Meet Karen Costa Hattaway | Founder & Travel Designer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Karen Costa Hattaway and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Karen, how does your business help the community?
Our focus is on sustainable tourism that actively contributes to the well-being and empowerment of both the traveler and the local communities visited. It is travel that preserves and celebrates the unique heritage and biodiversity of each destination while fostering a deep connection and respect for its people.

At Life Beyond the Room (LBR), we encourage our travelers to step off the beaten path, beyond the hotel room, and discover places unknown to most tourists, where human connections take center stage.

We support small, locally owned businesses that have opened their doors to travelers to share their passion for their craft and their land. Our partner accommodations often run on renewable energy and their food comes right from their garden. We don’t work with hotel chains or big brands.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Life Beyond the Room (LBR) is a Sensorial Travel™ company dedicated to creating custom, unique and sustainable itineraries for travelers seeking authentic experiences immersed in the lifestyle, flavors, and culture of each region.

Authenticity, relationships, exclusivity and sustainability are what truly sets up apart.

In the world of travel, the word luxury is often associated with opulence: grand hotels, Michelin-starred dinners, private cars and exclusive services. Yet, the deeper I go into the essence of traveling, the more I realize that the true value of luxury is something else entirely.

Luxury is not always about spending more. Luxury is about access. Access to hidden stories, to places that have not yet been swallowed by mass tourism, to families who welcome you not as a guest, but as part of their home.

It can be found in a family-run accommodation where every detail is curated with love, where the warmth of hospitality gives you the feeling of being both at home and in a dream. A place that may not wear the glitter of a five-star hotel, but carries the same quality, and something more: a heart, a human presence, a connection to the land and the people who live it.

Luxury is also time. The time to savor moments, to allow the heart and the mind to process beauty without rushing. To linger at a table sharing stories with locals, to watch the sunset without looking at the clock, to let a place settle into your memory instead of just passing through it.

True luxury is made of people. The richness of sharing, of being welcomed into traditions, of experiencing a destination not as an observer but as a participant. These are the gifts that remain, long after a journey has ended: memories that no material object can replace, emotions that become part of who we are.

This is what we seek in our journeys, and what we want to offer to those who travel with us: not the obvious, not the ostentatious, but the extraordinary intimacy of authentic connection.

Because in the end, the greatest luxury of all is to live experiences that stay with you forever.

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Of course it wasn’t easy to get to where we are today. Is it ever easy? We had to overcome many challenges, including the pandemic, shifting travel trends, and had to adjust to keep up with the pace of this ever changing industry. The love and support of my family as well as our fantastic team are what always keeps us going and gives us the energy to find a solution to every challenging situation. In the company we never say “there’s a problem”. Instead we always say “there’s a challenge with a solution ready to be found”.

I’ve learned many lessons but perhaps the biggest one has been and continues to be how to become a better leader.

A quote from one my favorite books says “Leadership is communicating to another their worth and potential so clearly they are inspired to see it in themselves” This is what I’m constantly working on.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If we use Rome as my hometown, I would take my friend to Testaccio, one oldest neighborhoods in Rome that remains authentic and lived by locals. I would take them to Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice to watch children play soccer in the square followed by a gelato.

If I were in my home in Georgia, I would take her down to Chattahoochee Hills where developments hasn’t taken over the beautiful fields. I would her to stroll the streets of Serenbe and stop for coffee at the Blue Eyed Daisy. I would check out a play and hike or bike at Cochran Mill Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Definitely my husband Jett Hattaway! He was born to be an entrepreneur and he not only taught me everything I know about business but he also showed me the way to make this all possible. He has always supported me and since he joined me, our company almost tripled in revenue year after year.

Also, Tom Reed, the mayor of Chattahoochee Hills has been an invaluable mentor to both Jett and I. His guidance has been of paramount importance for all our important business decisions.

Lastly, I was a part of the Entrepreneur Organization’s Accelerator program for about a year in Atlanta and they greatly contributed to my entrepreneurial development.

Website: https://www.lifebeyondtheroom.com

Instagram: @lifebeyondtheroom

Linkedin: @lifebeyondtheroom

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