- A couple built a 40-foot-tall Airbnb inspired by the US Forest Service’s fire-lookout towers.
- Located in remote Oregon, the 388-square-foot rental sleeps four and has a full kitchen.
- The property accepts 65 reservations a season, and there are 1,600+ names on the waitlist.
Drive along a one-lane gravel road deep in Oregon’s Umpqua National Forest, and you’ll find Summit Prairie, a secluded 40-foot fire-lookout tower with three beds, a pee pot, and limited cell service. Over 1,600 people are on the waitlist to spend the night there.
Dabney Tompkins and Alan Colley built the tower in 2009 as a reprieve from city life in Portland. “Some people want to have a ski condo. Some people want a beach cottage for a second home. But we said, ‘Let’s do a fire lookout.'” Tompkins told Business Insider.
Years later, the couple started renting Summit Prairie on Airbnb, staying nearby on the 160-acre property so they could serve as high-touch hosts. Now, they have a list of regulars and more demand than the property can accommodate.
