Extra Pack of Peanuts Travel Podcast · Travis Sherry

Steph and Luke - Betting on Paradise and Renovating a Decrepit Hotel in Costa Rica

·1 hr 8 min·4 clips

Steph and Luke say the wedding wave made them realize they were not in control.

Travis opens by introducing Steph Sitt and Luke Shand as people who met in Taiwan, spent 10 years in Toronto, and then made a big jump to Costa Rica. He frames the story as a bet on paradise, with the risk, the family side, and the renovation all tied up together. The episode moves quickly into how the relocation happened and what it meant to land in a new country with two young kids. Steph and Luke talk about the hotel property they took on and the reality of renovating it instead of walking into something that was already polished. The choice comes through as both a dream and a lot of work. They explain that opening a place is not the same thing as getting people to come. That gap becomes one of the episode’s main themes. The hotel had to make it through a full year before the show aired, so publicity could not be the strategy. Steph talks about leaning heavily on social media to keep eyes on the property. They also brought in influencers to stay and film. Local outreach mattered too, especially to people in San Jose, which is only a couple hours away. The plan was never just about tourists. It was also about building a nearby base that could show up during the low season. They describe low season as the stretch that forces creativity. When visitors thin out, the business has to find other ways to fill the bar and the rooms. That is where community events came in. Trivia nights became a steady draw. Steph also put together craft events, women’s events, and movie nights. The goal was to make the hotel feel like part of the town instead of a separate project sitting on its own. The episode keeps coming back to the same idea: the dream is easy to say out loud, and the daily work is what decides whether it lasts. That tone fits the show well, since the hosts move comfortably from life updates to practical details without turning it into a speech. Their story feels more like a long-term debrief than a polished brand pitch. The TV side is there, but it never fully takes over the operational story. The real subject is how they built a life and a business at the same time. By the end, the conversation has covered origin story, relocation, renovation, marketing, local engagement, and the ongoing work of running a hotel in a seasonal market.

As heard by us

A Costa Rica hotel gamble that is best when it gets into the work.

The episode follows Steph Sitt and Luke Shand as they leave Toronto, move to Costa Rica sight unseen, and try to turn a hotel property into something livable and workable under real pressure.

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Want the real story behind betting everything on a Costa Rica hotel renovation?

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