Inn Cahoots
An Innovative Take on Group Travel
Words by Sam Lauron Photos by Jerry Hayes & Urban Oak Photography
On the corner of East 6th and Attayac Streets, a new type of gathering place has quietly made its mark in Austin’s vibrant hospitality scene.
Kristen Carson, founder of Inn Cahoots, and her husband bought their first house in East Austin in 2011. Wanting their home to reflect the Eastside’s art community, Kristen brought in an artist to create a graffiti wall in their living room. Thanks to that design choice, their home was eventually discovered and rented out by MTV to be used for artist interviews during South by Southwest. It was this experience that introduced the couple to Airbnb and the world of short-term rentals.
Due to their home’s prime location on East 6th Street, it was being rented out nearly every weekend, often to large groups like bachelorette parties. After the city created restrictions on group travel that limited the number of people temporary rentals were allowed to host at one time to no more than ten, the idea for Inn Cahoots was born.
“We dreamed up a place that specializes in large group travel,” Kristin remembers.
Designed as a hybrid of a hotel and an Airbnb, Inn Cahoots has the space to accommodate large groups of people, whether that’s a bachelorette party, a corporate retreat, or a family reunion, all while maintaining a homey feel. The unique layout is comprised of five condo-style units that each have five bedrooms, a living room, and a kitchen space. The idea behind the layout was flexibility. Everything is completely modifiable, from the furniture set up to the unit combinations. Each unit is also separated by a divider that can be opened up, transforming the hotel into one spacious venue.
Initially, Inn Cahoots focused on hosting people in a boutique hotel type of setting. However, the amount of decked out living spaces naturally lended themselves to being the perfect setup for large parties. “Once we started opening up the walls that were supposed to separate the living rooms, it became a really big event space,” she recalls. “It really just created itself.”
Kristen and her mom worked together on the designs seen throughout the space, from the contemporary light fixtures to the playful,
music-themed bathrooms. Another nod to the Live Music Capital of the World is the wall made entirely of speakers that the two spent countless hours creating. They went to every Goodwill in Austin sifting through speakers, records, and electronics for the perfect sculpture wall. Kristen likens the installation process to a game of Tetris, with each piece being carefully placed to create one multi-dimensional work of art. “It took way too long,” she laughs. “But it’s probably what I’m most proud of.”
Ultimately, Kristen hopes to see Inn Cahoots become a destination for large group travel and hopefully help reduce the number of big groups that rent in quiet, local neighborhoods. “I would like to have this space take the [large] parties that shouldn’t be in neighborhoods,” she says, “and put them on 6th Street where it isn’t as disruptive to the community.”
Contact:
1221 E. 6th St.
inncahoots.com
@inncahoots
