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“Drop in as a guest. Take off as a local.” That’s the motto guests hear when they stay in any of the eight rooms at Surfhouse Boutique Motel, hosted by Superhosts and brothers Nikki and Sander.
“The way travel is going, I think it’s all kind of pulling away from big hotels and resorts. People want to connect with someone who knows the area and gives an authentic local experience,” Nikki said.
And the brothers are stoked to do it. Nikki and Sander, who began as a bellhop and Airbnb home host, respectively, are now riding their second wave in hosting. From 2016 to 2017, they converted a former convalescent home in their hometown of Encinitas, California into eight surf-inspired Airbnb rooms, collectively known as the Surfhouse Boutique Motel.
“We didn’t have the space to cram guests in our own homes, and there weren’t nice places to put people up,” Nikki said. “It’s such a cool little surf town, but the only accommodation options were lower-end chain hotels—not something that represented our area.”
Nikki and Sander designed the property with Encinitas’s local culture in mind: everyone who worked on it, from the designer to the contractor, live in the area; each room features artwork by local artists and is named after a well-known surf break in San Diego, such as Moonlight, Cardiff Reef, Stone Steps, and Swamis. Also inside every room is a discount card the brothers created by partnering with area businesses, so guests can play and pay like locals.
More, the brothers designed the overall stays—which have surf lessons and beach yoga on offer—with family in mind. “Our mom is originally from Norway, so when we were growing up we’d always have our Norwegian relatives out here. We’d teach the kids how to surf, take them to Padres baseball games, and teach them to live as we did for a few days,” Nikki said. “Now, we want people to go into a coffee shop next door, go to the beach all the locals load their kids into a wagon to go to.”
Despite running a boutique motel for the past two years, Nikki and Sander say they identify more as hosts than hoteliers.
“My experience hosting guests prior to opening Surfhouse was nothing but positive. I really enjoyed meetings travelers from all over the country, and even the world,” said Sander, who helped a friend list his condo on Airbnb and then parlayed that experience when they opened Surfhouse.
“We started pretty low with our rates so that we could get as many reviews and achieve Superhost status as quickly as possible. This helped us get more bookings and show up higher on search results,” said Sander, who still works full time in residential real estate, on top of handling the boutique motel’s finances.
Nikki handles the day-to-day interactions with guests. “When I was a bellhop, I was the first and final touch in welcoming guests — I enjoyed that.” To connect with Surfhouse guests, Nikki personally sends emails, talks to guests about any questions and things to do in the area before they arrive, and pops by if guests want surf lessons or want him to show them around town, as he lives a block away.
The brothers say it’s all to focus more on the experience than the rooms themselves: “People will book a beautiful room once, but they will come back many times when they are given a memorable experience.”
Congratulations to you both, Nikki and Sander! Such an inspiring story, would love to come and stay! It has made me put my thinking cap on..
I’m so happy to read this story, it really inspiring me , thanks so much , Amazing job..
Sounds fantastic guys! Would love to try and get there one day.
Brilliant business plan of giving guest personalized care.Plus great revenue for host. WIN WIN for host and guest
What a lovely story of how it all began; Rooms look beautiful; will definitely visit and stay at your Airbnb..
Great story, and it has inspired me to put a more personal touch to my own Airbnb rentals. Diana
Bula from Fiji Guys
What a great story.
We are actually going through a similar experience. We have been Airbnb hosts for our little cottage https://abnb.me/J0vClbfWWV for about 2 years now.
In February we drove past an old building that used to be a cafe and bottle shop that was in a bad state. My wife and I decided to take the lease on it but we didn’t know what we’re going to do with the whole building.
We have since decided to start a 4 suite Airbnb hotel on the top and keep the bottom as cafe and wine shop.
We have about 3 more months of renovations to go and are loving the clallenge.
if you have any advice for us we would be most greatfull.
Heres to your continued success.
Vinaka
Darran & Mue
Loved their outlook. Relaxed and sensible approach. Amazing achievement. Well done!
Great approach ... to slowly and easily get into becoming a hotelier! // I'm surprised at how much I enjoy hosting ... welcoming folks to my 'places'.
Totally inspiring piece ; the trick about growth is all about "tiny steps in every moment" !
Wonderful story, great to see young people getting started , being independant , and having a great company for support, abnb ist great, we love it, run a abnb in Germany and soon in the scottish borders xx
Well you guys represent the very best of airbnb and you have begun an exciting and rewarding journey on the road to great success. You are truly an inspiration!
Greetings from sunny Cape Town South Africa, thanks for the inspiration guys....
Yay! I’m hosting in San Diego too (Clairemont area) but you have inspired me to go bigger!
Very inspiring Nikki and Sander . Keep up the hospitality and good work. This is what airbnb is all about.