INDIAN SHORES, Fla. — A local inn on Indian Shores Beach was recently featured on one of HGTV’s popular shows.
Husband-wife duo Brian and Mika Kleinschmidt build custom, move-in-ready homes in Tampa in only 100 days. During a two-episode special called “100 Day Dream Home: Beachfront Hotel,” the couple renovated a 75-year-old hotel on Indian Shores Beach.
The special featured the Sunburst Inn and aired in May, leading up to the season premiere.
Andi Bennett and her husband, Pete, have owned the Sunburst Inn for the past seven years.
“We got the Sunburst Inn about seven years ago, and honestly, our plan when we got it was not necessarily to be hotel owners, but our plan was to knock it down and put up townhouses,” said Andi Bennett. “We just really fell in love with it. We fell in love with the community, so we started just caring more and more about it.”
Bennett knew the hotel needed an update, but she still wanted to keep its charm.
The property now has 12 updated rooms, an updated outdoor patio, and a lobby.
“Since the airing of the show, we’ve pretty much been at 100% occupancy. That’s been pretty amazing,” said Bennett.
Bennett said small businesses nearby also benefited from the nationwide attention.
“We’ve got a coffee shop right across the street. We’ve got a lot of mom-and-pop restaurants and the shops all around us,” she said.
Rich Killian lives in South Tampa and is enjoying the inn for the July Fourth holiday.
“This is a beautiful property, only 40 minutes from South Tampa. It has everything you’d ever want in a vacation spot,” said Killian. “We don’t want to spread the word too much because we want to steal it for ourselves. They did a great job."
More than 18.1 million viewers watched the couple build custom homes last season.
The episodes featuring the Sunburst Inn aired on May 12 and May 26.
For more information on "100 Day Dream Home," visit here.
