Over the past two years, the popularity of unconventional accommodations (tiny houses, treehouses, shipping container homes, etc.) has skyrocketed …
…a sign travelers are ditching traditional hotels in favor of non-traditional, Instagram-worthy homes that make lodging a part of their vacation.
And now, investors, builders, hospitality companies, and scrap startups across the United States are riding this unique short-term rental boom…
… Brothers Emily and Gabriel Bloomfield are a brother-sister duo who have built two very popular tiny homes, including one based on a shipping container.
Before venturing into the short-term rental industry, the brothers discovered entrepreneurship selling upholstery and face shields on Amazon during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2020, using profits from its successful face shield business, Broomfields decided to spend three months building a shipping container-based home now known as the Scenic Orchard.
Shortly after debuting the home on platforms like Airbnb, the tiny home was inundated with bookings.
And within four and a half months, the brothers had their money back on the unit.
It was this sudden and surprising rise in popularity that made the team realize they had a solid business model.
Gabriel Bloomfield told Insider, “The return on investment for small homes and short-term rentals compared to traditional real estate isn’t the same.
Six months later, the brothers team decided to start building a second unit. This is a slightly larger Starlink Internet-enabled Hickory Outlook located about 1,000 feet away from the previous one.
But this time, Bloomfields decided not to build another house out of shipping containers.
He says building a tiny house out of shipping containers would have added an additional $20,000 to the construction cost.
Despite these differences in appearance, both units are equally popular with guests, with occupancy rates around 90-95%.
Scenic Orchard starts at $445 per night and Hickory Outlook is $545.
However, during peak season, prices can go up to $500 and $570 per night at Scenic Orchard and Hickory Outlook, respectively.
sauce: scenic orchard, scenic orchard