
People are unsure if this viral Airbnb built into a mountain cave is a design masterpiece or a desecration of nature
There’s no doubt there are some extremely beautiful and exotic Airbnbs to stay in around the world – even if some cities have started to push back against the proliferation of such short-term rental spots.
One Airbnb offering has gone viral on Twitter/X lately that has some people questioning the propriety of the accommodation.
Designer Isaac French recently shared the story of his friends, Amy and Bryant, who built an Airbnb house in the cavern of a mountain in Ohio, in the US, creating “one of the world’s most profitable Airbnbs”.
My friends bought 34 acres of Ohio wilderness.
While hiking one day, they stumbled upon a dark, dripping cavern—and decided to pour their life savings into it.
Today, it’s one of the world’s most profitable airbnbs. The waitlist is years long.
Here’s the story… pic.twitter.com/GdX2TZMEmC
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
Here’s the full thread:
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Before the cave, they put it all on the line & took a huge risk…
Amy’s a stay-at-home mom (they have 3 kids).
Bryant’s an engineer by trade, but his 9-to-5 left him uninspired.
So they began searching for a slice of Hocking Hills, an hr outside Columbus, OH, where they live. pic.twitter.com/aOvpdgLmRH
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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Just 7 days later, they found it:
34 acres of rock formations, waterfalls, towering trees—and an old, shabby cottage.
They pitched friends and family and secured just enough money with just enough time to make the down payment.
A local bank loaned them the rest. pic.twitter.com/ErcSNHptuK
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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Bryant renovated the tiny 1920s cottage; Amy made it charming.
Four months later, it was ready to rent, and with that income they just barely covered the mortgage.
But with 3 young kids to feed, Bryant knew it was now or never.
This wasn’t just a project—this was their future. pic.twitter.com/XhaHCfxKrI
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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He pulled the plug on his job.
They’d always loved A-frames, and they spent hours scouring hundreds of designs online.
Amy’s eye for design and Bryant’s engineering know-how came together.
He drafted the plans, then grabbed his tool belt out and got to work. pic.twitter.com/Bqp8VXEH1t
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
The bank gave them another loan.
He did almost everything himself, at a fraction of the cost had he hired it out (I’ll share build costs in Monday’s newsletter).
8 mo later, they finished the 3-story masterpiece (that loft!!)
Dunlap Hollow A-Frame was a smashing success… pic.twitter.com/LP2o4zI09a
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
This revenue stream is entirely passive.
But we’re finally getting to the best part:
They had no idea there was a cave…
Dead trees and a pile of fill hid the entrance to it.
Then one day on a hike, they discovered it. Ideas immediately started flowing, but so did obstacles. pic.twitter.com/gLMDdy2tfS
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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You can imagine what the local building department thought…
Geologists and structural engineers had to sign off, which entailed some acrobatics.
Then came the toughest part: moisture.
Water seeped in from every direction. Trapping it was impossible.
The solution? pic.twitter.com/7oQ9tB49AE
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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Let it in—and figure out how to manage it.
After months of trial and error, they landed on 4 heavy-duty humidifiers, running 24/7, pulling 20 gallons of water *per day* out of the air to keep the space normal.
9 months later, the Gingerichs unveiled their masterpiece: pic.twitter.com/d87iP3Mxq9
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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A natural, luxury cave with decadent decor, modern amenities, and an otherworldly vibe.
Today, this place rents for $1,400/night.
It’s gone mega-viral multiple times on Instagram, amassing 405,000 followers and 100% direct bookings.
But here’s the biggest bragging right imho: pic.twitter.com/yE5lRhaCHw
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
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Just 1 vacant night in 2+ yrs since opening!!
This is the future of “luxury” hospitality: story-driven, experiential, one-of-a-kind.
And anyone (with a dream & a work ethic) can do this…
I’ll be sharing build costs & more insider details in Monday’s newsletter. pic.twitter.com/ygpHxToOpc
— Isaac French (@isaacfrench_) January 4, 2025
Certainly, some will see this and think, “gorgeous! Dream vacation spot!” Others, however, may take a very different view.
And that seems to be how it’s playing out online.
1.
The cave looks super cool. It’s amazing to think about having the idea to create this experience. The human mind has no limits.
— Matthias Smith, CEO – Pioneer Capital Advisory LLC (@SBA_Matthias) January 4, 2025
2.
I think these people should be banished to live underground in the caves for the rest of their natural lives until they die and become part of the environment they held so little respect for https://t.co/ngfC24e1YT
— Lurds (@Lurdia) January 5, 2025
3.
That’s an amazing story. We have similar ones here in Austria, where mountain lovers, sometimes even quite old people who worked in the mountain their whole life, invested into incredible cottages on like 2.000m and are fully booked basically forever. Good entrepreneurial spirit!
— Patrick Tomelitsch (@ptomelitsch) January 4, 2025
4.
Imagine hiking and seeing a cute little cave and thinking “fuck ya let’s fill this baby up with wayfair furniture and rent it out for several hundred dollars a night!” https://t.co/js0w0ZS0wi
— spinch is a knife (@spencereeves) January 5, 2025
5.
This is awesome, thanks for sharing. Just got back from the Hocking Hills, loved it there!
Would love to get this place next
— Hassan Hourani (@HassanHourani13) January 4, 2025
6.
Your friends are environmental terrorists. Fuck em https://t.co/9MtTTvayIs
— Mr. Fahrenheit (@Cooksey_Monster) January 5, 2025
7.
This has weird scam vibes. Purely because of the types of accounts that post about it. Also, I´m nearly certain that it´s in the same part of Appalachia at the end of RDR2 where the gang move into a cave while Dutch Van Der Linde has a psychotic episode https://t.co/81kCydNYVd
— The Blindboy Podcast (@bbboatclub) January 5, 2025
8.
Imagine writing a whole thread celebrating the destruction of some amazing wilderness in the name of more fucking transient rental property? https://t.co/cr2RV2Y6Ge
— Sleeve Rebenocker (@jeansdegrees) January 5, 2025
9.
They gentrified a goddamned cave. https://t.co/vVdOYkXenY
— Blaine (blainedub.bsky.social) (@danaturalleague) January 5, 2025
10.
https://t.co/hoqSFT7e5k pic.twitter.com/WO9O32rfwY
— Betsy (6’1) (@bellagothsgf) January 5, 2025
11.
Every new word I read of this tweet made me angrier than the word before it. https://t.co/6Dl1CpZxt6
— Sophie (@SocialistSauce) January 5, 2025
12.
Frank Lloyd WRONG. https://t.co/BLyv9HTiWW
— Based Buc-ee (@Natnl_Disgrace) January 5, 2025
This seemed to capture the vibe.
Thanks, I hate it! https://t.co/rtuEJIRjTp
— Beau Hayhoe (@BeauHayhoe) January 5, 2025
READ MORE
An Airbnb host created their own ‘cheeky’ ratings and split the internet
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