Harnessing the power of social media, the next generation of innkeepers has arrived

Before there were hotels, inns – often just family homes with spare bedrooms – offered weary travellers and their horses a place to rest and recharge.

As travel evolved, tourist accommodation adapted. With the railroads, came hotels; with highways, motels.

Now, with platforms like Airbnb making owning and running a holiday rental more accessible than ever, a new generation of innkeeper has emerged. Harnessing the power of social media, they’re using thoughtful styling, photography and storytelling to build followings around their properties.

“We’re a bit more savvy with the marketing,” says Sarah Andrews, who has fast become an industry leader. “We’re really quickly taking over.”

Andrews owns Captain’s Rest, a waterfront cottage in Lettes Bay, just outside of Strahan on Tasmania’s west coast. Despite the property’s isolation, it’s in high demand, with a waitlist of hopeful travellers eager for a chance to stay.

And it’s not hard to see why. The heritage property has been lovingly restored and styled by Andrews with antiques and creature comforts designed to “capture the imagination” of travellers. With over 27,000 followers on Instagram, it appears the cottage has done just that.

“I had a property that’s so remote, I knew I had to do the marketing for it for people to come,” says Andrews. With around 98 per cent of guests finding Captain’s Rest through social media, she attributes its success in a large part to her ability to tell a story about her home.

“It’s all about individuality, storytelling, and finding that unique aspect to your property,” she says. “There’s a real science to it.”

Now Andrews is helping others do the same, with online and live Hosting Masterclasses that aim to “tool up” would-be innkeepers. The workshops cover topics from “telling your house story”, to “working with flowers”, “photography” and “websites”.

“There are a lot of smart people who are able to do a bunch of stuff that maybe the more traditional owners would need to hire someone to do,” she says.

Andrews and those like her are catering to a new cohort of travellers who are seeking out more distinctive travel experiences. While in the past accommodation might have been the last piece in the holiday puzzle, she says today the property is often a destination in itself.

“Most people I know will go on holidays based on properties they follow on Instagram,” says Andrews. “It used to be ‘I want to go to this area’, but now it’s ‘I want to go to this home’.”

Fiona Shillington and her husband Matt are part of this new wave of holiday accommodation providers.

Looking for a change of pace, the couple, along with their four kids, aged between six and 18, moved from Sydney’s Northern Beaches to Fiona’s hometown of Esperance in Western Australia five years ago.

“We came for a holiday really, with no commitments and no plans,” says Shillington. “We went to visit [an old friend] at her house and ended up driving down the end of her cul-de-sac to turn around, and that’s where the little village was. We just drove through and fell in love with it.”

The family purchased a 35-year-old “rundown” holiday village on a whim and set about fixing it up themselves, using local materials and wares wherever they could. The result was Esperance Chalet Village, a collection of 17 A-frame chalets, cabins and cottages on just under three and a half hectares of land.

The village has been a hit with travellers “wanting to get away and retreat”, says Shillington.

“The beaches and the environment are certainly the drawcard, but we’ve found that our little offering is so unique.”

The village’s Instagram page has amassed over 11,000 followers, which Shillington says has played a big role in its success. A scroll through the page reveals snapshots of cosy interiors, outdoor fire pits and guests riding bikes, which are provided free of charge.

Shillington, who has a background in publicity, manages the marketing and “zhooshing”, while Matt, who had a career change from stockbroking to landscaping, does the building and fixing.

“When you own your own business, you’ve got to wear many hats … you have to be IT, PR, reception, everything. The more strings to your bow, the better,” Shillington says.

The family of six live on site in a “tiny A-frame”, and despite “stumbling across” the village and her new career as an innkeeper, Shillington says no one has regretted the move.

“It’s a lovely family experience to be in a chalet.”