Today we’d like to introduce you to Peter Bahouth.
Hi Peter, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
22 years ago, I built a treehouse consisting of three spaces connected by hanging bridges built in the branches of seven trees – including a 200 years old Southern Short leaf Pine. About six years ago, I listed the space on airbnb, and within a couple of years, it had become the “most wish-listed” property of the 3 million listings on the site. The treehouse has been featured in magazines ranging from Architectural Digest to Harper’s Bazaar and on television including the Today show and Good Morning America. Summer Walker filmed her EP “Clear” in the treehouse and Raury’s video for “Cigarette Song” was filmed there as well.
I’m also a stereoscopic photographer.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
People have made reservations far in advance and have traveled from all over the country to stay at the treehouse and I always want their stay to be great. That means making sure that the treehouse is comfortable and relaxing and that I am a gracious and accommodating host to my guests.
In the end, I’m always trying to meet and exceed people’s expectations when they visit. I truly believe that the Treehouse offers a nice simple option in what is becoming a more and more difficult world. The Treehouse always gives people what they need.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I blundered into becoming a “minor hospitality mogul.” I went from traveling all over the world as an environmental advocate, visiting some of the most beautiful and devastated places on earth, to hardly leaving my driveway, acting as host to thousands of visitors to a treehouse. My transition from a globe-traveling environmental advocate who spent little time at home to someone who provided a home in the trees for people from all over the world changed me and became the foundation for what I’ve come to learn about being up in the trees, about being part of nature. The treehouse became a classroom where I learned the importance of sanctuary in our world, our neighborhoods, and in ourselves.
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
The guests that have stayed in the treehouse and written their stories in the treehouse logbooks have taught me the importance of sanctuary and our need to connect with the nature that exists all around us.
Contact Info:
- Email: pbahouth@gmail.com
- Website: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1415908
- Instagram: @pbahouth and @treehouseatl
- Other: https://youtu.be/_uFkPE8Vfnk (Summer Walker EP)
Image Credits:
2nd Image by Sarah Dorio 3rd Image by Alex Martinez
