PEEK THE PLAYBOOK

How a 3-Cabin Property Grew Revenue 113% in One Year

Immersive Escapes is a 3-cabin property on 7 acres in Hocking Hills, Ohio built by Nithin and Feras. The property serves couples looking for a private cabin stay near the trails, with hot tubs, fire pits, and outdoor areas that work all year round.

The previous owners grossed $101,800 in their final year, Nithin and Feras grossed $217,000 in their first.

Here's the deal:

•  3 cabins on one rural parcel•  Hocking Hills, Ohio•  Previous owner final-year gross: $101,800•  First full year under new operators: $217,000•  Revenue increase: 113%•  Average occupancy: 70–72%•  Financing stack: HELOC + first-position DSCR loan + seller-carried second•  4 lenders and 2 appraisals before closing•  $45,000 back at closing•  Next step: Profitable exit, refinance path, or larger commercial hospitality asset  

The Financing Had To Survive The Deal

Three structures on one piece of land, and a deal profile that most lenders would not touch. Nithin and Feras had to work through 4 lenders and 2 appraisals before the property closed.

The financing was layered. Nithin used a HELOC on his primary home for the down payment, then paired a first-position DSCR loan with seller financing in second position. The DSCR lender had first claim on the property, while the seller agreed to sit behind them and finance part of the purchase.

Because of how the debt was structured, they received $45,000 back at closing. They used it to pay off the HELOC and put the remaining cash into renovations.

Nithin would not recommend this structure if the numbers are weak, or the deal needs a perfect refinance to work. Getting $45,000 back at closing looks good on paper, but the property still had to carry three layers of debt after closing.

Why Hocking Hills

Hocking Hills, Ohio was not an obvious market. The most common reaction when Nithin told people where he bought was "Why Ohio?"

It's a fair question until you look at the numbers. Hocking Hills pulls more than 4 million visitors a year, Forbes ranked it a top 50 destination, and the revenue the area generates is visible in the comp data. Properties like Dunlap Hollows, and BoxHopboth operate out of this market. If you follow STR content on YouTube you have probably seen them.

Nithin and Feras spent months looking in Hocking Hills before they found the property. They tried multiple realtors, went off market for a couple of months, and almost gave up after running into stiff competition and limited inventory. The market kept pulling them back because the demand was real and the revenue data supported it.

The Growth Came From Practical Upgrades

The revenue growth came from upgrades tied directly to the guest experience. They built metal-roof-covered pergolas over the hot tubs so guests could use one of the property's strongest amenities when the weather turned. At Kanso, they installed a TV that lifts out of the kitchen island on a motorized mount because the floor plan had no clean wall placement.

They also hardlined propane from the main cabin tanks directly to the grills and gas fire pits. That removed the recurring problem of swapping small tanks between every guest stay and eliminated one more maintenance call.

Every upgrade solved a real problem: Guest comfort, space flow, or a maintenance task that was eating time between every stay.

They Sold The Experience

Their brand is doing the same work as the physical upgrades. Scroll through the Immersive Escapes Instagram, and almost every photo has people in it. Couples in the hot tub, couples at the fire pit, couples on the deck. The property is not being sold as a place to stay. It is being sold as an experience two people share together. The listing copy, the website, and the social content all point at the same guest.

Most STR photos show an empty room and ask the guest to imagine themselves in it. Nithin and Feras removed the imagination step. They showed the guest exactly who they would be if they booked.

That positioning narrows the audience and makes the booking decision easier for the right guest. Ask whether your own listing is selling a property or selling an experience.

This Renovation Mistake Bled Cash

They spent heavily on the renovation, hired a project manager, and assumed quality control was being handled. Over the next year, they kept finding cut corners that their handyman had to fix. They blew past the original budget and spent months paying to repair work that should have been done correctly the first time.

Hiring a project manager doesn't mean the work is being checked. You still have to verify it yourself.

Photo updates, milestone checks, punch lists, third-party walkthroughs, and payment gates tied to completed work are not admin details. They are how you stay on deadline and on budget.

The Partnership Was Part Of The Risk Plan

Nithin was working full-time as a nurse while battling early liver failure. He was driving 10 hours to Ohio after long shifts, packing and hauling a 20-foot U-Haul of furniture, setting up three cabins.

Then he went in for a liver transplant. A month in the hospital. Multiple readmissions for severe infections. While he was fighting to recover, Feras was on the ground keeping the properties running.

A solo operator in that situation would have lost the business. But Nithin and Feras had shared systems and shared responsibility. The partnership was the reason the property kept running when one partner physically could not be there.

What This Deal Actually Proves

Nithin and Feras are now looking at either a profitable exit or a refinance path. Longer term, they are underwriting larger hospitality assets: Hotels, motels, and boutique properties.

They went through 4 lenders, a blown renovation budget, and a medical crisis that tested whether the business could survive without one of them

•  Do not copy the financing structure unless the deal can survive the debt.•  Spend renovation money on what guests feel. Solve the actual problems.•  Build quality control into the renovation before money leaves your account.•  Choose a partner who can carry the business when you cannot.

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Build With Operators Before You Spend

By the way, Nithin is one of our rockstar Host Camp students.

If you're trying to build something like this, don't do it in a vacuum. Join the free Host Camp community and ask operators what they'd fix, buy, cut, or change before you spend the money.

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