborate with me on some specific projects.
While its primary focus was finding student housing for foreigners in Paris and other university towns in France, the company quickly became active in vacation rentals. In 1986, while still located in France, the Company expanded its operations into Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece and Scotland. It also began to concentrate on high value properties and the demanding needs of high income renters. In 1987, Merat and Wachtel set up an office in New York City and began to develop a range of contacts in the Caribbean and vacation destinations in the United States, including Aspen, Vail, Palm Springs and the Hamptons on Long Island. In 1989, OCI moved its offices to the Hamptons and now have a prestigious location over looking the sheltered harbor of Sag Harbor, NY, a scenic and historic whaling town from the 1800's.
The Company's primary place of business is 107 Gardiner Avenue East Hampton NY. 11937. The phone number is 631-324 8455 and the fax number is 631 324 8454 1 888 72 VILLA Internet: www.villasoftheworld.com and www.overseasvillas.com as well as over 100 domain names for future expansion.
The company currently employs full time: 3 Vacation rental sales agent, 1 web development manager, 1 graphic artist and 1 data entry persons.
Officers and
Directors
The officers and directors of the company are as follows:
| | Name | Age | Position |
| Mr. Alfredo Merat | 45 | President, Treasurer, Chairman |
Mr. Alfredo Merat, President, Treasurer, and Chairman of the Board. Age 45. Mr. Merat was born in Spain and raised in France. Immediately after getting married in 1985, he and Ms. Wachtel formed Student Housing Services, the registered name of Overseas Connection. In addition to handling the vacation rentals for Europe and the Mediterranean, Mr. Merat has progressively modernized the computer and communication systems of OCI. Beginning in 1994, Mr. Merat began building a database of the Company's clients, complete with a search engine for selecting appropriate properties from customer requests. In 1995, Mr. Merat designed and installed OCI's first home page on the World Wide Web. He is now involved in a larger and more complicated "Intranet" business solution for the company. Also on the works and ready to launch end of the first quarter in 2001 a new service for the consumer that will allow owners/property managers and users/vacationers to interact directly with each other and will afford the company another important potential source of revenues in the more low to mid range Vacation Rental Market. Mr. Merat has been a licensed real estate broker since 1992 and is currently in the developing stages of a Web based real estate vacation rental management solution and a real time central reservation program. Mr. Merat is also a passioned songwriter, musician and father of 2. Mr. Merat has also worked in many top end French restaurants and opened a 3 stars New York Times rated eatery, Cerulean Restaurant in 2000.
Overseas Connection
Today
Overseas connection offers a hand picked selection of the
finest quality properties for rental. All services are provided for and
organized by our company from maids to masseuse, chefs to child care, fax
machines to festivities we specialize in the best properties in each resort
location and service an upscale, discerning clientele. We keep detailed files on
our accounts and apply the information regarding client requirements to multiply
vacation opportunities. We have ongoing, long term accounts which rely upon our
judgment and services to bring them, their guests and family to properties of
excellence that will not disappoint, are problem free and pleasure assured. Our
personalized attention to detail has distinguished us in the villa rental field
for 14 years.
International Brokerage Service/Network of Resort
Properties
We offer Americans and Europeans the unusual service of
brokering a portfolio of the top quality villas in all of the major resort
areas. We have a distinguished network of on site brokers with whom we have had
business relationships for many years. We can offer clients the convenience and
timesaving methods of reviewing properties and locations via e-mail, Internet,
or hard copy portfolio of properties in order that clients may preview options
prior to traveling on site to personally view their options and selected
choice.
Overseas Connection can refer you to specific locations and local
agents who can work with you on site. We also offer the unique service of "villa
shopping" in which one of our agents makes full arrangements for charter
flights, accommodations, dining and transport, and accompanies and guides
clients to multiple Caribbean and European villa locations with an agenda of on
site villa viewing and organized agent assistance. This is particularly
interesting if clients are not settled on one destination and have multiple
locations in mind for possible purchase.
Villa Consulting
Services
Few realize that personal vacation homes can be carefully
structured to not only pay for themselves but also to produce substantial
revenue for their owners. We offer owners a review of their villa properties
whether existing, new ownership's, or planned construction, and make careful
suggestions to improve rental revenues. Utilizing our signature property
formula, we consult upon methods for successfully creating marketable villa
properties that will offer owners financial security from their real estate
investments.
Marketing and Public Relation Services for Real Estate
InvestorsOur in-house team of photographers, art directors and graphic designers
are available to owners of villa properties to develop quality brochures and
marketing and advertising materials, as well as careful planning of marketing
programs. Overseas Connection has been featured in all of the finest travel and
luxury magazines, as well as prominent newspapers (see Masthead). We target
specific quality properties to top travel writers, editors and publications and
organize all visual and data materials for the frequent editorial coverage our
properties receive.
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My wife Wendy and I have been asked numerous times over the years,
"How did you get into this business?"
Let me present a brief history. . . Back in the early '80s, we met in Paris where
Wendy was studying as an exchange student. When I heard what she had to go through to find an apartment
(along with her two big golden retrievers), the idea occurred to us that there must
be many others in this same situation that could use assistance.
This sparked the birth of our first company, Student Housing Service Inc., in 1984.
Slowly we grew from small student budgets, to parents willing to help out with
the search for housing and villa vacation needs for summer visits.
Before we knew it, Villa Overseas Connection was created. We began our travels
through France, making all the desirable stops: the French Riviera, on to the Swiss Alps, Spain,
Italy, and finally England. During these travels we commenced our search
for vacation rental properties. We combined the best of both of our
worlds from the beginning:with Wendy's firsthand knowledge of the American standard of
living and my knowledge of the sweetest European resorts, we succeeded in selecting the
perfect locales. Although many were charming, we were compelled to leave some behind
due to outdated bathrooms, kitchens, poor bedding or noisy locations. We shot endless
photos of the areas and the properties we did like, and that we thought
had both charm and met high standards. With these selections made, we
returned from Europe. Intuitively understanding and anticipating clients
needs to view lots of pictures to make selections of homes across the
Atlantic, we produced the very first video catalog of rental properties
ourselves, using a generous friend's professional editing studio during
the night time off hours. Then began our quest to conquer the busy but
exciting Caribbean vacation villa market. Working out of our apartment in
Manhattan and house in Sag Harbor (Long Island), our company weathered
the storms of a recession, the Gulf War, and the real estate market crash
of the late '80s. Fortunately, because we were a small company, we
held fast, gradually updating our business with computers and fax
machines (every dollar earned went back into the business), and readying
ourselves for the next real estate boom. As the years went by we grew
into a full-fledged real estate company, and opened our first office on
the Long Wharf Promenade in Sag Harbor in the Hamptons. With the
globalization of all markets due to the Internet equalizing the competition,
our vision is what kept us a small step ahead of our competitors. On both
local and international levels, we began working with the upscale end
of the market, bringing in the premium, top-of-the-line properties. We
forged an excellent reputation through our ability to focus on details,
and accomplish the impossible, thus service an affluent clientele. We
firmed up our working relationship with local and international contacts
and brokers for both rentals and sales and are now a full-fledged, International
Real Estate Network. What was once a concept based on helping
students find housing is now a fully realized dream that went beyond any
of our greatest expectations. Our background as artists allowed us to
understand the client's unquenchable desire to see pictures and learn
more and more details – this coupled with our unique in-house
abilities to do what most pay dearly for: self-taught Internet design,
photography, graphic skills – lead us to produce two key marketing
tools for the growing listing of exceptional properties we were
accumulating: Villa Magazine and our Overseas Connection Internet site.
With the production of our first magazine and our on-line systems, we
were able to feature up to 4000 rental properties around the world (we
hope you have visited our website: www.villasoftheworld). Our clients also have worked
with us in building some of the finest new villas in the Caribbean.
A perfect example is Cerulean, a villa in Anguilla, which we
represent exclusively and have helped develop and market, consulting upon
staff, amenities brochures and press and public relations. Its four-star
chef, beach front setting, spectacular pool, tennis court, concierge, and
full staff, rank this as a true 5-star villa residence.
Cerulean
has attracted the attention of the entire travel industry as well as the
media, and is considered a signature property among the top handful in
the Caribbean, Europe, the Bahamas, Mexico and the USA. You may ask,
"Whatis next for Overseas Connection?"
Simply, that we will continue to expand our horizons, setting our sights on new lands and creating new
villas. Also, in order to grow and meet our goals, we need to hear from
you. As you read this article, feel free to call us. We will listen to
what you are looking for, and as our commitment is to assist you in
accomplishing your dream, we will work diligently to help you realize it,
whether it be as owner or guest, nearby or abroad, for a week or a
lifetime. |
