At The Hospitality Show 2026, PlainsCraft owner Dennis Steinman outlined how hotels, resorts, and other traditional hospitality properties could incorporate outdoor accommodations and amenities to diversify inventory, activate underused land, and respond to demand for experience-driven stays.
The company is showcasing its covered wagons at the event, positioning them as an option for hospitality operators looking to create accommodations that differ from conventional hotel rooms. According to Steinman, the opportunity extends beyond adding another unit to a property and can include creating a distinct guest experience in areas that may otherwise have limited use.
“For hotel operators, developers, investors, and property owners, the opportunity isn’t simply to add another room. It’s to create a stay guests specifically seek out, remember, share, and are willing to pay a premium to experience.”
The Hospitality Show 2026 is providing PlainsCraft with an opportunity to introduce its products to hotel operators, developers, investors, and property owners outside the outdoor hospitality markets it has traditionally served. Steinman told HotelManagement that the company is seeing increasing overlap between traditional hospitality and outdoor lodging, with established hospitality brands exploring outdoor and glamping concepts.
Covered wagons can be positioned in different areas of an existing property, including near lakes, trails, scenic viewpoints, or other destination amenities. PlainsCraft says the units can provide another accommodation type and rate category while allowing operators to approach property expansion differently from a conventional hotel addition.
For outdoor hospitality operators, the company’s Shower Houses and Outhouses were originally developed to provide amenities near glamping accommodations without private bathrooms. PlainsCraft is also presenting these products to the broader hospitality market, where they could potentially support pools, beaches, outdoor event areas, recreation facilities, and other amenities that require nearby restroom or shower infrastructure.
Steinman said the company is seeing travelers increasingly seek outdoor experiences without necessarily bringing an RV or camping equipment. These guests may still expect features such as climate control, comfortable beds, and private bathrooms. This positioning has contributed to overlap between glamping and traditional lodging, as campgrounds and RV resorts have expanded their accommodation offerings to reach guests who want an outdoor setting without supplying their own lodging.
“We believe there’s an equally interesting opportunity for traditional hospitality to move in that direction as well.”
For hotel and resort owners, the approach can involve identifying portions of an existing property that have recreational, scenic, or experiential value but are not being used to their full potential. A separate glamping accommodation could create a different type of inventory without necessarily requiring the same development approach as a conventional hotel expansion.
The business case, however, depends on property-specific factors such as infrastructure, access, permitting, utilities, guest demand, and the cost of developing and operating the additional accommodations. Operators considering outdoor units also need to determine whether the location can support the service levels and guest expectations associated with the property’s existing brand and pricing strategy.
PlainsCraft’s participation in The Hospitality Show comes as the company looks toward 2027 and what Steinman describes as continued convergence between traditional hospitality, outdoor hospitality, and experiential travel. He pointed to hotels expanding into outdoor experiences alongside campgrounds and RV resorts adding more sophisticated lodging and amenities.
“We’re most excited about the continued convergence of traditional hospitality, outdoor hospitality, and experiential travel.”
The trend could give property owners additional ways to evaluate their existing real estate. Rather than viewing expansion solely through the number of additional traditional rooms that can be built, operators can assess whether specific portions of a property could support an accommodation tied to scenery, recreation, or other destination features. For outdoor hospitality businesses, the same consideration can apply in reverse as operators evaluate how differentiated accommodations and amenities can broaden their customer base and revenue mix.
As the hospitality and outdoor lodging sectors continue to overlap, the resulting development models may include a combination of conventional rooms, glamping accommodations, and outdoor amenities within a single destination. For operators, the practical opportunity lies in determining whether such a mix aligns with their property, target market, infrastructure, regulatory requirements, and financial objectives.
