Motel Makeover Season 2 - Details We Know So Far

Released in August, "Motel Makeover" became yet another example of Netflix's latest attempt to seemingly ease the public's COVID-19-era stress levels with carefree reality television shows. The unique renovation show follows Canadian moteliers April Brown and Sarah Sklash as they renovate a dilapidated motel in Sauble Beach, Ontario. The best friends have a retro, boho-chic aesthetic that appeals to the Instagram-photo-opp-obsessed millennial clientele (think 1970s wood paneling, plenty of potted plants, hues of orange and green, boho accessories, and statement wallpaper). The renovations began in January 2020, which led many viewers to grimace at the impending doom of the COVID-19 pandemic. March 2020 finally came, bearing a myriad of complications for Brown, Sklash, and their crew. Despite these complications, though, they managed to transform the motel into an Instagram influencer haven and opened The June Motel in September 2020, per Decider.

The motel in Sauble Beach is actually one of two June Motels that exist in Canada. Brown and Sklash actually renovated their first motel property back in 2016 in Prince Edward County. "When we had the idea to buy our first motel in Prince Edward County, we saw it as a platform for our passions of wine, wellness, and curated travel," Brown told Architectural Digest in September. "We did most of the renovations ourselves, with the help of friends and family. They'd come to visit us on weekends, and we'd be like, 'Great that you're here, how about we wallpaper 10 rooms today?'"

Since the first season of the show was released in August, Netflix has not said a word about the fate of "Motel Makeover." It is still unknown if viewers will watch April Brown and Sarah Sklash renovate and design another motel in a second season, though they have hinted at the fact that they've been searching for new motel properties in the United States. As Brown told The Washington Post, the Canadian moteliers have traveled to destinations like Miami, Florida to scope out future locations for a third June Motel. "We actually call them 'inspo trips,'" Brown told The Washington Post. "And it's one of our favorite things to do to refuel and see new things and what other hotels are doing, both from a design perspective but also a service perspective. We really still need to make it to Austin and go to all of the Bunkhouse motel properties, which are high on our list of sources of inspiration over the years."

Brown and Sklash have also spoken about their vision for the future of The June Motel with Refinery29, telling the publication that they want to renovate more hidden gems and continue to provide a unique motel experience to visitors from around the world. "I think ultimately our goal is to do a lot more of that; finding the next destinations that people want to travel to, opening up more motels, and building an amazing team of women who want to help bring that dream to life," Brown told Refinery29.

Given the fact that they are the co-owners and creators of The June Motel, it's highly likely that best friends and business partners April Brown and Sarah Sklash will return if a second season of "Motel Makeover" premieres on Netflix. While both women are passionate about interior design, they had to lean into their individual strengths during the renovation project in Sauble Beach, Ontario. As the pair detailed for Architectural Digest, Brown, a former public relations expert, handled The June Motel's branding and marketing, while Sklash handled the finances and logistics in order to stretch their small budget as far as possible. On "Motel Makeover," viewers also meet two other members of The June Motel's team, project manager Courtney Mann and small-town contractor, Rick, according to Fashion. If the reality television show does have comic relief, it exists in the sheer bewilderment that Rick experiences when the girls attempt to show him what a mirror selfie is, or pressure him to try rosé for the first time. In the end, it's clear that Rick and the girls have developed an unlikely friendship.

"We both established the vision, and our project manager, Courtney Mann, took care of the crew, timelines, and sourcing," Brown told Architectural Digest. "We like to say that at the end of a hard day, there's someone to have a glass of wine and commiserate with, and at the end of a great day, there's someone to have a glass of wine and celebrate with! Either way, there's wine."

Prior to renovating their first June Motel property in 2016, April Brown and Sarah Sklash hated their jobs. As Brown told Architectural Digest, she was working in public relations while Sklash was working for the government. The pair first met in college, where they both were majoring in business, and quickly formed a tight bond and friendship. At some point, though, Brown and Sklash admitted a fairly brave thing to one another — that they were unhappy in their careers and wanted to pursue a career doing something that would make them happy. Enter: The June Motel. By 2016, Brown and Sklash had become amateur interior decorators and renovators, completely redesigning their homes. "We wanted a better quality of life, and we wanted to do something that was connected to our personal values and interests," the pair said in a statement on The June Motel's Instagram account. "The June exists today because together we were brave enough to say 'What we're doing right now isn't working, let's take a leap and try something we've never done before.'"⁠

While they each knew a thing or two about curating aesthetically-pleasing environments, Brown and Sklash had to learn everything they now know about the logistics of renovating properties from trial and error, as they did not have the funds to hire a team to help them when they opened the first June Motel, per Architectural Digest. Now, after simply relying on one another, they have learned what it takes to make a splash in the travel industry.