Ep. 35: Tiny Hotel, Big Impact, with Robin Staten

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I’m so excited to welcome Robin Staten, the founder and CEO of Tiny Urban Escapes, to the show today. Robin is joining me to talk about what she’s built, why she built it, and what she’s learned along the way. Tiny Urban Escapes is a female developed, owned, and managed luxe boutique hotel company focused on creating one-of-a-kind experiences by transforming upcycled shipping containers into private suites.

Robin Staten is an Indy native, and she and her founders, Chasity Lofton and Kriss Hillman, are committed to sustainable tourism in all of its forms. Tiny Urban Escapes will welcome their first guests in spring 2021.

One look at Tiny Urban Escapes, and you’ll be quickly drawn into a hotel experience that’s decidedly different. It’s a hotel with a vacation rental feel and an eco-friendly slant, and each suite is gorgeous. It sounds like something I’d dream about, something firmly planted in the future, and somehow, Robin’s built it.

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I really enjoyed my conversation with Robin Staten. My key takeaways were:

1. The future of hospitality is female. In Robin’s words, we can build our own tables, and make them long enough to include more women than ever before.

2. When it comes to creating a brand new hotel experience, I really loved how Robin drew on her own, unique life experience in building Tiny Urban Escapes. Those suites aren’t just a manifestation of Robin, they reflect the surrounding community, and a deep understanding of the guest’s needs. I loved how Robin described what she’s doing as “Triage hospitality” - responding to, and prioritizing the needs of guests in the present moment, and with an eye to the future.

3. Finally, I loved Robin’s advice of having the audacity to dream, to create, and to surround yourself with people who will help you move that vision forward. It’s something we tend to lose sight of as adults. Robin suggest that we all cultivate a bit more of that by focusing on self care. We could all use a Tiny Urban Escape right now, couldn’t we?

As always, keep sharing your stories.