Digital 52 1️⃣8️⃣ - Coliving, Hostel, Coworking, positively impacting a third-tier city on the coastline of Spain: the story of Sun and Co.
Learn how a hostel in a beautiful coastal town in Spain became an amazing coliving and coworking community
[Coliving - Made with People - Remote and Rural Spaces ]
Read the full story of Sun and Co. on page 182 of “Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces”
Today's story is a unique one, taking you on a journey from hostel to coliving, and then on to pop-up coliving experiences, all with a touch of coworking thrown in. As you read on, you'll be transported to Javea, a beautiful coastal town near Valencia, home to an incredible coliving community known as Sun and Co. Although it may seem effortless from the outside, the truth is that the Sun and Co. team has worked tirelessly over the past few years to create a supportive and caring community of nomads who not only care for each other but also for the environment around them. Discover how it all came together as you delve into the story of Sun and Co. Welcome to Javea, and welcome to Sun and Co.
➡️ A little refresher
Who’s behind the featured space?
Meet Edu and Jon, the co/founders of Sun and Co.
When asked how they met, Jon told us:
“This house was refurbished in 2013, by that time Edu was by himself and created a hostel. The hostel was doing really well in the summer but not that great in the winter. He saw an opportunity to use this house in the lower season. I met him in the Spanish Coworking Conference in Valencia* and when he told me about his idea I really liked it and decided to join forces to make it happen.”
*The Spanish Coworking Conference is returning this year! If you are interested in joining the event (which is both in Spanish and English), book your ticket here and use the code CWSC_Loves_Coworkies at checkout for a 40 euros discount on your ticket!
➡️ Key Figures
- Opening year: October 2015
- Number of spaces operated: 1
➡️ A little tour around Sun and Co.
➡️ Behind-the-scenes
Things you didn't read in aw250cs
“We spent our first year listening to what members were saying and we tested things with them. We improved the internet, we added screens. Each and every one of our members allowed us to improve on the go, and bring Sun and Co. where it is today.”
The advice I always give to people is to make sure to take yourself as a person out of the equation when creating a business model.
Jon Hormaetxe Castells - General Manager and Co/Founder at Sun and Co.
➡️ Sun and Co. Today
In December 2022, I reconnected with Jon online to discuss the recent developments at Sun and Co. Reflecting on our conversation, I realized this wasn't the first time we had engaged in this type of reflection. In December 2020, we launched a mini-series of live videos on our Instagram account called “Reflecting on 2020,” in which Jon participated. At the time, the Covid-19 pandemic was still heavily impacting our lives, and everything felt uncertain. However, looking back now, it's clear that the pandemic ultimately served as a testament to the hard work and dedication that Sun and Co. had put into creating a supportive community for its members. It also reinforced the idea that the scale of positive impact is not solely determined by the size of a physical space, but rather by the strength and vitality of the community built around a brand and its values. Keep reading to learn more.“
💫 Growth and Experimentation
At Sun and Co., growth has taken on a unique form. Instead of expanding with another permanent coliving space (just yet), the company has focused on growing its community by launching a coworking space in Javea. This space allows members of the coliving community and locals to come together to work and connect with one another. How did this development come about? Continue reading to find out more.
The name Sun and Co. holds a deeper significance for the team behind it. As you'll learn, the .co in their name represents the collaborative and community-driven approach they take to their business. One way they've put this into practice is by launching their first pop-up coliving experience. Want to know more about this exciting development? Keep reading to hear from Jon, about the details and inspiration behind this new venture.
💬 I’d like to start by asking you: what’s new at Sun and Co. since the last time we spoke?
I think we already discussed the book in a previous interview, but there were a few new developments. First, I wanted to mention that we have been able to return to a more normal status in September, with a full house and regular bookings. We also hired two more team members. I personally stepped back from community events and activities after the COVID situation and delegated the hosting responsibilities to the rest of the team. This has been beneficial as it has allowed for sustainable growth for the business.
Recently, we focused on the “pop-up experience” for tenants, which was a huge success in April and May. The team also expanded to two locations, which was a cool and rewarding experience. Our goal for this year is to create meaningful spaces for digital nomads to connect. We are also expanding in the town where we are based by offering a coworking space with more privacy options for guests who want to stay longer or have their own apartment but still have access to the community. This has been working well and we had a full house in the coworking space in November. With the “community pass,” guests have access to the coworking space and community events beyond the walls of Sun and Co.
💬 Sun and Co. has a very interesting business model, as the space changes with the seasons. Was this something you implemented right from the start or did you develop it with time?
Before Sun and Co being what it is today, it was ‘just’ a youth hostel. The building was originally the grandparents' house of one of the co-founders, Eduardo. As an architect, he decided to renovate the building and open a hostel because there were none in the town of Javier, which is a popular summer destination. However, he realized that the hostel only did well during the summer season and struggled during the winter.
This led to the creation of Sun and Co, which was a coliving space to attract people during the low season. As time went on, the coliving space became more popular and expanded into the summer months as well. Currently, Sun and Co. operates as a coliving space for 10 months of the year, and as a hostel during July and August. It's like having two different businesses in one house, one being replaced by the other.
💬 You have 2 spaces in one (hotel a few months of the year, coliving for the rest), what does it mean in terms of Operations and how do you guys handle it all?
The changes include some of the furniture and staff, as well as the capacity.
We can accommodate 16 to 18 people in the coliving space and 48 people in the hostel.
If I were to start again, I would have made the layout more flexible since the bedrooms were designed for the hostel, with comfortable beds and mattresses but not necessarily for long-term living. We have tried to make changes to make our coliving guests feel comfortable, but some things are difficult to change because they are too big or heavy. For example, the entrance and common areas have different uses depending on the season, such as a reception area in the summer and a community living room in the low season. People tend to spend more time inside and participate in community events and activities in the low season, while in the summer, guests tend to be out and about or at the beach.
💬 You guys have built such an incredible community over the years, you even said in the book that 99.5% of people don’t come to Javea, but they come to Sun and Co. What has been your “secret” to building such a strong sense of community?
I think the key to our success from the beginning has been our attention to detail and the level of care we provide. We were passionate about the project and wanted to create a place where people felt at home, where people cared about each other, and where people felt comfortable and open to being vulnerable. We have always focused on making sure that people feel loved and cared for. By paying attention to these small details and showing that we care, people have reciprocated by caring for each other and for the space. Our motto is that the community is built when you give without expecting anything in return.
We have always tried to create opportunities for people to contribute and be a part of the community. We encourage members to lead activities and organize events, which creates a sense of care and belonging among the members. This creates a positive cycle of people wanting to contribute and create a sense of community. We have been successful in creating a sense of community and we have been open to letting people be a part of the creation of that community. As I told a friend of mine, if you want someone to be a part of something, you need to let them create it with you because if they are not a part of the creation, they will not feel invested in it.
💬 In the book, you talked about pop-up Sun and Co. experiences being your next focus. Where are you at with this?
When I first met Eduardo, he introduced me to the name Sun and Co. and his idea behind it was to potentially open other coliving spaces with different names, such as Desert and Co. or Mountain and Co. Eduardo is particularly fond of mountains.
However, over time, the idea expanded and in 2022, we opened our first public location, which was a pop-up experience in a different location. For 2023, we plan to return to the same location for one and a half months and are considering a second destination, either in the south of Spain or Croatia as one of our team members Eva is from Croatia.
The idea is not to scale quickly but to find suitable locations that we like and create processes for it to happen year after year. We have a good relationship with the owners of the house in our first location and this makes it easy to grow while maintaining quality.
➡️ Reflections on building Sun and Co.
💬 What has been your biggest learning out of bringing to life AND growing Sun and Co.?
The biggest realization for me in terms of growth is that we can replicate the experience we've created in Javea, wherever we want.
The experience we've built over the years is not just about the house or location, it's something we can replicate anywhere. The pop-up experience in Basque County reinforced this realization, as the feedback we received showed that we can replicate our success in other locations.
💬 What would be your best advice to someone thinking about opening a coliving space?
The advice I always give to people is to make sure to take yourself as a person out of the equation when creating a business model.
Coliving can be a very appealing and lifestyle-oriented business, but it's important to remember that it's also a demanding job. When creating your numbers, make sure that the business can run without you being there 24/7. This is a hospitality business, and you need to be available 24/7. Unlike coworking, where there may be more flexibility in terms of working hours, this type of business requires constant availability.
💬 If you could chat with coliving operators now, what would you like to ask them?
💬 And if you could chat with coliving members?
What is coliving for you?
💬 Last but not least, what’s your biggest dream for Sun and Co.?
The plan for next year is to change the brand slightly. San Uncle has always been associated with one house or coliving spaces in Javier. However, as we are expanding with the community experience, offering options such as renting your own apartment or participating in pop-up experiences in different locations, we need to rebrand to better reflect this evolution.
Our focus will still be on consolidating our pop-up experience in Basque County and potentially exploring other locations. Our ultimate goal is to have a large coworking space in Javier where coliving guests, apartment renters, and local people can coexist, meet, and connect. We want to have a bigger impact on the community of Javier and the lives of both local and international remote workers.
Thanks for reading until the end! Join us on Discord to meet fellow readers and coworking lovers.
Before you go, don’t forget to book your ticket to our monthly online event, happening next week, on January 31st. This month, we’ll be exploring how the metaverse, web3, DAOs, NFTs, AI, Blockchain, and Cryptos are impacting coworking spaces. Come learn with us!
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