When Albert and Kayla Huizing first listed the basement of their Sioux Falls home on Airbnb, they fell in love with the hospitality of running it.
“I’ve always loved inviting people in,” said Kayla. “When I have friends over, I almost love getting ready to have friends over as much as having them over.”
SoDak Stays started in 2021 by managing fun local Airbnbs for the owners who either lived far away or wanted to delegate the day-to-day details to someone else. Most of these properties are in Sioux Falls.
“When we just started, we advertised our places on Airbnb, but we wanted our own website where people can book directly with us,” said Kayla.
While Kayla says she loves managing other people’s properties, she wanted to have one of her own.
Earlier this year, the Huizings purchased a home in Sioux Falls to run a short-term rental. Now they run around 15 properties, but that number is changing and growing.
Kayla showed the 605 team around two of her properties including The Ziggy, which she owns.
“We allow one night stays to six month stays.” – Kayla Huizing
The Ziggy
Located less than five minutes from downtown, The Ziggy sleeps eight with four bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms.
The mid-century modern space has an eclectic mix of décor from thrifting finds, to new buys, and pieces Kayla says she designed herself.
The velvety, blue sofa in the living room she found on Facebook Marketplace. In the main floor bedroom, the oversized curtains are courtesy of Kayla’s sister. She also replaced all of the outdated light fixtures with more fun pieces.
“We need to theme each property or name it, so each one is its own unicorn and has its own personality and story,” said Kayla.
Groovy Names
Kayla says she and Albert named The Ziggy by browsing through popular 1970s baby names.
They felt that “Ziggy” was the perfect fit.
She adds that the design of The Ziggy was inspired by her and her husband’s babymoon trip to Phoenix, AZ.
There, they stayed at a boutique hotel called Rise Uptown Hotel. The staff there personalized their experience with non-alcoholic beverages for the occasion, and Kayla says she was captivated by the designs
Fact
On each property, the wooden nameplates are made by Boscaljon Design Co.
“It was the coolest,” explained Kayla. “They had fun wallpaper. Instead of a regular check-in desk, it was a popsicle stand. They had a record player in the room. I just want to make quirky things [like that] that people remember.”
Throughout The Ziggy, Kayla wanted to feature bright wallpaper to enhance each stay with color just like at the hotel.
The Tree House
When SoDak Stays joined the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce, the ribbon cutting ceremony took place at The Tree House property.
This property sleeps 12 across four bedrooms and one and a half bathrooms. Kayla says this is ideal for families with children with the playset in the backyard, hammocks, a doodle room for drawing on walls, and a bunking room for sleepovers.
“(The Tree House) is one of the first houses to be built in this neighborhood. It used to be a farmhouse.” – Kayla Huizing
“When people travel, they want to experience something they don’t get to experience at home,” said Kayla.
One of the features of this home is the two-story solarium that allows guests to enjoy natural light throughout the day and fall asleep beneath the night sky. This room also features a kids’ play area and hang out space with a projector. There’s even a hammock to relax in.
The master bedroom is lovingly called the “Rainbow Room” due to a handful of bright, colorful murals on the walls.
Out in the backyard alongside the playset is a firepit and a six-person hot tub.
Above this house is a mother-in-law suite which can be rented out separately. The space has a double bed, kitchenette, bathroom, and a hammock swing.
“I wanted people who have stayed at one of our properties to desire staying at another one and have a whole new experience,” said Kayla.
