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The Tiny Home Hospitality Industry Is Underway: Take a Luxury Vacation Like Never Before

One effect of the recent off-grid action that's been happening lately is the appearance of the mobile bed and breakfast unit, or downright hotels, all of which can be moved at a whim's notice. Such a mobile and off-grid retreat can be found on Governors Island, New York.
Outlook Shelter Governors Island 10 photos
Photo: Collective Retreats
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It's on this island that would-be travelers or off-grid enthusiasts can partake in a bed and breakfast experience like few around. The place I'm referring to has been dubbed the Outlook Shelter, and it's a mobile tiny home owned and operated by Collective Retreats, a company that offers an array of spaces and activities designed to help you escape the city life and be in tune with the natural world, that is, as much as Manhattan can and will allow.

If you're wondering about the validity of opening an off-grid and mobile B&B, you really need to read up for the next few minutes. I've worked in the hotel and tourism industry, and if there's one thing that kills just about any hotel, it's the fact that seasons come and go.

Well, with a mobile hotel room, there's no need to consider the ever-changing flow of time. For example, let's take the Outlook as the perfect display of what I mean. This bugger is situated in New York, and as most folks know, New York winters are not the most equatorial around; it's hella cold!

Outlook Shelter Deck
Photo: Collective Retreats
Typically, once the colder months roll around, most hotels need to close their doors or put on massive deals to fill their rooms back up. With a mobile habitat like the Outlook, all you have to do once fall rolls around is hitch up the bugger and move on south to warmer weather.

Not only does this ensure that your housing services are always used at maximum capacity, but you never have to drop your rates to attract adventurous stragglers. With a one-night stay for two people costing up to $1,300 (€1,200 at current exchange rates), it sounds like one heck of a business model. Furthermore, imagine that you're a customer of such a hotel establishment and really love this unit. Because the unit will soon be exploring other warmer climates, so will you. You'll discover new places out of the home you've grown to love.

Diving deeper into this business model, another benefit owners are given is that of a fully integrated and self-sustaining unit. Since all water, electrical, heating, and cooling systems are bunched up into one neat package, if anything happens to these essential features, upkeep costs should be minimal; you know, tiny home, tiny costs, if it's built right that is. Now that you have some idea as to why you're seeing all sorts of off-grid and mobile B&B units, the traits mentioned above are just a couple of the beauty of such dwellings.

Outlook Shelter Bathroom
Photo: Collective Retreats
But what about the Outlook itself? What can you expect? Well, judging by the images in the gallery, one of the main discerning features of this unit is your ability to wake up and have a look at the statue of liberty from afar. Don't worry, it's within human eye view; no $1 telescopes here. Not only will you be able to witness the world around your living room or bedroom, but intimate baths can also be taken while you view the surroundings. Since each unit is also equipped with a kitchen and private patio, your one-week stay or overnighter will be remembered for sure.

At the end of the day, if you're an owner of such a unit, once your guests have left, make a phone call to a local cleaning service and refresh the grounds for the next batch of off-grid travelers. And yes, you can achieve all this from a lounge chair on some beach in Miami, the place where you'll move your tiny house come winter in New York. Sounds like one heck of a business model and lifestyle.
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About the author: Cristian Curmei
Cristian Curmei profile photo

A bit of a nomad at heart (being born in Europe and raised in several places in the USA), Cristian is enamored with travel trailers, campers and bikes. He also tests and writes about urban means of transportation like scooters, mopeds and e-bikes (when he's not busy hosting our video stories and guides).
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