It isn’t easy to ignore the impact of private accommodation on hospitality over the past two years, alternative accommodation has soared, with traditional hotels (both international brands and boutique) finding themselves on the back foot.

But with that come new traveller demands and expectations of what a space needs to have, to appeal to consumers – and it isn’t just free Wi-Fi and a decent (free) mini-bar. Instead, some have gone the opposite route, asking for less rather than more, and finding value in a slightly different way.

Founded in Singapore, during the first quarter of 2017 – the year the UN World Tourism Organisation labelled as the “international year of sustainability tourism for development” – Big Tiny is a startup that taps into a growing demand for eco-friendly and socially conscious travel experiences.

Big Tiny specialises in what could be explained as a cross between a caravan holiday and an Airbnb experience. Coining the term, “the Big Tiny experience”, the alternative accommodation startup wanted to couple the international trend of “tiny houses” (advocating living in compact, but spatially efficient homes) with eco-tourism.

The spatially efficient interior of a Big Tiny home

The idea, created by three Singaporean entrepreneurs, is to provide an escape from “digitally-laden” lifestyles to a rural, disconnected setting, without compromising on the quality or the novelty of the accommodation experience. It comes at a interesting time, as it was recently revealed that unique accommodation experiences are trumping traditional hotels, according to Booking.com’s Guest Review Awards data.

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