LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A few buildings on Bardstown Road are being transformed by a local developer into a dozen Airbnbs and a bourbon bar.
Co-owner Sean Williams said the original buildings were built in the 1920s and added onto over the years. The maze of buildings are being remodeled for 12 luxury Airbnb units and a vintage bourbon bar tenant on the first floor. The hope is to open by the end of the year or early next year.
“Building and managing this is definitely going to be a challenge, because it's essentially a little bit of a boutique hotel," Williams said. "Everything has been completely redone from top to bottom, and it's really geared toward short-term stays."
The group Bungalou bought the properties from 1137 to 1143 Bardstown Road, which most recently housed a tattoo shop, retail store and several apartments. The new owners, up until this project, were flipping houses and decided to take a leap with a bigger development. The original plan was to renovate the apartments, but Williams said they changed their plans once the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
“We bought it two months before that pandemic, and that just punched us in the face,” Williams said. “And as we got into things with construction, the foundation and permitting with the city, everything has been an uphill challenge. We couldn't tear it down because of the historical district, but we're excited to bring it back to life.”
Instead of tearing it down, the team redid the foundation, squared up the walls and floors, and gutted every room. Each Airbnb will have secure private entrances, but the units can also be connected and rented together for larger groups.
“This is one of our premium units that we have,” Williams said inside a spacious one-bedroom apartment with a rooftop deck overlooking Bardstown Road. “It can be rented alone. Or if you have a party or event of 50-60 people, then you could all combine the units together.”
Williams said they decided to invest in luxury, unique finishes for each unit in order to stand out from the competition in the Highlands neighborhood. All 12 units will also have access to a shared outdoor courtyard that will have games, lounge areas and fire pits.
The smaller retail space on the front of the building will become a welcome center for Bungalou where guests can check in and buy local products unique to Louisville. The other two retail spaces are being combined for a tenant to create a vintage bourbon bar and tasting lounge.
There is still a lot of work to be done, but Williams said it will be worth it.
“The co-owners, we’re from the city of Louisville, born and raised here," he said. "Bardstown Road, historically, has been one of the busiest corridors around town, and I really felt like it kind of took a dip over the past few years. I love it around here. I really want to see the area come back to what it had been before. I know there are some other projects around, so we’re really excited about just revitalizing the area."
Airbnb rates have not been set yet. Williams said the target is to have the business up and running by the end of 2021 or early-2022. The pandemic is still impacting construction materials, labor, prices and furniture deliveries.
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