As a designer, Airbnb host and serial entrepreneur turned “cereal entrepreneur,” Texas native Trey Dillon typically likes to think outside of the box. However, when it came to his latest idea for a new bed-and-breakfast in Tyler, he decided to think inside the box — literally.
“Bed and breakfasts, as an industry, I think we’ve lost sight of the ‘breakfast’ part of it,” the 35-year-old told the Express-News. “We’ve been distracted by the ‘bed’ portion of the product and underestimated the ‘breakfast’ element of the experience.”
That philosophy inspired his winning entry for Airbnb’s global OMG! Category contest: two giant cereal boxes, dubbed Cereal BNB.
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When it came to his latest idea for a new bed-and-breakfast in Tyler, Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon decided to think inside the box — literally.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
“What’s a better breakfast than cereal? It’s iconic. It’s a midnight snack. It got a lot of us through college and high school. Regardless of who you are, everyone’s got a favorite cereal. There’s an endearment for it.”
As part of its contest, Airbnb awarded money from its $10M OMG! Fund to help design and build creative locations for folks to rent out. The winning entries were given $100,000.
From the idea’s conception to its construction and completion, Dillon said the entire process to serve up his cereal-inspired inn took around four years.
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He began the design process by mocking up potential layouts with — what else? — cereal boxes.
“I started just by buying them and cutting them up,” he said. A cereal box, however, is a “terrible floor plan” for a building, he added through laughter. “It’s shotgun-style, really tall and narrow. It was quite the challenge.”
Ultimately, he ended up placing “two cereal box structures” against one another to create enough room for a singular great-room, while maintaining high ceilings to give the building a “cereal box” feel. He completed the initial portion of the project by using 3-D software, then sent the files and sketches to DJS Architects to render the blueprints for builders.
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“They helped make sure everything was to code, and created something the builders could follow.”
Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon said one of his favorite features at his cereal-inspired Airbnb is the milk carton-shaped sauna.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
The Cereal BNB features a custom eight-foot cereal bowl “hammock” for lounging.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
As part of its contest, Airbnb awarded money from its $10M OMG! Fund to help design and build creative locations for folks to rent out. Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon’s Cereal BNB in Tyler was among the winners.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
As part of its contest, Airbnb awarded money from its $10M OMG! Fund to help design and build creative locations for folks to rent out. Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon’s Cereal BNB in Tyler was among the winners.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
When it came to his latest idea for a new bed-and-breakfast in Tyler, Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon decided to think inside the box — literally.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
As part of its contest, Airbnb awarded money from its $10M OMG! Fund to help design and build creative locations for folks to rent out. Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon’s Cereal BNB in Tyler was among the winners.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
When it came to his latest idea for a new bed-and-breakfast in Tyler, Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon decided to think inside the box — literally.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon said his unique Airbnb was inspired by cereal. Pictured here is a custom eight-foot cereal bowl “hammock” for lounging.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
He also hired a team of muralists, including Houston-based Shelbi Nicole, to paint the final colorful designs on the structure. Additionally, Dillon enlisted the aid of his personal friend group to help with the grunt-work, like installing staircases, laying tile and installing light fixtures.
“I couldn’t have done it without the support of my community,” he said.
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For Dillon, the years of work were more than worth it, calling it the culmination of his life’s greatest passions.
Some of his favorite features are touches he designed and added himself, such as the “milk spill” patio, the eight-foot cereal bowl hammock, a milk-carton sauna that says “don’t cry over spilled milk,” the “nutrition facts” mural detail on the side of the building and more.
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“This really was a perfect package project for me,” he said. “I’m an Airbnb host, I like building, I’ve played around with architecture and 3D design — and this kind of became a playground where I could apply so many of my passions.”
Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon said his Cereal BNB is a two-story cereal box Airbnb featuring “tasty one-of-a-kind designs.”
Courtesy of Trey Dillon
Texas entrepreneur Trey Dillon said the entire process to serve up his cereal-inspired inn took around four years.
Courtesy of Trey Dillon