HGTV Hotel ‘Completely Destroyed’ by Hurricane Helene

Heavy/HGTV/YouTube HGTV's Mika Kleinschmidt

One year after “100 Day Dream Home” fans watched the Sunburst Inn in Indian Shores, Florida, receive a full makeover courtesy of HGTV stars Mika and Brian Kleinschmidt, the 12-room beachfront motel has fallen victim to Hurricane Helene, which roared through the southwest on September 27, 2024.

The property — featured on the two-episode spinoff show “100 Day Dream Home: Beachfront Hotel” in May 2023 — is now “completely destroyed,” according to Mika Kleinschmidt, who updated fans via her Instagram Stories on September 29.

Though Kleinschmidt expressed gratitude that their family’s own properties — a home in the Tampa area and their vacation townhome in Savannah, Georgia — went unscathed, she said they’re intent on helping less fortunate residents restore and rebuild in the aftermath of Helene, a Category 4 hurricane that killed at least 90 people and left millions without power and cell service, per the New York Times.

“This week is all about coming together and helping in any way that we can,” she told fans.

Mika Kleinschmidt Says She’d Like to Renovate Sunburst Inn Again

On “100 Day Dream Home,” the Kleinschmidts typically focus their efforts on designing and building dream homes for Tampa-area clients in less than three months. But in their “Beachfront Hotel” spinoff, they were tasked with transforming the Gulf Coast’s 75-year-old Sunburst Inn, including renovating the guest rooms, lobby and outdoor patio, per HGTV’s press materials.

Co-owners Pete and Andi Bennett called the Kleinschmidts for help when they realized, after seven years of running the inn, that it couldn’t turn a profit without a major update, they told FOX13. The Kleinschmidts agreed to step out of their comfort zone and oversee the commercial project from November 2022 to February 2023, updating everything from flooring to fixtures and creating a two-story penthouse with a private balcony overlooking the ocean.

“Pre-renovation, this place basically looked like a wasteland,” Andi Bennett told the station.

But after Hurricane Helene ripped through portions of Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas, the extensive renovation work at the Sunburst Inn has been undone.

In a video update uploaded to her Instagram Stories, Mika Kleinschmidt told fans, “A lot of you know the Sunburst Inn, which was a hotel we renovated on Indian Shores, and that’s completely destroyed.”

“The whole first floor is full of sand,” she continued. “That’s gonna be quite a process, and our hearts just go out to the owners. And hopefully we can — hey, part two, let’s renovate it again. Because we’re not gonna give up. We are definitely strong and the silver lining in all this is we’re gonna come together and, one day at a time, we’re gonna get back to normalcy. So, thank you so much for your love and concern, and I’ll keep checking in.”

Owners of Sunburst Inn Hope to Rebuild After Hurricane

The day after Hurricane Helene ravaged their hotel, the Bennetts posted a social media photo of the Sunburst Inn before it was hit by the storm, letting people know that they will be closed for the foreseeable future.

“We have suffered some severe damage due to the storm and we are still currently assessing our situation,” they captioned the photo. “All upcoming reservations have been canceled until further notice. We are keeping everyone in our thoughts and prayers. 🧡💛”

The next day, they shared in another post with screenshots of some of the “hundreds of messages, emails and calls” they said they’ve already received “with words of support, love, and offers to help.”

“We truly appreciate each and every one of you,” they wrote, and added, “We are still trying to assess damage at this time and will update you as soon as we know more. We will rebuild, one step at a time 🧡💛”

Multiple fans tagged the Kleinschmidts and expressed hope they’ll get involved in helping the Bennetts rebuild, including one who wrote, “@mikamakesmoves and @mrbreakinground need to film a hurricane re-do! I love Sunburst Inn….was just there last month. I am so happy to hear everyone is safe and you will rebuilt.”

Meanwhile, the two motels that the Kleinschmidts renovated on their 2024 spinoff, “100 Day Hotel Challenge” — with help from multiple HGTV stars — seem to have not been impacted by Hurricane Helene. The William & Garland Motel and the Beacon Motel are both located in Salter Path along the coast, which was not hit by the worst of the storm.