The Airbnb industry continues to be quite lucrative for some folks. One designer decided to get creative with the rentals she was offering, and it paid off in a big way.
Kristie Wolfe is profiting off her ideas which include a Big Idaho Potato Hotel (a converted fire lookout at $200 a night), a Hawaiian treehouse ($300 a night) and a hobbit hole ($400 a night).
She was inspired by the tiny house movement back in 2010 while working on a potato farm in Idaho. She launched her first property, the big potato hotel when she was just 27. It was a 97 square foot “shed on wheels” but Wolfe loved living there and she knew others would enjoy it as well.
Her next venture was a treehouse built on Hawaii’s big island which she created for a total of $11,000 and rented it out for $300 a night. She made her money back within a hundred days.
“I could’ve stopped right there and chilled with the income, but I have no chill,” Wolfe said.
She continued to build her other units earning her status as a legendary builder in the Airbnb space and enough passive income to last a lifetime. She also learned about the benefits of building in offbeat areas which provide lower costs, less competition, and decreased demand.
Other lessons learned include how to stay budget friendly. For example, her hobbit hole uses light fixtures made of willow branches which are a low cost and environmental design option.
She also found out that using the word “caretaker” instead of “housekeeper” on the Airbnb site can get more customers through the door.
“People always think certain things are impossible. But when you’re pushed into a corner, you just figure it out,” the designer says of her inspiration.
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Her Airbnb properties sound interesting. Will you be checking one out the next time you decide to travel?
