VIRGINIA BEACH — On board the resort area’s latest luxury vacation rental, there’s a slight sway underfoot.
That’s just what many customers are looking for when they book a night in the chic, modern houseboat docked at Rudee Inlet, according to the co-owner of Flohom, the company that rents the vessel.
“You can feel the movement, but the way that we’ve engineered it, it’s not like the typical vertical rocking that you would feel on a normal boat,” Brian Meyer said. “You’ll have more of a lateral movement.”
The company has a fleet of 10 houseboats for rent in various marinas in Maryland, including “Closing Tide,” a two bedroom in National Harbor just outside Washington.
Meyer, 38, recently docked “Rudee Retreat,” a two-story 1-bed room vessel, in Rudee Inlet. It’s 53-feet-long by 16-feet-wide and can sleep four people with two in the master bedroom’s king sized bed and two on the sleeper sofa in the living room.
Virginia Beach could soon see more of the floating rentals. Two other houseboats also are for rent in Rudee Inlet by another company behind Big Sam’s Inlet Cafe & Raw Bar. In recent months, additional marinas in Virginia Beach have inquired about leasing slips to houseboats, according to the city’s zoning administrator.
The Rudee Retreat features a fully-equipped kitchen with a dishwasher, refrigerator, wine cooler and four burner stovetop. The master bathroom has a walk-in shower, there’s a washer and dryer, two YouTube TVs, Wi-Fi, heating and air-conditioning and a firepit on the rooftop deck. Noise sensors inside help monitor quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m., and a security camera outside keeps tabs on how many people have entered the boat.
“It’s such a nice place to sleep,” said luxury travel expert Nichole Jackson who recently rented a Flohom model overlooking Inner Harbor in Baltimore.
As part of the experience, the company will connect customers with a local personal chef, masseuse or yoga instructor. Depending on the day of the week, the cost to rent Rudee Retreat ranges from $300 to $1,000 a night, Meyer said.
The two-story boat is docked next to the Rudee Inlet Bridge at the Virginia Beach Fishing Center marina but will soon relocate deeper into the inlet. And a second Flohom houseboat about half the size of Rudee Retreat will be arriving in the inlet next week. It will range from $185 to $500 a night.
The idea for the business spawned from a paddleboard ride several years ago. Meyer owned a paddleboard company and spent time time paddling around downtown Annapolis. One day, he came across a 1970s houseboat.
“It looked old from the outside but looked interesting enough that I paddled up to it and introduced myself to the owners, and they walked me inside,” he said. “That was a lightbulb moment. They had redone the inside to make it look like a nice modern home.”
A few years later, he decided to pursue a houseboat rental business with a couple other entrepreneurs. They launched Flohom in 2023.
Meyer plans to expand the business in other Hampton Roads’ marinas over the next couple of years.
The master bedroom inside FLOHOM, a floating vacation rental, is seen while the dwelling is docked at Virginia Beach Fishing Center in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Co-owner Brian Meyer speaks about Flohom, a company based in Maryland that outfits and operates floating vacation rentals, while the dwelling is docked at Virginia Beach Fishing Center in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) The living and dining space inside “Rudee Retreat” from Flohom, a floating vacation rental, is seen while the dwelling is docked at Virginia Beach Fishing Center in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) The rooftop entertainment space for Flohom, a floating vacation rental docked at Virginia Beach Fishing Center, stretches the entire length of the living space below in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2025. The rental is currently docked adjacent to the Rudee Inlet Bridge but will be moved to a quieter location within the marina and away from the road before renters occupy the dwelling. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot) Show Caption1 of 5A vessel passes by “Rudee Retreat” from Flohom, a floating vacation rental, docked at Virginia Beach Fishing Center in Virginia Beach on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2025. (Kendall Warner / The Virginian-Pilot)Expand
“Just between Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton, Portsmouth, there’s so much waterfront and all these communities have different things that are unique to them, so we want to highlight each of those,” he said.
Eventually, Meyer wants to create expanded Flohom resort experiences in marinas that the company would own.
“We’re giving people a preview of what the on-water lifestyle is,” he said. “Think of a marina like this that there’s Flohoms in every slip, not boats.”
Virginia Beach doesn’t regulate where houseboats can be located; however floating homes, which are not self-powered — and therefore not considered a marine vessel — aren’t permitted, said Kevin Kemp, city zoning administrator.
Given the recent interest, Kemp looked into introducing zoning restrictions that would only allow houseboats in approved marina districts with a conditional use permit. But he’s no longer pursuing that route because there’s an open question as to whether local zoning regulation of houseboats is preempted by federal laws pertaining to vessels, according to the city’s attorney office.
“How can you differentiate a houseboat from a 30-foot yacht that comes in,” Kemp said. “The interesting question is differentiating a houseboat versus someone who comes into a marina dock and stays for an overnight or a week.”
Rudee Retreat is listed for rent on the company’s website flohom.com as well as online marketplaces including Airbnb and VBRO. While not subject to the same permitting process as short-term rentals in Virginia Beach, Flohom is still responsible for paying occupancy taxes and following other rules, Kemp said.
Jackson believes Flohom is on the crest of a new trend in how both locals and tourists experience Virginia Beach and other coastal cities.
“It’s going to change how people look at staycations,” she said. “And it’s a further spin on Airbnbs.”
Stacy Parker, 757-222-5125, stacy.parker@pilotonline.com