A European prefab 'invisible' tiny home maker now has 4 units in California on Airbnb starting at $444 a night see inside

One of the four ÖÖD hotels in California.Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

• Estonia-based prefab tiny home maker ÖÖD makes hotels, homes, and offices.
• Its four units in California have been seeing steady weekend bookings.

If you've been craving an off-grid getaway far from other people, why not vacation in an invisible tiny home?

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Estonia-based ÖÖD is building off-grid tiny homes and offices with mirror-lined exteriors.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

These homes are now available to order in the US for personal use. But if you're more interested in a short-term stay …

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

… ÖÖD's $125,000 signature tiny homes also double as its 227-square-foot rentable hotel rooms.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Source: ÖÖD House

And there's no need to travel to Europe just to stay in one of these Instagram-able mirror homes.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

There is now a ÖÖD tiny home-based resort near California's Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks available to rent on Airbnb.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

And by the end of this year, we could see more of these "invisible" hotel rooms pop up across the country.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

ÖÖD was founded in 2016 by two brothers, Jaak and Andreas Tiik, who wanted to innovate the hotel space with a modern prefabricated unit lined with exterior mirrors …

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

… similar to the famous "Invisible House" near Joshua Tree National Park now on sale for $18 million.

Chris Hanley

Source: Insider

ÖÖD sells its homes to private buyers, people looking for rental units, and hospitality companies.

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But Robin Boehringer, the company's chairman, told Insider that he envisions a future where it'll likely work more closely with these hospitality companies and rental operators.

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"There's still a deficit in the market for good designs and good quality cabins," Boehringer said, noting that the company is building its own Airbnb-like ÖÖD hotel bookings platform.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

To do this, companies can either buy entire ÖÖD homes or receive units in exchange for a 10-year revenue share partnership.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

There are now ÖÖD units for both personal and commercial use scattered around the world from Mexico to the Netherlands …

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

… as well as 25 in the US in states like Vermont and Tennessee.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

This stateside expansion started with these four rentable homes at the foot of California's Sequoia National Park, which arrived in the US in 2020.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Interest here has yet to wane.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

So to address this, the company is now setting up a production facility in Houston, Texas with the goal of finishing its first units by around April.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

The California Airbnb units, which launched in 2022, had been a long time coming.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Kenneth Willard, the owner of these four homes and an Airbnb superhost, first contacted ÖÖD in 2018, Regina Kaal, sales director told Insider.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

However, due to delays in permitting, certificating, shipping, and interior finishing, the four units weren't made available on Airbnb until the summer of 2022.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Now, you could have a hard time booking one of these invisible homes for a weekend getaway.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Willard calls his collection of mirror homes a "luxury eco-glamping ranch" located on 50 acres of land in Three Rivers, California.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Source: Airbnb

The mirror-clad homes are surrounded by mountains, a river, and views of the valley, making it a scenic retreat for people interested in vacationing near the giant sequoias.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Despite the unique exterior, the interior is like any vacation cabin condensed into a studio space.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Inside, there's a kitchenette, queen bed, bathroom …

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

… and all the necessary appliances tucked into this modern and sleek home.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Outside, the homes also come with a sauna and an exterior shower.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Rates start at $444 a night for one home or $1,600 for all four homes, according to Willardt's Airbnb page.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

Source: Airbnb

The three months following the homes' launch saw "great" bookings despite the lack of marketing efforts.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

In December 2022, these units were booking for an average of $524 a night while hitting a 30% occupancy rate, the Estonian company told Insider in an email. Weekends are often booked up.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

If this occupancy rate grows to at least 80%, Willard will double the number of units …

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

… a process that should certainly move along faster now that ÖÖD is expanding production to the US.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals

This year, the company already has five US ÖÖD hotel projects in New York, Georgia, and Maryland.

Sarah and Michael Vestal, @venturingvestals