Accommodation

Immerse yourself in luxury with these suites in the Fleurieu Peninsula

A new premium accommodation offering is coming soon to the Fleurieu Peninsula in the form of two luxury standalone suites.

All images: ESCA

A new premium accommodation offering has landed in the Fleurieu Peninsula in the form of two luxury standalone suites.

‘ESCA Inman Valley’ is the first installment of the distinctive new ESCA accommodation brand, led by a team of Adelaide trailblazers in the tourism, architecture and construction industries.

At the helm is Chief Executive Officer Kernaghan, who brings a wealth of travel experience to the table.

He has had previously held senior marketing and strategy roles with Tourism Australia, Qantas, the South Australia Tourism Commission, Journey Beyond and Great Southern Rail.

Kernaghan has joined forces with a strong team previously known as Escapod, which was founded in 2018.

The team includes a collection of complementary expertise in areas of design, building, and corporate governance: Ryan Brown of innovative construction consultancy MDLR; husband and wife duo Dino Vrynios and Sara Horstmann of flourishing architecture, interior design and landscape architecture firm Das Studio; strategy guru Nick McArdle with expertise in business improvement, innovation and transactions; and chairman Mark Balnaves, who brings a wealth of experience in major property and infrastructure projects around Australia.

The Escapod concept stemmed from an aspiration to activate underutilised land for tourism and was originally based on selling high-end modular buildings to landowners for tourism use. The new model sees ESCA remain the owner operator of the suites, with landowners leasing a section of their property to host an ESCA suite.

Rather than developing large-scale accommodation, ESCA will deliver completely private, individual suites which can be placed in secluded regional locations, allowing guests to experience a high-end hotel quality stay surrounded by nature without venturing far from the city.

According to Kernaghan, what sets ESCA apart from its competitors is meticulous site selection and a dedication to high-end architectural design that embodies Australian luxury.

“These aren’t pods in paddocks – you can’t just press these off an assembly line,” says Kernaghan.

“This is high-quality design and architecture in a place you’d never expect to find out. We’ve gone beyond the pod.”

When it comes to environmental credentials, the suites stack up.

“Our buildings are highly insulated, with incredible thermal performance,” Brown says.

“Where possible, we use off grid power, water and sewer.

“Using a controlled offsite building environment also minimises environmental impact and building material wastage.”

The controlled environment also contributes greatly to the quality of the build, because the construction process is sheltered from the harsh Australian weather.

Regarding the suites’ design, Vrynios affirms that quality is paramount.

“Off-grid and environmentally friendly doesn’t need to compromise the experience,” he says.

“Our buildings are designed and delivered to a higher specification than traditional construction. You can touch and feel the difference.”

Horstmann said the space is carefully curated with a series of “wow moments”.

“From the second they walk in, every interaction with the building is considered,” she says.

As for location, the team chose SA as its pilot destination not only for its home court advantage, but its diversity of experiences.

The ambitious start-up has already identified several additional sites for development in 2022 and is seeking further co-investors and site partners to enable it to scale.

ESCA is now taking bookings for the two suites at Inman Valley, which are designed for couples.

You can make bookings here.

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