MartinEven as real estate developer RJ Martin’s concept of a co-living space — Surfbreak HNL — takes off and he and his team prepare to open a second location, they are on the lookout for potential new locations to cater to a growing population — digital nomads.
As the term indicates, this is a group that earns a living working remotely in locations of their choosing, unlike the traditional employee who works in a fixed business location. These location-independent workers represent varied industries, including marketing, coaching, consulting, accounting, and human resources.
Places like Palau have begun inviting digital nomads to the country and Saipan is working on a program, according to Glen Hunter, special assistant to the governor of the Northern Mariana Islands for Broadband Policy & Development.
Martin said he and his team are looking for places that are readily accessible, but also have transportation, cultural experiences, and an infrastructure deemed necessary by this group.
“Our members are professionals,” Martin told the Journal during a Google Meets interview.
He was speaking from Puerto Escondido, a surf town in Mexico, where Surfbreak is monitoring the final stages of construction of its second co-working and co-living facility. Martin was flanked by two of his colleagues during the interview.
Eric Taylor has worked with the diverse team for a few years, but they haven’t determined a title for him yet.
Taylor describes his contribution to the team as a “jack of all trades and master of none,” or “the toolbox with a bunch of different tools that can be used to help.”
TaylorHis LinkedIn profile reflects his professional work as “Independent Consultant, Advisor, Angel Investor.”
Natashia McGillion, creative marketing director; joined them in the interview. She leads the group’s marketing and social media, and then some. She’s the person who brought Martin’s vision to life on the web and social media platforms, to build more than just a place where digital nomads can stay for anywhere from a few weeks to a few months.
Martin met his two colleagues while he was pitching his ideas to potential investors.
“I loved what he was doing,” Taylor said. When Martin asked him to join the team he jumped at the opportunity.
Martin’s first project — Surfbreak HNL — opened in 2021. It was built specifically to provide a space where digital nomads can live and interact as a community.
Martin took a penthouse at Century Center condo tower on Kalakaua Avenue and built about 20 bedrooms, each with an office area. The investment was more than $1 million, counting the leasehold, renovation, maintenance, and other costs.
“Our members can do their work in the privacy and quiet of their rooms… But when they want company, they can also go to the common rooms,” Martin said.
“When I initially pitched (the idea) … it was really just a passion project. I thought it was a space for grad students. I felt that it was the demographic to serve. Some of our cohorts were sleeping in their offices; others were sleeping two in a single dorm room or rented from slum lords.”
Martin earned his doctorates in philosophy and American history at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He also lectured at the Oahu campus for just over three years.
McGillionLife on campus was a great experience, he said. Students gathered and chatted around tables in common areas, but then retreated to their dorm rooms to study. But he soon realized his demographic was the professionals who wanted to travel and were able to bring their work with them — as long as they had an internet connection and a safe place to stay.
Surfbreak HNL offers that and more, as indicated by the rate of returning residents whose stays range from a couple of months to a year.
“We have about a 20% return rate. It’s amazing … we love them, and they love us,” Martin said. We have literally had members calling from the airport asking, ‘When is the next room opening?’” Martin said. “It’s exceeded beyond my expectations on the human emotional component.”
A month’s stay starts at $1,500 for a twin bedroom and increases with the room size and amenities, according to www.surfbreakcoliving.com. Every room is equipped with a “comfy office space,” a hot spot, Ethernet port, and is sound deadened for privacy, Martin said.
The kitchen is fully stocked with drinks and food items for various diets. Surfbreak HNL also has a bike share, surf boards and organizes special events that promote networking and workshops with guest speakers.
“It’s an instant community. We like to say all you need to bring is your laptop,” Taylor said.
“And when we say membership, (there) is an approval process,” Martin said. Anyone interested in renting a space must apply and then is vetted.
McGillion said many of their members so far are women. She said she believes it is the safety and sense of community Surfbreak HNL provides. “I think the exclusivity and the interview (process) helps.” Having likeminded people who want to work while traveling also provides members with a sense of security, she said.
A four-floor villa in Mexico is due to open as Surfbreak PDX.Like Surfbreak HNL, Surfbreak PDX is being constructed with floor plans that create spaces within each bedroom where people have quiet and the tools they need to live and work. At PDX, rooms range from $1,200 to $2,100 a month.
“We take high-speed internet very seriously,” Martin said. In Mexico Surfbreak had to take measures to address challenges with internet and power, which goes out a couple of times a week. “We’ve built an entire building that is hardened with generators, solar panels, and equipped with fiber and satellite connection. We’ve got total redundancy set up and the chances of losing both connections is very low,” Taylor said. “We’ve tried to harden it the best we can.”
While the group is looking for opportunities at a new location there are challenges specific to each location. “We’re open to partnerships at this point in time. There are so many challenges in building in a new country,” Martin said.
Adding to the lead team can be an issue.
“That’s one of the challenges we have,” Taylor said. “Finding people to manage those projects.”
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Surfbreak community can email [email protected] or visit www.surfbreakcoliving.com. Anyone interested in investing can email [email protected].
Hunter said the NMI is working to make it easier for visionaries to set their sights on the Northern Marianas.
“At the moment our office is focused on setting up the foundation to build a digital ecosystem that will incorporate and encourage facets such as attracting digital nomads,” he said.
“We were able to secure $81 million in federal funding under the BEAD program that will be used to deploy a robust and affordable broadband network across the NMI (because) access to reliable broadband service is key to attracting digital nomads.”
Hunter said the NMI could be an attractive location for digital nomads, touting regular flights from Asia and other Pacific islands.
“We are a safe location with a wonderful year-round climate and unique culture. Our cost of living is reasonable as well,” he said. “Our close neighbor, the Republic of Palau has launched a digital residency program and held conferences to entice digital nomads. We hope to work closely with them and other areas in our region to encourage this unique segment of traveler to include the NMI in their plans.”
Martin said the co-living and co-working market is very competitive. And while his team has worked hard to provide a facility that caters to remote workers, what they’re providing is more than just a place to stay.
“It’s an instant community,” he said.
There are an estimated 35 million digital nomads traveling, working and living around the world, according to the Global Digital Nomad study conducted by ABrotherAbroad.com.
The study also reported the global digital nomad community’s economic value is $787 billion per year, calculated as the aggregate of digital nomad spending annually.
A reported 83% of digital nomads are self-employed, while 17% are remote workers. Of those who are self-employed, 66% own their own businesses, while 34% are freelancers or gig workers. The most common professions, according to the study, are marketing, computer sciences or IT, design, writing and e-commerce. mbj
