Meet the Team Behind Miller Beach Vacation Rentals 

Your Hosts

Jim & Hilary

Jim and Hilary discovered Miller Beach, a lovely and hidden gem, in 2003 and fell in love with it immediately! We currently reside in town with our baby daughter and Vizsla dog. In addition to our involvement in the day-to-day operations of our vacation rentals, Hilary runs a successful interior design and event planning company and Jim operates a commercial real estate development firm. Whenever we can, we travel all over the US and world, rent a car, and stay in vacation rentals. We appreciate the convenience, the privacy, and the exploration of other cultures by truly living like a local. We observe and take extensive notes on what other leading vacation rentals offer and how these ideas and strategies can be implemented in our properties. Some of our favorite places are the Algarve region of Southern Portugal, the Dutch side of St. Maarten, the Provence region of France, the island of Mallorca in Spain, and Austin, Texas. We take great pride in what we do and strive for continuous improvement to continually offer our guests the best experience possible.

Jim was first introduced to the vacation rental concept in November of 2007 while staying in Outer Banks, NC to run the OBX marathon. While carb loading at a local restaurant and perusing (in typical fashion) anything real estate related, he looked through a directory of homes. At first, it appeared to be just another “Homes for Sale” guide, but actually contained hundreds of vacation rental properties and he had a lightbulb moment! Jim spent the next few days developing a business model and strategy for entering the non-existent vacation rental marketplace of Chicagoland in Northwest Indiana. In 2007, there was virtually nothing available on the subject; the only players were large property management companies. So he had to create everything from scratch: writing ad copy, taking bookings, creating pre-guest arrival checklists, hiring and training maids, etc. He wrote white papers, quality-control checklists, guest satisfaction surveys, and policy guidelines that are still in use today. On a side note, Jim is proud to have placed 38th overall in the Outer Banks marathon and qualified for Boston!

We take great pride in what we do and strive for continuous improvement to continually offer our guests the best experience possible.

Jim is an Engineer and General Contractor passionate about designing large spaces with functional and flowing floor plans that offer gathering spaces for grand-scale entertaining, as well as comfortable, cozy nooks for managed solitude.

Hilary is an accomplished Interior Designer and Event Planner whose work has been recognized by Martha Stewart and Vogue Magazine. She loves to furnish inviting spaces, ensuring that all details and traveler-comforts are attended to.

We are not just business owners; vacation rentals are our passion, our hobby, and our favorite, often lively and intense, topic of discussion. To stay on the bleeding edge, we are members of several groups and associations related to this exploding industry segment. We and our dedicated staff work very hard to make sure your stay is perfect and memorable. We are in the memory making business and get tremendous satisfaction by offering our vacation rentals to people from all over the world to celebrate their special occasions and milestone events.

Since 2007, we have hosted thousands of guests from 49 states and 14 countries for multi-generational family reunions, friend’s getaways, milestone birthdays and anniversaries, couples and church retreats, intimate weddings, corporate retreats, and many other special events. Our guest list is confidential, but includes A-list celebrities, professional sports stars, and noted journalists.

Staying at other vacation rentals across the globe, we have discovered what luxury travelers expect and what gets them excited and have incorporated many of these facets into our homes.

The Miller Beach Dream Retreat was custom-designed and built in 2008 for private, year-round entertaining and relaxation. A thorough makeover was recently completed in 2016 to update and improve amenities and add value to our guest’s overall experience. The Miller Beach Dream Retreat defines luxury vacation rental.

Villa Santorini, our newest and award-winning offering, was conceptualized in 2013 and meticulously designed, built, and furnished for the sole purpose of luxury, year-round entertaining and beachfront relaxation. Upon viewing the land and original structure in 2013, we were in awe of its amazing un-tapped potential. With its dune-top presence towering over the surrounding area, its adjacency to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, commanding Mediterranean, sea-like views of Lake Michigan and the Chicago Skyline, we knew we could create something magical and enchanting for our guests.

Completed in the summer of 2016, we have already hosted hundreds of very satisfied guests. Staying at other vacation rentals across the globe, we have discovered what luxury travelers expect and what gets them excited and have incorporated many of these facets into our homes. We hope that you join us for a trip to our idyllic Greek island experience, Villa Santorini.

We invite you to enjoy our homes as much as we do and anticipate seeing you soon in Miller Beach, IN, the closest beach-side community to Chicago!