While some visitors to the Bluff City prefer soaking in the classic Southern grandeur of The Peabody hotel or staying close to the King in an Elvis-themed suite at the Heartbreak Hotel, other travelers are choosing more intimate accommodations off the beaten path.

Taryn Engle lists her home in the historic Evergreen District on AirBNB.com. The service is an alternative to hotels, motels and traditional bed and breakfasts.
(Photo: Lance Murphey)

Chere Doiron, proprietor of Fema Guesthouse, at 1021 Blythe St. in the city’s hip, eclectic Cooper-Young neighborhood, said her guests “are very interested in an authentic experience. They’re not necessarily the formal bed-and-breakfast-type people.”

The fully furnished, renovated, two-bedroom guesthouse was constructed in the late 19th century as a tack house to store saddles, harnesses and other items for horses.

Doiron said it was built by a German immigrant who rented space to horse trainers at the nearby Mid-South Fairgrounds – a service that ultimately enabled him to build the main house.

“So it has a real kind of attitude and old funk about it,” said Doiron, an artist who holds an M.F.A and owns a teaching studio called The Purple Door around the corner on Young Avenue.

Fema Guesthouse opened informally about two years ago as a seasonal rental property, mostly rented to doctoral students who would depart after a few months to conduct field studies elsewhere.

To generate more income, Doiron began renting short-term to travelers from around the world who began finding her through a website called www.airbnb.com, which allows hosts to list their rented space in exchange for a modest commission with each booking.

Doiron’s recent guests have included a couple from Russia and a father and son from New Zealand.

“It’s a lot of work – juggling these different hats and learning how to market effectively – but the hospitality is something I absolutely adore,” she said. “I grew up in South Louisiana and I’m Cajun, so that love of people and the need for community connection is very strong in me.”

Doiron said Fema Guesthouse was a tongue-in-cheek moniker bestowed upon the house by her children whenever they visited from the Gulf Coast. The name is a reference to the trailers that served as temporary housing following Hurricane Katrina and were provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

“Obviously, it’s a word that’s rather infamous along the Gulf Coast where my family lives,” she said. “It’s kind of an alternative housing experience.”

The service she provides at Fema Guesthouse depends on the needs of her visitors, who stay anywhere from a night to several weeks.

“I will provide as much or as little attention as they need,” Doiron said. “Some people want to spend time together, and I’ll cook breakfast or supper and have them over, and we’ll relax. I’m very available to pick people up from the airport or bus station, or to give them directions or walk them down to Central BBQ or something like that. I’ll do a little bit of grocery shopping and pick out their staple groceries for them and have those ready when they come.”

Over on Stonewall Street in Midtown’s Historic Evergreen district, Taryn Engle runs a home-stay called The Dandelion, where about 70 percent of her guests are Australians, most of whom find the accommodation through www.airbnb.com.

She said staying in less expensive home stays and guesthouses allows travelers to feel safe and secure (The Dandelion has no signage displayed), while spending more money on things like dining and attractions.

For $85 a night, Engle – who has 10 years of experience working as an award-winning chef and innkeeper in California and then in Nashville – prepares breakfast, which includes fresh-squeezed orange juice, for her guests.

She also provides fresh-cut flowers and homemade cookies, which she bakes regularly for her other business – The Cookie Tart – and sells to local coffee houses.

“A lot of people think it’s easy (work), but you really have to kind of be there for people in case they need anything,” said Engle, who’s also a session vocalist. “If you’re working a 9-to-5 job, it’s not that easy. I don’t have traditional hours so I’m able to do it.”

Guests stay in a private room upstairs in the 1920s bungalow, and Engle said she can quickly figure whether they want to interact with her or would prefer to be left alone.

“I can kind of read them,” she said. “If it’s a couple and they’re madly in love, I am going to leave them alone. It’s quiet, it’s away from everything – it’s really the perfect set up.”

The home stay is located within walking distance of attractions such as Overton Park, The Levitt Shell, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art and the Memphis Zoo, and Engel is always eager to recommend some of her favorite places in town to her guests.

“I strongly give recommendations for places I really love, like Molly Fontaine’s, Beauty Shop (Restaurant), Wild Bill’s – places like that,” Engle said. “I work really hard to figure out where I can send them to so that they’ll love Memphis and tell their friends how great Memphis was.”