The global camping and caravanning market is booming, projected to reach $71.4 billion in 2026, according to an analysis report by Grand View Research and Revenue Type. But behind the scenes, campground operators are feeling the squeeze. With labor, property insurance, and utility maintenance costs steadily rising, as stated by EcoFlow’s findings, running a profitable park requires leaner, more efficient operations than ever before. Yet, a glaring bottleneck remains for many businesses: the very property management systems (PMS) designed to help them run their parks.
While the broader hospitality world adapts to modern technology, many outdoor operators are stuck battling rigid software platforms, inadequate customer support, and restricted integrations.
The “Ticket-Closing” Culture vs. Real Service
A PMS should be a service partner, not just a software vendor. If your software provider prioritizes closing support tickets over solving operational bottlenecks, you are losing valuable time.
“Buying software is one of my least favorite things to do in the world,” Matt Whitermore, managing director at Travo, said during the October 28th episode of MC Fireside Chats.
Whitermore explained that too many SaaS providers operate with an adversarial relationship toward their users, focusing heavily on a culture of closing tickets rather than addressing root problems. For a busy campground owner trying to prepare for the upcoming season, navigating an endless maze of automated prompts only to wait a week for a resolution is simply unacceptable.
“It shouldn’t be the culture of, ‘Well, I need 1,000 requests that are similar to this to consider building out that new feature,'” Whitermore noted. He argued that software development has become fast enough that a single operator’s genuine operational challenge should be enough to warrant a solution.
Built for Transaction Fees, Not Operations
Your PMS needs to handle your day-to-day operations seamlessly. If you have to use a separate app for housekeeping, maintenance, and marketing, your software isn’t doing its job.
Sarah Stahl, founder of Market Movers Travel, agreed, noting that a major shortfall in the industry is software that completely ignores operational realities.
“Most property management systems are not built for operations,” Stahl said, recalling her own experiences managing a treehouse resort. She explained that without built-in features for core tasks like maintenance and housekeeping, operators are forced to cobble together multiple, disconnected software platforms just to keep the lights on and the cabins clean.
Sherise Gumbs, founder of CampGuide, echoed this sentiment, adding that many legacy systems—particularly those backed by private equity—are designed primarily around maximizing their own transaction fees rather than improving the user experience.
“They’re just made to make money,” Gumbs stated. She pointed out the frustrating reality that for some of the industry’s largest tools, operators have to download financial reports into a CSV file, make manual changes offline, and re-upload the spreadsheet just to alter their nightly rates. According to Gumbs, basic tasks like updating a cancellation policy still require a support ticket and a five-to-seven business day wait.
The API Lock-Down and the Future of AI
Closed systems limit your ability to scale. Open APIs are table stakes for a modern tech stack, allowing you to easily plug in AI agents, automated marketing, and custom operations tools.
As artificial intelligence begins to reshape hospitality, the divide between open and closed software systems is widening. Whitermore, whose AI-native real estate brokerage relies heavily on integrations, argued that the future belongs to software built to talk directly to AI agents.
“I don’t want to touch your software, I just want Claude to run your software,” he said, expressing frustration over vendors who block third-party tools or require months of back-and-forth communication just to grant basic API access. Instead of fostering innovation, many legacy providers are actively locking down their data due to misplaced fears over AI scraping.
While the broader travel industry has embraced open ecosystems, outdoor hospitality software is still catching up. According to the 2024 Outdoor Hospitality Industry Technology Study by OHI, 76% of parks now use some form of automation technology, yet operators frequently hit a wall when trying to connect those tools to their central reservation systems.
If campground providers keep their platforms locked, operators will be watching hoteliers and short-term rental hosts use AI-driven tools their own PMS can’t touch — and waiting seven business days to change a cancellation policy won’t feel like a minor annoyance anymore.
The full episode of this MC Fireside Chats broadcast is available at https://mcfiresidechats.com/fireside-chats/mc-fireside-chats-october-28th-2026/.
About MC Fireside Chats
MC Fireside Chats is a live podcast experience dedicated to the outdoor hospitality and outdoor recreation industries. Hosted by Brian Searl, founder and CEO of Insider Perks and Modern Campground, the show offers engaging discussions with industry leaders, innovators, and experts shaping the future of camping, RVing, glamping, and outdoor recreation.
Airing every Wednesday at 2 p.m. (ET), the show follows a structured weekly theme to deliver deep dives into the most relevant topics:
- Week 1: Industry Trends & Insights
- Week 2: Enhancing Guest Experience
- Week 3: Business Operations & Management
- Week 4: Marketing, AI, and Technology
Each episode features a panel of recurring guests, complemented by 1–2 rotating special guests, including industry analysts, campground owners, technology providers, sustainability advocates, and more. Whether exploring the latest market trends or innovative guest experience strategies, MC Fireside Chats delivers thought-provoking insights for professionals and enthusiasts across the outdoor recreation spectrum.
To explore previous episodes of MC Fireside Chats, visit: moderncampground.com/mc-fireside-chats.
