So you want to live like Donna from Mamma Mia?
An inside look at running a hotel, B&B, and pousada
Note from
: Welcome to Story 2 of Issue 1! This one is close to heart, since my dream is to one day run a business like these interviewees. We’ll see! Until then, enjoy this peek at their lives. This is a long one but I find it all super fascinating. Hope you enjoy xWhenever I tell people that one day my dream is to run a pousada (a Portuguese term for an “inn” or “bed-and-breakfast”), I’m almost always met with, “Me too!”
I’m not sure if it’s the Mamma Mia or Gilmore Girls influence, but there’s something dreamy and quaint about packing in the big city life, renovating an old space, and welcoming in travelers from around the world. Undoubtedly, it’s also a lot of hard work.
I worked in a few hostels across Eastern Europe for a few months in my mid-twenties, and I saw how much care and attention goes into making sure travelers have a welcoming and comfortable “home” while exploring new places. Ever since then, I have an extra soft spot for small, independently run hotels.
To get a firsthand perspective, we talked to the owners of a small hotel in Sri Lanka, a “bed-and-bar” in upstate New York, and a beach-side pousada in Brazil:
Jessica Fernando
MOND
Hiriketiya, Dikwella, Sri Lanka
Hotel, Cafe & Bar, Artist Residency
Casey Scieszka
Spruceton Inn
West Kill, Catskills, New York, USA
Bed and Bar and Artist Residency
Emmanuel Rengade
Pousada Picinguaba
Picinguaba, Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil
Beachside Pousada
What was your inspiration or past experience that led you to open a boutique hotel?
Emmanuel, Pousada Picinguaba: After some time as a corporate executive in São Paulo and London, I realized that not only was I not interested in such a career, but also that I wanted to live in nature away from the cities and have more time to enjoy life on the day-to-day. But then, discovering Picinguaba was just a chance happening that led to materializing what was only a vague plan. I fell in love with the place and followed that vibe.
Jessica, MOND: “Mond,” the German word translating in English to “Moon,” aligns directly with our hearts. Its magnetic nature with the tides has always been a symbolic metaphor for the ebbs and flows of the human condition. In a society where we are pushed further and further from the inherent cyclical patterns we share with our natural habitat there is an almost equal pull back towards this connection and our origins as a species. Our alignment with the moon and its cycles date back to human conception and has always influenced our state of being whether we have chosen to acknowledge it or not.
We (MOND owners Renato and Jessica) have always had a connection to the ocean and it seems only fitting that we have now created our lives to revolve around it in later life. Being constantly surrounded by the power of the ocean living on this island paradise, we have come to really understand and work with the moon, the ocean and ourselves to unlock hidden pieces that make up our personal psyches. Our experiences with these cycles have played an integral part in the creation of MOND and its counterparts. We always strive to self understand and to grow in this capacity – this is what MOND is in its totality.
MOND is a home. A time past. A time present. A space for space. The walls speak of intention and internality as it shines forth from each and every surface, line and curve. Our wish for our guests is that they have a moment of peace within the walls. To evoke a similar feeling that we first felt when we came to Hiriketiya. For a moment of less resistance or friction with one's inner and outer world. A space in which to fully connect to nature and the self to bring together a union of art and self understanding. Comforting and nurturing in its aura there is a sense of centering calmness that really lends to MOND’s unique offering. Community, nature and art is what inspires us most and this really is the crux of our ethos, so we welcome all into our world, into our family. MOND is our home.
What made you take the leap and actually open your hotel?
Casey, Spruceton Inn: It was important to research and prepare before opening the place, but I also knew that (like with many big life choices) there was never going to be some big, clear moment where I felt 100% prepared. That eventually, I'd have to just leap and that it would feel like a leap — terribly risky and terribly exciting all at the same time. More specifically, once I found the location, the whole process started to develop its own momentum and things went from hypothetical to real very quick.
What do you consciously choose to do differently at your hotel, vs. a larger hotel or chain?
Emmanuel, Pousada Picinguaba: I have always been a traveler, and I decided to develop a place that I could never find when traveling: comfortable yet friendly, connected to the local community, with unpretentious yet delicious food. The anti-hotel! Pousada Picinguaba was the first “boutique hotel” in Brazil (said at the time the Financial Times), even if I don’t like this term. Maybe “soul hotel” would be a better description?
Casey, Spruceton Inn: I keep it flexible! I own and operate the whole shebang. I don't have a corporate board I have to run my choices by. It means I get to lead with my heart rather than just the profit reports, all of which makes for a healthy business I think. For example--
We closed for a full year during the pandemic. Pre-vaccine, we just weren't comfortable bringing literal thousands of tourists to our tiny hamlet that's medically underserved even in the best of times. (The nearest hospital is an hour away!) It was hard for all the obvious reasons, but the surprise silver lining was that it was a really rare and precious opportunity to reassess and realign the business with our original vision and our values. (Something that's really hard to do when you're on the hamster wheel of hotel life where you're open 24/7 all year long!) When we reopened, this meant shrinking my team so I could get back behind the bar and interact with guests like I've always loved to do. It meant deciding to donate half our bar sales to groups doing social and climate justice work. It meant doing weekends only so I can spend more time with my kids when they're young, so I can work on my own art. It meant committing 15% of our purchasing power to Black owned businesses in the spirit of the 15% Pledge. It meant taking on fewer workshops that required loads of coordinating and advertising and instead, spending that time and energy on our annual Artist Residency and turning the barn into a little neighborhood library open to everyone.
As a business you're always encouraged to grow, grow, grow and there are times when I've asked myself, "Am I crazy to be doing the opposite and shrinking my business?" but that's really just capitalism talking. I am so happy with the changes we've made and this whole experience has been a good reminder that the benefit of owning a small business is that you can change it as your own needs/desires/values/goals change. I think the guests can feel that personal touch in every part of the operation.
Jessica, MOND: MOND is a multifaceted business that offers a lot in a small space. The driving force behind this project is always to reconnect everyone that walked through the door to a sense of peace and self awareness within nature to inspire creativity within. This concept really speaks of the inherent connection that humans have to the planet, which is shown through the fundamental infrastructure and processes that are now classically MOND. Environmental design, sustainable waste management, impact awareness, solar power and minimizing plastic use are just a few of the main focuses that steer away from the old world that has led to the destruction of our Earth. The undeniable connection to art and design through self-understanding is something for others to replicate, this reconnection to nature and the slowness of life in Sri Lanka is what inspired MOND. It's not only the cafe, bar and accommodation that lend to and showcase these experiences and ideals but the creative studio and art residency program aspect of the business too. Artists locally and from across the globe are able to participate in these residencies resulting in a body of work to be exhibited at MOND creating a sense of union between community and art and culture in Southern Sri Lanka.
Our aim at MOND was always to create a type of self sustaining environment for cultivating an artistic community and to be the home or southern hub for art in Sri Lanka. Open and welcoming of both the neighboring community and visitors alike MOND will be used as a plat- form for a variety of differing mediums. Lectures, workshops, performances and architectural experiments will be commonality within the walls of the space which will move and flow with the tides and expressions of the artists that find themselves here. Whether you’re seeking to create or completely retreat from your vision to fill up the personal cup, MOND doesn’t judge but simply encourages a state of being that feels true.
Has anything surprised you about running the hotel, or your interactions with travelers?
Emmanuel, Pousada Picinguaba: It was an immediate international success, it became a destination hotel. I think there was a need for such friendly and balanced places in a real natural environment at the time. Many friends I have today, I met as a host when they came 20 years ago, and then kept coming back over the years.
Casey, Spruceton Inn: Over the years I have been so pleasantly surprised by just how invested our guests become in this place. Our repeat guests especially. How special the Inn and the whole little neighborhood becomes to them. This sense that the place belongs to them too. It's something I hoped for of course, but to see it play out is just so dang special.
Similarly, I've been heartwarmingly surprised by how much these guests have come to mean to me. We have folks who have stayed here literally eight, ten, TWELVE times. I see their names come up in the reservation calendar and I get genuinely excited to see them again, to pour them their favorite drink and hear about what they've been up to. Some of these people have become straight up friends of mine now. I've danced at their weddings. Heck, I even hired a repeat guest to be my maternity leave replacement! Again, it's the kind of thing you hope for when you're opening a place, but when it actually happens, it's just rich in a way you couldn't have even dared hope for.
Do you have any interesting stories from your interactions with travelers, either from their stay with you, or afterward?
Emmanuel, Pousada Picinguaba: Once, a couple arrived and had booked a few days and asked us to cancel the rest of their trip in Brazil, to stay with us for 2 weeks. That happened a few times! Those became friends and the year after they took a year off with their 2 kids and stayed with us at the farm for 8 months. He is a famous English musician and he composed his first solo album in Fazenda Catuçaba, our second property by the mountains.
Casey, Spruceton Inn: We have such a sweet and curious and smart bunch of guests. Chatting with everyone when I'm behind the bar is absolutely one of my favorite parts of running this place.
One of the sweetest kinds of guests though, are the people who stayed here back in the day when this place was the Schwarzenegger's Sunshine Valley House. Yup, same Schwarzenegger! Karl is cousin's with Arnold, and he ran it from 1959-2003. Often these people haven't been back since the 70s or 80s and they're wowed and amused by how much has changed in some ways (the aesthetic! the tiny bar!) and not at all in others (the amazing nature right outside your door!). I love to hear their stories of Karl playing the accordion in the evenings, of hiking and hunting in these same woods. I often half-joke that in opening the place I wasn't reinventing the wheel-- people have been coming to vacation here for years and years for good reason, and it's really wonderful to feel connected to the various incarnations of this place through these people.
How do you encourage gathering and helping the guests get to know each other, you, or the location?
Casey, Spruceton Inn: Everything about the Inn is set up such that you can have as little or as much interaction with me and the other hotel guests as you want. We have communal spaces like the Front Desk & Bar in Room One and fire pit right outside there where multiple rooms will often hang together and swap hiking tips (and inevitably talk a little New York real estate!). But I've also made sure that the other five fire pits are set apart in secluded little areas wrapped in tall wild grasses and flowers so it can feel like just you and the mountains. Often on a Saturday guests will ask if the hotel is full and they'll be surprised to hear it is because they've had such an uncrowded experience. I think that's part of what brings folks back-- knowing that they can have whatever kind of experience they're in the mood for-- whether that means chatting it up at the bar past closing time then sharing a fire with new friends or moving quietly and alone from the hammocks to the creek to their own moonlit bonfire…
Emmanuel, Pousada Picinguaba: We call guests to gather for a caipirinha in the gardens around 7ish, 1h or so before dinner (which is served to each table but family style, at a fixed hour). Guests used to mingle a lot and often stay in touch back home : less now with the internet and tablets, even if we encourage leaving them switched off to enjoy more of their time here.
But we do not force people to sit at community tables. We value privacy too.
Jessica, MOND: MOND hosts 4 Rooms, a courtyard cafe and a rooftop bar.
MOND is a place for people to slow down, connect, experience, and create. The accommodation, cafe, bar, and creative studio were thoughtfully designed to inspire creativity and "help everyone who enters reconnect to a sense of peace and self awareness within nature." Sustainability and humans' inherent connection with the planet are at the core of the MOND concept. This includes environmental design, impact awareness, plastic reduction, waste management, solar power, and sustainably sourced local ingredients and supplies. MOND offers art residency programs to artists from the local area and across the globe, bringing together community and art and culture in southern Sri Lanka.
by:
Editing: Ash Pattison-Scott and Natalie Filkoski
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