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Isaac French

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  • 2 min

The Art of Finding Hidden Treasures

🏬 A barn transformed into one of the country's most stunning wedding venues and a near-collapse gristmill in rural Maine restored to become a world-renowned farm-to-table restaurant with 60,000 annual reservation attempts for 1,500 seats. These examples showcase the potential of repurposing historic or overlooked sites into extraordinary, sought-after destinations. The message: Act now, seek out hidden gems, and create beauty through craft and creativity.
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A Carpenter’s $1M Secret

🚨 Chris's wife, while pregnant, survived a car accident caused by a drunk driver, leading to a settlement that allowed them to buy 5 acres of land in upstate New York, near Remsen, for $28,000. Using the land, Chris built an A-frame cabin over three years, handling all the construction himself to minimize expenses, aiming to create a unique stay that could generate passive income. He navigated rural permitting with relative ease, benefiting from a straightforward process and the value of personal relationships with local officials.
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Hospitality is the Ultimate Craft

🛠 Craft in hospitality emphasizes care, transforming ordinary experiences into extraordinary ones by not scaling but focusing on thoughtful details. It reshapes both guest and host, fostering human connections and spreading care. Hospitality, seen as a craft, creates impactful stories in guests' lives. The challenge posed is to infuse more care into crafted experiences, elevating details to resonate on a deep, human level. —Isaac.
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Why We Sold Live Oak Lake

🏡 Initially listed without a year of operating history and a non-specialist broker, the property was pulled from the market. In early 2023, broker David du Menil from The Intrepid Group relisted it at $7.3M. Under contract at $6.5M, the nonrefundable earnest money was set at $15,000. A buyer's funding fell through days before closing, costing nearly the amount of earnest money in attorney fees. A new $7M offer with $200,000 earnest money was nearly lost when an investor withdrew, but the sale completed after an additional six-week wait.
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Design Matters More Than Ever

🔥 Every Saturday, a newsletter, 'Differentiated Design' by Hans Lorei, is read; recent California fires have impacted the content's resonance. On Tuesday, when the LA fires started, Hans was leaving the city. He reflects on the loss of homes, not just as structures, but as life and refuge. Hans, who has grown popular on Instagram, shares design insights that shape readers' perspectives, emphasizing observation, taste, and travel to better design and create.
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My Favorite Hotel In The World

🏡 The Newt boasts 42 guest rooms across over 1,000 acres. With an average daily rate (ADR) of $2,000/night and an occupancy rate of 85%, annual room revenue is estimated at $26,061,000. Total gross revenue is speculated to be around $40 million USD annually. Despite this, sources suggest that the property is mainly breaking even. The Newt recently ranked #1 on the Top 50 Boutique Hotels in the World list.
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This Brand Has Taste (and is going places)

🌳 Hinter plants 10 trees for each guest through a non-profit partnership, costing just $1/tree. The company also runs the hinter planet newsletter, and their spaces serve as showrooms for local artisans. They offer a membership with 20% off stays, exclusive merchandise, and premium content. Hinter charges management/marketing fees of 30-40%, and is planning a 15-unit landscape hotel project in Vermont.
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