Reviving Roadside Charm: Turning Lacklustre Motels into Must-Stay Destinations 326

How a Passion for Classic Motels Inspired a Modern Business Revolution

The Roadside Romance 

There’s a certain magic to Australia’s classic roadside motels—the flicker of neon signs at sunset and the promise of fresh sheets after a long drive. These humble motels continue to dot the highways from the coast to the outback, welcoming travellers with honest hospitality. Yet, as travel tastes evolve, many motels are finding themselves struggling to keep up.

A Business Idea Born on the Open Road

For two friends, one having spent a career in interior design, the other in global brand management, a lifelong love of travel sparked more than nostalgia - it ignited a vision. They saw untapped potential in Australia’s outdated motels, considering the aspects of modern hospitality many motel owners struggle with, and how to combine their own expertise to help breathe life into these classic iconic stays.

The idea was simple yet transformative: Combining clever interior design, strong brand and marketing presence and harnessing social media power to help motel owners reawaken their properties and improve financial performance.

 

Transforming Outdated Motels

Loading up on Character: Many motels suffer from looking the same as the motel across the street or in the next town. Getting lost in the noise of “sameness” is a genuine risk when it comes to attracting today’s discerning travellers. With hotel guests willing to pay a 30% premium for boutique ‘Lifestyle’ hotels, demand for personalised and immersive experiences is significantly on the rise. STUDIO Wayfarer creative director and co-founder Leah Fotofili, says “designing authentic, soulful interiors that celebrate design, culture, and the journey itself is one of our core tenets. Leah adds that “While the data is clear on the potential revenue benefits from room upgrades, it’s not just the very significant increases in rate penetration and occupancy, it’s about risk mitigation – if you don’t upgrade your property and activate your online presence you risk service degradation and losing ADR growth every year.”

Articulating a social media strategy: An Australian hotel, bar or restaurant is tagged on Instagram every 28 seconds with more travellers trusting recommendations and images from influencers and user generated content. Social media is an undeniably critical part of every successful motel’s business strategy. As part of STUDIO Wayfarer’s collaborative approach, the team can work with hoteliers to supercharge their social media with curated, high-value content and purpose driven campaigns to drive engagement. Tying together property and social media by creating Instagram-able ‘moments’ is the cornerstone to great user - generated social media.” says Kylie Macintosh, STUDIO Wayfarer’s brand director and co-founder. “Social media doesn’t just market motels - it shapes the entire traveller decision journey from inspiration, to booking, to advocacy - it all matters in the realm of social media and is a key driver that translates into bookings.”

Reducing the working capital friction: One of the most unique aspects to STUDIO Wayfarer is its funding model. “We understand traveller preference, and we also understand that vision and funding are two of the biggest impediments to upgrading a property, so we take a more accessible approach”, says Leah Fotofili. When it comes to the capital outlay associated with interior revamp and rebrand, STUDIO Wayfarer structures a revenue model that makes it easy on property owners – it doesn’t place a lot of burden on them with big upfront outlays but looks to make it work overtime. Kylie adds, “We have a targeted approach to who we partner with. It’s important we’re working to a shared vision in order to maximise a successful outcome.”

Ongoing Engagement

From Motel to Home: One of the key benefits of the STUDIO farer model is that it isn’t a one and done approach. Tied implicitly to the philosophy that keeping a property looking ‘just styled’ keeps travellers engaged means we refresh the look and feel regularly - we partner over time.” says Leah.

Additional Benefits

Collaborating with STUDIO Wayfarer gives properties the additional benefit of alignment with Wayfarer DECO, the brand's online store, where travellers can pick up all of the thoughtfully curated items they’ve enjoyed during their motel stay. Kylie adds that “the exciting part about Wayfarer DECO is that it creates a passive revenue stream for motel owners who share in the sales revenue from items sold online without having to manage the process.” When guests purchase from Wayfarer DECO we reward our motel partner. It’s another way we support our partners over time, ensuring we are always working together to grow and develop our relationship.”

As Kylie and Leah look ahead, they are excited to continue collaborating, and empowering motel owners who are eager to engage, transform and thrive. Leah concludes by saying “For a motel that utilises our model, the benefits are clear: professionally updating the motel’s style, capitalising on the power of social media, and strategically building the brand can mean significant increase in bookings and on average 20% increase in ADR if not more”. Kylie adds that “it’s not just about approaching this one property at a time, it’s about bringing a noticeable shift to the roadside motel space, and we’re excited for those motels that want to be part of the STUDIO Wayfarer journey.”

For more, go to www.studiowayfarer.com For a complementary consultation with STUDIO Wayfarer, complete the enquiry form and enter the code OPENROAD