It’s been five years since we opened our doors at JTH Tucson!
Before JTH Tucson was a thought, we started a home renovation in Joshua Tree, CA which is why we are now called ‘The Joshua Tree House’.
We’ll never forget how exciting it was to design and renovate that space ourselves and sharing it with our first guests made us realize we wanted to do this on a larger scale someday. We started to dream about one day opening an inn like Rich’s parents once had.
2018
We saw a listing for an abandoned inn for sale. It didn’t have many photos, so we weren’t sure about it, but it piqued our interest enough to ask a real estate agent to take a look at it for us. He sent us videos, and we loved it so much that we put in an offer before ever stepping foot on the property.
Our offer was accepted with a $3k difference to compensate for an extended escrow, and they asked for a signed copy of our book. It was a huge YES from us. We were simultaneously brimming with excitement and nervous about the amount of work ahead of us.
2019
After a year of renovations and financial struggles we were both excited and relieved to open our doors to guests on Sept.15th, 2019.
We’ll never forget sharing tears and hugs with some of our first guests who had followed along with our journey and struggles to open.
2020
It was a beautiful start, though six months after opening the COVID pandemic started. We had to cancel all of our reservations and close back up for a while. We weren’t sure if we would be able to make it through financially and experienced an intense low after the initial high of opening.
In the end, we were able to pull through with friends moving into the inn for a while and by using the space to style and do photography for brand photoshoots when hiring large crews was no longer possible. We also used the time to complete our hot springs style hot tub restoration while we were closed.
2021
When we reopened, it felt more fulfilling than ever to share this place with our guests as a place to reset and reconnect with nature. We’ll always remember how powerful it was that the inn ended up being a safe place for guests to travel again. It was finally able to serve the exact purpose we had intended for it all along.
2022
We got back to renovation projects and opened our Creosote suite and also completed our “cute shed” which has since been a favorite backdrop for wedding couples.
This was also the year that we welcomed our first daughter, Flora—a year we’ll never forget.
2023
As a new family of three, we took some time to slow down and enjoy the inn as we always hope our guests do… and we focused on making the experiences at the inn even more special with the help of our Tucson community.
Everything from chef meals, sound baths, reiki, astrology readings, picnics and yoga classes—the kinds of experiences that bring so much joy to life. We also opened our little souvenir shop!
2024
This year we added our bath house with a sauna, cold plunge, and outdoor shower, started growing our desert vegetable garden (can you believe we even have watermelons growing?!). We also had our first in house JTH creative retreat. We thought we’d be having a 5-year party on September 15th, but instead we are having our second baby!
What’s Next
Some of the most fulfilling moments of our lives have been out here in the desert designing and creating spaces to share with our guests. We are mind blown that it’s already been five years since we opened the inn, and are so grateful for everyone who has stayed with us since! We are so looking forward to the next five and enjoying the simple moments out in nature with you all.
