Chapter 1: Welcome and Introductions
Today’s Airbnb guests want more than just a place to stay—they’re looking for a unique and memorable experience. This shift has led to the rise of “shoppable stays,” where guests can purchase items they see and love in the property, turning a simple visit into an extended, interactive experience while creating additional income for hosts.
In this chapter, Cynthia Tant introduces Nisha Franklin, co-founder of From Where, a platform that helps hosts and designers monetize their spaces by making them shoppable. With over 200 storefronts already supported, it highlights a growing trend: transforming Airbnb properties into experience-driven, passive income machines.
Chapter 2: What From Where Does
The idea for From Where came from personal travel experiences, where the founders often noticed unique furniture and décor in short-term rentals and wondered how to purchase them. After validating that many guests had the same curiosity, they launched the platform, initially focusing on short-term rentals and later expanding to boutique hotels and interior designers.
The platform allows hosts and designers to monetize their spaces by turning them into shoppable experiences. It handles most of the setup, requiring minimal input, and provides a custom storefront with a link and QR code that guests can use to explore and purchase items from the space.
Chapter 3: How Shoppable Stays Work
Shoppable stays work by listing individual items from a property—like bedding, a mattress, artwork, or even a coffee maker—on a digital storefront. If a guest notices something they like during their stay, they can access the storefront by scanning a QR code or through a link shared by the host.
On From Where, these items are displayed for purchase. The platform partners with affiliate, trade, and wholesale providers, and hosts earn a share of the commissions when guests buy products from their space.
Chapter 4: Origin and Founder Backgrounds
The idea behind From Where started a little over a year ago, with an initial research phase to figure out how the concept would work before officially launching. The platform has now been actively running for about a year.
Nisha Franklin comes from a background in marketing, advertising, and branding across multiple industries, while her co-founder and husband, David, has an entrepreneurial background. Together, they combine their strengths—Nisha focusing on creative, design, and marketing, and David bringing an operational and business-driven approach.
Chapter 5: What Makes It Different
From Where is different because it was built specifically for turning spaces into shoppable experiences, rather than being a general affiliate or storefront platform. As a result, its storefronts are designed differently and are easier for guests to navigate.
In addition to storefronts, it also offers memberships for interior designers and boutique hotels, directory listings, and helpful guides. While other platforms may focus on things like group purchasing or starting a short-term rental, the focus here is on creating and supporting shoppable storefronts across short-term rentals, boutique hotels, and design spaces.
Chapter 6: Shoppable Stay Explained
A “shoppable stay” is about enhancing the guest experience. Today, guests are not just looking for a place to stay—they want something unique and memorable. By using From Where, hosts can add another layer to that experience.
It allows guests to take a part of their stay home with them, making the experience last beyond the visit while also giving hosts something extra to offer.
Chapter 8: Host Adoption and Easy Setup
Hosts have generally responded very positively to From Where, mainly because it adds value for guests without creating extra work. A common concern among short-term rental owners is the lack of time, and the platform is designed to require minimal effort from their side.
The setup process is simple—hosts can even share receipts or basic details of items in their space, and the team handles listing them on the storefront. There’s no minimum requirement for items, and getting started doesn’t involve hours of work. Early on, the founders tested the idea by reaching out directly to hosts they had previously stayed with to gauge interest and onboard initial users.
Chapter 9: Building the Storefront
When building a storefront on From Where, hosts typically start with items that guests frequently ask about—such as towels, linens, or unique décor. The idea is to begin with a few popular items and gradually expand the storefront over time.
The platform also simplifies the process by allowing the team to create the storefront using listing photos and basic input from the host. They identify and source the products, build the storefront, and share a preview for approval or edits. Each host gets their own digital storefront, accessible via a QR code, and all transactions are handled by the platform—so hosts don’t need to manage payments or backend operations.
Chapter 10: Promotion and Onboarding Assets
From Where supports hosts with simple promotional and onboarding materials to help them introduce the storefront to guests without being intrusive. This includes printable PDFs for house manuals and ready-to-use messaging that hosts can add to guest communication, along with their storefront link.
The goal is to make promotion easy and low-effort, often as simple as copy-paste. However, once these materials are provided, it’s up to the host to actually use them, as the platform doesn’t have control over
Chapter 11: Pricing and Reporting
With From Where, hosts can get their storefront built and managed for an annual fee of $99. This includes everything from setup to inventory handling, fulfillment, and customer service, so hosts don’t have to manage any backend operations.
In addition, hosts receive monthly reports showing storefront performance, including visitor activity and product sales. This gives visibility into how the storefront is performing and what commissions are being earned from purchases.
Chapter 12: Tech Build and Spouse Teamwork
The platform behind From Where was initially built with the help of developers, while David, the co-founder, took the lead on the technical side. Over time, responsibilities have evolved, with Nisha taking on more ownership of the overall business as it grows.
As a husband-and-wife team, they balance each other’s strengths while managing multiple projects. To expand the platform, they rely largely on word-of-mouth—encouraging hosts to share it within their network and refer others when signing up.
Chapter 13: Platform Shopping and Reviews
On From Where, there’s no strict requirement for how many products a host needs to include in their storefront. When it comes to reviews, the platform does not currently have a built-in review system, although it’s something they are working on. Initially, reviews were less important because guests had already experienced the products during their stay, but as more users discover the platform outside of those stays, reviews are becoming more relevant.
The platform has also evolved beyond just individual storefronts. While each host has their own storefront, users can also browse across the main site—exploring different storefronts, shopping by room type (like living room or kitchen), or even by brand. This allows people to discover and shop products beyond a single property.
Chapter 14: Top Selling Items
Based on what From Where sees across its storefronts, certain products tend to stand out more than others. Mattresses and bedding are among the most popular, as a good night’s sleep strongly impacts the overall guest experience.
Other commonly noticed items include décor pieces like chairs and bar stools, as well as bedroom setups and coffee stations. These small details—comfort, sleep quality, and thoughtful amenities—often make a big difference in how guests experience a stay and what they end up wanting to buy.
Chapter 15: Timeline and Branding Options
The onboarding process on From Where is designed to be quick. Once the initial information is provided, the team can usually create a draft storefront within a couple of days, which is then shared for review and minor edits. The speed mostly depends on how quickly the host responds, and updates can be made later if items in the property change.
Each storefront is tied to a specific property or listing and includes property photos, name, and a short description. While the main platform maintains its own branding, individual storefronts reflect the property details. Currently, custom branding is more common for designers and boutique hotels, but options can be flexible depending on needs. Pricing is typically per property, with bundle options available for multiple listings.
Chapter 16: Wrap Up and Next Steps
The focus moving forward is on getting more hosts onboarded and building their storefronts, while also learning from their feedback to improve promotion and usage. The platform encourages collaboration and continuous improvement as more users join.
Overall, the conversation highlights interest from hosts in integrating this model into new and upcoming properties, seeing it as an additional way to enhance guest experience and introduce a new income stream.
🎧 Listen to the Full Podcast
If you want to dive deeper into how to turn your Airbnb into a passive income machine, check out the full conversation here:
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Apple Podcast: https://www.sipsellrepeat.com/how-to-turn-your-airbnb-into-a-passive-income-machine/
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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0MEPlqLXcI6voutjVV8l1f
