(This “SoBo Made” feature story originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of the South Baltimore Peninsula Post.)
By Saskia Lindsay
Brian Meyer had a big dream, and he’s bringing it to life here on the South Baltimore peninsula. In 2023, Meyer co-founded FLOHOM, a floating hotel business that now features five luxury houseboats in Baltimore, with more currently under construction. Earlier this year, the Peninsula Post visited the construction facility at Port Covington Marina, where these floating retreats are built before being launched onto the water.
“Our young company is pioneering experiential hospitality, but we’re pioneering it on the water,” Meyer said. “It’s all about access. We’re putting FLOHOMs in exclusive marinas that normally someone can’t just show up and go on the water. We’re giving people access to an exclusive lifestyle, which can be the boating community. It’s been received really well from both our guests and the local boaters.”
At the Port Covington facility, FLOHOMs are built using a modular construction approach, allowing the company to produce up to three units simultaneously. Inside the wide, open building where the houseboats are constructed, the space has been transformed into a full-scale FLOHOM workshop.
While the Peninsula Post was there, a team of workers was busy framing out a new unit: cutting lumber, checking measurements, and steadily bringing the floating homes to life. The entire process – from the moment construction begins to the day the first guest is welcomed aboard – takes about four months.
While touring the facility, the Peninsula Post observed FLOHOMs being officially transformed into floating homes on the water, where final assembly and finishing touches take place. Once the cabin is built at the marina, it is loaded onto a flatbed truck and transported to wherever it is being launched onto the water. There, a hull is brought in for the cabin to rest on.
Out of the five rentable FLOHOMs in Baltimore, two are in the Inner Harbor Marina, two at Lighthouse Point Marina in Canton, and one at Port Covington Marina. Each FLOHOM features extensive amenities including rooftop decks, fully equipped kitchens, luxury bathrooms, king- or queen-sized premium mattresses, and smart-home technology.
FLOHOMs come in a variety of sizes. The SEALUX model offers 850 square feet of living space, with one- and two-bedroom layouts available. The HARBOR model is more compact at around 530 square feet, with a one-bedroom design. And the SUPER suite comes in at approximately 420 square feet. FLOHOMs are available for rent year-round, with nightly rates ranging from $400 to $800. (Visit flohom.com for reservation details.)
A FLOHOM stay is “a great way for people in the local community to celebrate special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries,” Meyer said. “What’s cool about Baltimore is that historically, this was an industrial waterfront. Now, people are enjoying the waterfront recreationally, too.”
Baltimore’s history as a working waterfront stretches back to the 1700s. The area now known as the Baltimore Peninsula, where FLOHOMs are constructed, once thrived with shipbuilding, manufacturing, and warehousing. In the early 1900s, this area turned into an industrial hub featuring extensive rail yards, coal and grain piers, and warehouses.
Meyer says that FLOHOM not only provides the local community with a unique waterfront experience, but is also helping to generate local jobs. FLOHOM partners with area nonprofits, such as Second Chance and Living Classrooms, which offer workforce reentry programs, allowing local individuals to contribute to the building, maintenance, and operation of the houseboats.
“These men and women have so many skills: carpentry, plumbing, construction, and framing,” said Meyer. “Those are all jobs that we’re looking for as we continue to grow.”
Meyer’s dream isn’t stopping at the Baltimore waterfront. The company has a placement in National Harbor near Washington, D.C., and FLOHOMs will also be coming to Virginia Beach and Florida. He has a vision to continue building on the water, as areas across the country, including Baltimore, are increasingly threatened by flooding and rising water levels. Baltimore’s harbor has experienced a sea level rise of approximately one foot in the past century, a trend that is expected to continue, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“My vision is moving society onto the water,” Meyer said. “What we’re doing here now is from a hospitality concept, but we have a vision for residential and commercial floating communities.” FLOHOMs are also available for purchase, Meyer said, starting at $250,000.
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