Inn at Long Trail
The Inn at Long Trail is a 22-room hotel on Route 4 at the pass between Killington and Pico, acquired and repositioned alongside 14 new HUTS cabins built out over two phases. The existing inn carries revenue from day one while the cabins are added — first seven to prove the concept, then seven more once it does. Together they turn a working roadside inn into a year-round basecamp for skiers, Long Trail hikers, and Vermont weekenders.
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Process
- Existing Hotel + 14 New Cabins
- Total Cost
- $5,325,500
- Value Created
- $3,231,043 after Year 5
- Monthly Revenue
- $35,196
Timeline
This is for someone who wants a business as much as a place to escape to — an owner who likes the idea of a pub full of skiers in February and an empty trail at seven in the morning. The inn is already operating, so the learning curve is real but forgiving, and the cabins are added on your terms, one phase at a time.
The Location
The property sits on Route 4 at the pass between Killington and Pico — the two mountains are minutes in either direction, and the Appalachian and Long Trail cross the road out front. Cliffs rise directly behind the buildings; Rutland and its airport are twenty minutes west. It is a rare piece of Vermont that draws people in every season: skiers and riders from November through April, thru-hikers and leaf-peepers the rest of the year.
Existing Inn
A 22-room inn with a pub, dining room, commercial kitchen, and generous parking, all on private water and septic with room to expand. The buildings are sound — this is a refresh, not a rescue — and the business trades through the transition, which is what makes the rest of the plan financeable. The land behind and east of the inn is where the cabins go.
Existing Interiors
The interiors have decades of character in them: knotty pine, low ceilings, a hearth people actually sit around. Our instinct is to edit rather than gut — lighten the finishes, rework the guest rooms and baths, open the pub to the view, and let the building keep being what it has always been. Every dollar spent here is aimed at rate and occupancy in the first two seasons.
Acquisition
$1,900,000 sales price for the inn, the business, and the land. Cash required to close is $2,070,500, covering purchase, diligence, and design and documentation; land carries 35.7% of total project cost against our usual 20% target, which is what buying an operating business rather than a raw lot costs you. In exchange, revenue starts on day one instead of two years out.
Site Planning & Land Improvement
Phase 1 builds seven cabins and everything underneath them — septic, water, power, drives, and a trail network tying the units back to the inn. Two seasons of real bookings tell us what the market will pay before another dollar goes in the ground.
The Unit
A 500-square-foot cabin: one bedroom, one bath, full kitchen and living area, with lofts in some units that sleep four to six comfortably. Simple gable forms in standing-seam metal and cedar, sited so no cabin looks into another and every deck faces the ridgeline.
Interiors
Warm and durable — plywood and pine, built-in millwork instead of loose furniture, a wood stove, deep windows, and a bath that feels better than the one at home. Everything is specified to be cleaned in a two-hour turnover and to still look right in ten years.
Systems / Exterior
A tight, well-insulated envelope with a modern exterior and boring, reliable guts: mini-split heating and cooling, heat-recovery ventilation, heat-pump water heaters, shared septic and metered service to each pad. High performance where it saves operating cost, simple everywhere else.
Concept Proven = Phase 2
With the model proven, Phase 2 doubles it: seven more cabins on the east side of the property, drawing on infrastructure already in the ground. A $1,428,975 construction loan at 80% loan-to-cost funds the build, serviced by the inn and the first seven units.
HUTS Standard
1 bed 1 bath unit with full kitchen and living area. Some units to have a loft which would allow for 4–6 to sleep comfortably in those units. 500 total SF.
Experience
You arrive off Route 4, park once, and walk in. The cabins step up the slope behind the inn with the cliffs above and Pico across the valley — dinner and a pint at the pub, then a short walk uphill in the dark to your own porch. In the morning the trail starts at the door.
Fourteen cabins and a full inn at one of the best crossroads in Vermont: $790,650 of gross rental income a year, $561,362 net, and $35,196 of cash flow a month once stabilized. Property value reaches $7,251,259 by Year 5 — $3,231,043 of value created — and $8.41M by Year 10, with a place you actually want to spend your own winters.
Development Opportunity FAQs
How do I start?+
Fill out the form at the bottom or email us at hello@huts.com. We'll set you up with the HUTS buyer's agent who helps source and outline these development opportunities. You can schedule a time to walk the property for a comprehensive understanding of the land and the proposed development. Our team supports you from closing through the finished home and beyond.
How will I finance this project?+
Financing typically combines cash upfront with a construction-to-permanent mortgage. HUTS has preferred relationships with local banks in the areas we work. Upfront cash covers the property, design and documentation, and ideally initial groundwork; banks generally require 20–30% of total cost as cash or appraised land value. The remainder is covered by a construction loan that converts to a 30-year fixed mortgage after the certificate of occupancy — one set of closing costs and lower carrying costs during construction.
Does HUTS offer financing?+
HUTS does not provide financing as we are not a financial institution. However, we have extensive experience navigating financing structures for developments and work closely with financing partners who understand our business model and have a successful history with our clients.
Who will build this development?+
We source a build partner from our contractor network, which is particularly deep in the Catskills, Hudson Valley and Berkshires. We consider bandwidth, execution quality, timing, scope and temperamental fit when matching clients with a contractor. Building is a team sport, and the client–contractor relationship is critical to a project's success.
Does HUTS do Design-Build or Design-Bid-Build?+
We take a hybrid approach that merges the best of both. By selecting a contractor early and engaging in a preconstruction contract, we arrive at a final construction cost collaboratively. Because our houses are repeated products, we know where pricing should land and the levers for value engineering — getting to a financeable, build-ready project with both design-build efficiency and free-market competitive pressure.
Where do the rental figures come from?+
Our rental estimates blend AirDNA data with local comparables. We set prices supported by the market while avoiding a race to the bottom. Our design and placemaking strategy supports rates slightly above the AirDNA median, and we maintain a conservative stance on occupancy.
Will HUTS support me on the rental side?+
We're working toward better supporting clients on the rental side. With over 20,000 inquiries for HUTS services, we've tailored our standards and development opportunities to the needs of our clients and the market, and efforts are underway to help more people experience staying in a HUTS property.
How accurate are the construction numbers?+
Our figures are estimates grounded in real numbers from current HUTS projects. With over forty active projects in the Hudson Valley, we have a clear understanding of construction costs. Groundwork expenses vary by lot based on house location, land grade, forest clearing and more, so we assess each lot individually.
Why the phased approach to development?+
We're happy to do as much or as little at once as clients have an appetite for. Phasing lets us set a clear, feasible financial strategy — thinking about what can be done upfront in cash on hand versus what happens behind a construction loan — and lets people live with their property over time.
Can I see other HUTS houses?+
HUTS projects are private property, but if you reach out to hello@huts.com we can set you up with a driving tour to see built and in-construction HUTS projects.