Two space keepers in coastal Korea share the hard questions they wish someone had asked them before opening a single-room guesthouse. Hospitality as livelihood, not business.
01. Do You Really Have to Run a Stay?
Writer Ryu Ha-yoon & Choi Hyun-woo, Space Keepers at Minimal Sincerity
Editor ONDA Manager Somora
Hello, we're Minimal Sincerity.
Hi, we're Ha-yoon and Hyun-woo, the space keepers of Minimal Sincerity — a single-room guesthouse facing the East Sea. This is the piece we needed most two years ago. While preparing Minimal Sincerity, we desperately searched for writing like this. We hope our words reach someone who needs them and take root. If you have questions, thoughts, or your own answers to the questions we raise, we'd love to hear from you at the link below.
Website: http://www.sincerity.kr/
For those who want to share good times with good people
Hospitality as a livelihood, not a business.
This piece is especially for those who think of hospitality as a livelihood rather than a business. According to Hiroshi Ito, author of Creating My Small and Modest Livelihood, a livelihood is "work you can start alone, that doesn't sacrifice your time or health for money, and that sharpens your mind, body, and skills the more you do it."
The key phrase is "doesn't sacrifice your time or health for money." The main goal of a livelihood isn't making a lot of money — it's building a fulfilling life.
Minimal Sincerity is a space where guests stay, but it's also where we, the space keepers, live and work. We need money to sustain and nurture the space, but we don't run it for money. Even operating a single room, we never sold our time and health to earn more than necessary. Instead, we experimented and thought deeply to find Minimal Sincerity's unique style and principles. We cultivated this as an intimate, warm space for people who want to rest in a quiet, slow neighborhood — hoping to build gentle, lasting connections with good people.
The most important thing in hospitality? People, hands down.
Because our focus is on livelihood over business, much of what we'll share won't apply to properties with 10+ guests, or operations that run smoothly on manuals and staff without the owner. What matters most in hospitality? Views, cozy bedding, cleanliness, design — all important. But the most crucial element is people. If guests can't sense who's running the space, it's hard to make it memorable. They might sleep there once, but they won't come back.
Think of a place you love. Why do you remember it? The stays that stick with us don't have sleek interiors, hotel-grade linens, ocean views, top appliances, or private yards. What stays with us is the space keeper. No matter how striking the design, we wouldn't have visited if no one was there to hold the space.
The person matters most. Their mindset, lifestyle, values — when guests understand the person behind the space, design and amenities fade into the background.
For those who want to share good times with good people
What Minimal Sincerity advocates runs counter to market logic and trends. If your goal is trendy interiors by a design firm, fast turnarounds, clear manuals, hired staff, glowing reviews, and maximizing profit quickly — our writing won't help you. But if you want to earn enough to live comfortably (not extravagantly) and share meaningful time with good people, the questions we raise might matter.
Questions for anyone running a stay.
Every piece in this series is titled as a question. Like everything else, there are no fixed answers in hospitality. You observe your guests closely, ask what they liked or found uncomfortable, reflect, experiment, and build your own answers. What we can offer is good questions, Minimal Sincerity's responses, and how we've consistently applied them.
Expert touches — interior designers, photographers, consultants — can elevate a property's quality, but that doesn't last. Eventually you have to row your own boat. Even if you're awkward or unskilled, learning to take photos, paint walls, build furniture, and write your own copy is what keeps your place running at a high level long-term. It might look rough to you, but to guests, it's character — the soul of the space.
So, take time to write your own answers to the nine questions Minimal Sincerity offers. Feel free to reference others' answers, but don't copy them wholesale. Guests sense the difference.
First question: "Do you really have to run a stay?"
Minimal Sincerity started with a single sentence:
"Everyone needs a third place to relax, have great conversation, or get great things done."
After encountering this line, we became hypersensitive to space. In cafés, we'd ask: Why does this feel comfortable? What's uncomfortable? How does the space keeper show up? Are the chair and table heights right? How are people using this space?
Going somewhere means experiencing a space. Cafés, stays, someone's home — we observed and recorded what made a space good, and how we changed when we stayed in one. Completely at ease. Pleasantly thoughtful. This is enough. Or just peacefully zoning out.
We wanted others to feel what we felt: comfort, joy, a renewed desire to live better. That's why we started Minimal Sincerity.
Of course we needed income, but money wasn't first. We wanted to create a warm space where people tired of routine could rest. And maybe, along the way, meet good people and share good moments together. We put that intention on our booking page.
Why do you want to run (or keep running) a stay? Money pays the bills, but is there another reason? Is hospitality a business to you, or a livelihood? If there's a property you love, ask the owner why they started — and why they're still going. It's a fundamental question, and their answer might hold a clue. And if you find a space you love (even if it's not a stay), observe closely. Ask yourself why it's good. You'll find something to bring into your own place.
Thank you for reading the first piece from Minimal Sincerity. Questions or thoughts? Drop them at the link below. Next time: Question Two — "Can you imagine a space that makes you happy just thinking about it?"
[Series Outline]
1. "Do you really have to run a stay?"
2. "Can you imagine a space that makes you happy just thinking about it?"
3. "Who are you?"
4. "Can you define the basics of hospitality?"
5. "Is there a reason behind your pricing?"
6. "How much rest do you need?"
7. "Do you know your limits?"
8. "What kind of interior are you thinking of?"
9. "How should you take bookings?"
10. "What did you think of Minimal Sincerity's questions?"