The EL

Strategy

The El is an ambitious micro-hospitality destination we designed in Davis, West Virginia, that’s set up to house 15 standalone units sown across the plot. It’s all situated on an 11-acre lot that’s windswept and open but has stunning views of the ridgelines in the distance. The location provides four-season amenities and experiences, making it the perfect backdrop for the project.

For us, The El was as much about landscape design and masterplanning as it was about helping our client navigate construction phasing, financing, future planning, and guest experience. We started planning this property so that it would primarily function as a high-performing, cash-flowing asset, and then we designed everything else around that model.

Master Plan

The first phase of construction will include a community center that can promote guest socialization, along with five units that are placed to allow for individual bookings or group bookings. The second phase will add four units in two duos, separated by man-made, planted berms that provide privacy. These will be made from the soil that’s excavated for foundation work during construction. The final phase will include five additional units, each separated by those same berms for a sense of seclusion.

Interiors & Finishes

The El runs on one building, repeated well. Every unit is based on our Small Bar standard, which keeps design, permitting, and construction predictable across all three phases.

The Small Bar is a one-bedroom, one-bath cabin at 512 sf. It works for a couple's weekend, a solo reset, or as one piece of a larger group booking. Because the plan stays the same, the differences come from placement: which view each unit frames, and who it sits next to.

Couples get private stays at the edges. Small families book a pair. Bigger groups take a cluster. The architecture stays constant; the site plan creates the variety.