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Hey 👋
If you’re new here: I’m Peter, founder of Buy That Hotel and Surf Office. This newsletter highlights my latest ideas and experiments around “niche hospitality”. If someone forwarded this to you, you can subscribe here :)
#1 Palm Springs vibes
Every hotel I’ve seen that fits into the “Palm Springs vibes” 🌴 category is probably crushing it.
This one is in Ibiza, and it’s called Los Felices (good name). It’s part of Concept Hotels, which has a bunch of them.I haven’t seen the P&L, but judging by the reviews, occupancy, and rates alone, I think they’re doing well.In an age when every hotel looks like a cousin of Novotel, building a funky brand is a huge differentiator.#2 How many nice days per year?This map of all hotels for sale now has a new layer: a heatmap showing how many nice days each area has per year.
How do we define “nice days”?
A daily high between 20 and 28°C, with less than 1 mm of rain.
Probably useful for more than just people buying a hotel.
#3 Dacia of hospitalityA very weird analogy, I must admit.Dacia always had a reputation as an ugly, cheap car brand from Romania.
But around 2021, they hired top designers and brand directors from other car companies and completely repositioned the brand.It stayed cheap, but now it’s also desirable.I believe there are similar opportunities for hotels.#4 Samsú cabinsIn 2021, you could create a successful glamping concept by just putting together a few cabins and posting aesthetic photos on Instagram.It was enough. Now the market is more competitive, and you need a twist.
Samsú curates unique cabins in Ireland, with a focus on digital detox.
They own and operate two of the cabins on leased land; the rest are part of a soft brand. Each cabin offers a different experience.
#5 Rooftop sauna
Having a little wellness hub on the rooftop of a hotel is kind of an obvious “this is cool” idea, but I don’t know many examples.
This year, I tried Stretch and Fold on top of Bob W in Amsterdam, and it was great.
Last month, I visited Termas on top of Casa Bonay in Barcelona and was impressed.
Here’s a short report on X.
#6 Creative culinary studio
What do you picture when you hear “creative culinary studio”?
I imagine some Gen Z couple in leather jackets doing fine dining and promoting it with fast reels (0.3 seconds per frame, with an instant headache).
But fofo is next-level shit.
They do private events and experiments… and their Instagram is absolutely impressive.#7 Good location vs. great conceptI noticed a pattern when looking at successful hotel concepts: you can always assign them to one of two categories.They’re in a location where:
- a good concept is a must
- a good concept is nice to have
It depends mainly on the distance from the airport and the volume of tourists in the area.
I love brainstorming concepts for “bad” locations because they require a lot of creativity and hustle. But when they work, the ROI is just insane.
#8 Outpost X
Outpost X is a sci-fi micro-resort in the Utah desert, built by a fan of Star Wars and Burning Man.
The concept and marketing are extremely well executed and it's an absolute magnet for influencers.
X-Spa, Sand Cruisers, and Cantina (a self-serve bar filled with clues and surprises) are included in your reservation. Genius!
#9 Nomad villages
I saw on X that Gonçalo Hall wants to build a nomad village in Italy, so I reached out to him to understand what he’s up to.
We ended up recording the whole conversation, and I think he’s onto something.
Over the past few years, he’s helped governments across Europe and South America build similar projects (Digital Nomad Village in Madeira, Próspera, and a bunch of others).
This time, it will be his own venture.
#10 Scarcity and a unique POV
For some reason, the majority of people building a “glamping project” in “Spain or Portugal” want to do it on this small strip of coast
TL;DR: Your unique hotel idea isn’t that unique.
So how do you build unique concepts? I think combining scarcity and a unique POV is the right formula.
Cheers,
Peter
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