MC Fireside Chats- August 9th, 2023

Announcer: [00:00:00] This is MC fireside Chats, a weekly show featuring conversations with thought leaders, entrepreneurs, and outdoor hospitality experts who share their insights to help your business succeed. Hosted by Brian Searl, the founder and c e o of Insider Perks, empowered by insights from Modern Campground, the most innovative news source in the industry.

Brian: Welcome everybody to another episode of MC Fireside Chats. My name’s Brian Searl with Insider Perks. Super excited to have a [00:01:00] brand new intro. This is the second week guys that I’ve had the intro and I didn’t realize how much I care, but don’t care about the intro, but it’s nice to just change it up and have a new spicy thing, right, that we can look at with different imagery and stuff like that.

You spent like a year and a half, so finally did that. I don’t know if it’s better or worse. Nobody needs to judge me live on air, but you can privately think that it’s terrible or good. Uh, but thanks, uh, for joining us again, we’re super excited to be here for our glamping focused episode, which happens the second week of every month.

We’ve got Zach and Zach from Clockwork. Uh, we’ve got Conna Schwab from Sage Outdoor Hospitality, both joining us as recurring guests. And we’ve got two special guests. We’ve got Chris from, is it Monument Glamping? I’m terrible with reading notes. Chris, and he’s a YouTube star. Uh, a couple million subscribers, I think, right?

Uh, working his way to a couple million subscribers, I think is what I really wanted say. Uh, and then we’ve got Vidar did I do that right? 

Vidar: Yeah, that’s perfect. 

Brian: I put it times before we started, but I got it right. Vidar from Nordic Lamping in the uk, [00:02:00] he’s gonna talk a little bit about his stuff and projects that he has going on.

So, uh, you know, Connor, you weren’t here before we started the show. We just kind of jumped on briefly. We did. We were gonna talk about some of Zach’s projects that he’s gonna, he’s been working on recently. He’s got a, well, a bunch of people who are coming to him for all kinds of things, as I’m sure you do too.

But, um, talk a little bit about what you’ve got going on, Zach, and we’ll lead into some of these really cool projects that and Chris have going on too. 

Zach: Yeah, absolutely. So, like I said, we’re, we’re actually really excited. Um, you know, we’ve been extremely busy through, through the summer. Um, development seems to kind of be fa uh, seasonal, right?

Like everybody wants to be under construction during the, the spring and summer months. And so you back up from that, uh, plans and permitting usually in the fall. And so, um, there, there’s. Tends to be kind of peak times of the year where we get more inquiries about developing new resorts. And then there’s kind of some downtime, some off time, um, where things slow down a little bit.

We get caught up on some of [00:03:00] our projects. Um, and, and this year we didn’t see a slowdown. Um, it’s been pretty sustained. Um, you know, 2, 3, 4 calls a week about new projects, new development, new opportunities. I’ve probably written more proposals in the last two months, um, than I did in the previous six months this year.

Um, so things are definitely, you know, ramping up, which is, it’s good. Um, you know, I think there’s especially sort of state of politics in, in the country, um, heading into elections soon. There’s a lot of people that are, are somewhat more, you know, cautious or less likely to invest in things with, with some of those uncertainties.

And, um, it’s encouraging that at least in outdoor hospitality, we’re, we’re not seeing a slowdown. Um, I think some of the conversations I’ve had with, with lenders, with banks, with private equity, there’s still a lot of capital available for these projects. Um, there’s still a lot of, of, uh, faith and, and I guess, uh, consumer [00:04:00] confidence in this industry.

So yeah, it’s, it’s been moving along very well. Um, and, and I’ve got, you know, folks like you, Brian and, and Connor to thank, um, a lot of our success in this industry has been, um, you know, the partners. 

Brian: Connor’s not mine. I don’t really you blame Connor 

for that one. 

Zach: You know, it’s, it’s our partners, right?

It’s all the people that we work with, um, and, and then doing, doing a good job for our clients and delivering what we say we’re gonna do. So, um, yeah, it’s, it’s, it’s been great. Um, we, as far as like project updates, uh, we’ve had two projects that we’ve recently gone through The, the planning and zoning. Um, piece to get either the, the site plans approved or special use permits approved.

Um, and both of those projects, uh, were, were approved. So moving forward, that’s always good news in our, our business. Um, and then, uh, just this week we’ve [00:05:00] signed, uh, contracts on three new developments. One in, in California will be our first project in California, um, which I, I think, you know, over the years we’ve had a couple of those opportunities and kind of passed on it because of the regulatory environment, the state, um, yeah, kind of the anti-business, anti-development.

Um, but you know, we finally came across a project and a group, um, a client that we couldn’t say no to. Um, it was just an incredible opportunity. So very excited to, to be starting that project. So I’ll be out, uh, out to visit the property and, and meet the owners and, and do kind of a kickoff this next week.

Um, And then, uh, continued interest in Georgia. Um, we did our first project in Georgia about a year and a half ago. Um, we just got construction permits on, on that, so they’re underway. Um, and a lot of continued sustained interest in the state. Um, we’ve looked at four or five [00:06:00] projects, but we just went under contract on, on a new project down there, uh, near Providence Canyon State Park.

And then, uh, the third one, um, client we’ve been kind of working with on and off over several months, um, trying to find the right property. We looked at a lot of different options. Came up, did a couple visits. Um, they finally got under contract. Um, actually the very first property that we looked at, the, the one that was kind of their dream property.

Nice. So, super excited for them that, that they got the land, uh, going. So we’ll be starting the planning and zoning process and master plan design on that. Um, so very excited for them. That they’ve, they found a place to land and, um, excited to move forward with them. So, but yeah, all, all good things. 

Brian: It continues to amaze me just how many variables go into, like, I’ve been in this industry for, I don’t know, like it keeps adding a year every year.

And I, for somehow, somehow I get older. So I keep wanting to say 12, but I feel like it’s been 15 now. [00:07:00] But every year that I go into this business, you think, you know, like there’s, like, I continually know so much stuff, right? And then you continue to talk to people like Zach and Connor and Chris and v and you just learn something new every week about how much goes into this and the development process and the permitting and the land use selection and the ebbs and flows of the business.

And, and it’s really kind of interesting to me because I think for me, and, and obviously I was wrong, but for me, like a year ago, I would’ve told you that there’s gonna be some hesitancy with interest rates and stuff like that. Mm-hmm. And I, I don’t think we’re seeing that at all, because I think people can build that into their purchase prices.

But I think that we’re, right now, we’re at least on the Campground side, obviously not on the glamping side that you’re talking about. We’re seeing a pause in acquisitions temporarily, because the asking price has not yet come down to what the realistic price is, given the change in interest rates in the economy and all that kind of stuff.

At least in not all cases. But is that kind of what you guys are seeing? But it’s just interesting to me in general, just ebb and flow of how so many things have to converge to make everything perfect. [00:08:00] 

Zach: Yeah. I would say I think, you know, a lot of the work that we’re doing is new, grind up, new development, so greenfield sides.

Um, I, I think it’s a little bit different looking at the acquisition model. Um, yeah. And I think that that’s, that’s probably absolutely true with respect to some of those. Um, we do have some of those projects. Uh, the other thing I think that the, the interest rate climate has created, we’re seeing a, a big increase in.

Project interest on leased land, um, where somebody’s coming in and saying, you know, we’re not, we’re not gonna drop, uh, you know, a couple million dollars to, to acquire acres of land. Um, but we’re interested in, in leasing this even on, you know, the, the more massive development side. We have, uh, established real estate developers that are looking at, can I get, uh, a lease from the Corps of Engineers for a lake?

Or can I get a lease from a city on some underutilized park space or, or public [00:09:00] lands. Um, and I think that for a long time there people were kind of scared off of the lease and, and investors said, no, you know, the, the real estate is the asset. That’s the value. That’s what we’re interested in. So they weren’t considering lease deals.

Um, and we’ve seen a lot more interest in, in development projects, in outdoor hospitality on lease plan. 

Brian: Do you think that’s because of the interest rate change or that just has nothing to do with I’m an idiot.

Zach: No, I I think we, 

Brian: I actually got one, right? I never get things right. 

Zach: No, you’re, you’re right, you’re right.

Um, you know, when you look at the model, right? The, the overall financial model, um, you know, when you’re doing your, your projections and things, you always have some sort of a debt payment, right? It’s a loan, something that covers both the building and construction as well as the land acquisition cost. And, and so I think, you know, you treat a lease payment as the same thing, right?

It’s, it’s a controlled cost, it’s a set amount. Um, but what [00:10:00] it has done is if I needed to, to sink, you know, $3 million into land acquisition and then another $3 million to build out my resort, um, now, you know, that became a $6 million project. So when, when interest rates were low, that was doable. Now that we’re seeing interest rates approaching 10, 12, 15%.

Um, you know, people look and say, well, gosh, if I lease the land, my operating expenses, my budgeting is the same except I don’t have the upfront $3 million purchase price of the land. I’ve got a controlled set amount for the next, you know, 25 to 50 years. Um, and, and they look at just as another, you know, operating expense or a debt payment.

Um, and, but it keeps the upfront investment lower. Now I only am financing the build out the construction cost of something. So when interest rates go up, we’re always looking for more creative [00:11:00] ways to still make the budget work, still make the numbers work, and not having a land acquisition cost in a a development project is a big way to bring that down.

Yeah, 

Chris Jeub: yeah. If I can pipe in and, and say something. 

Brian: Yeah. I was just gonna 

ask the glamping guy for his thought. Introduce yourself first though, Chris, please, so they know who you are. 

Chris Jeub: Oh yeah. I’m Chris Chu. I, I own Monument Glamping here in Monument Colorado. Uh, we have two properties, 12 units open right now.

Uh, we’re in a 21 day review right now to get up to 20 units, so that’s, that’s kind of where my level of glamping is. And, um, and it’s going really well. Uh, and, and I, I’m in a lot of different, uh, glamping groups or little focus groups, uh, that, that I, I touch base with other ampers all over the country.

And, um, uh, American Glamping Association is one of ’em. And I saw you guys in the meeting just an hour ago. And, and, uh, the, the general consensus is that we’re not seeing, there’s an Airbnb dirge right now. Uh, people, all the Airbnb gurus are complaining about how Airbnb’s falling apart, [00:12:00] and it’s not, not, it’s quite the, uh, easy investment that it used to be, et cetera, et cetera.

So there’s a lot of doom and gloom out there with short-term rentals. And us ampers are kind of going, we’re not seeing it. I, it we’re booking out we’re, 

Brian: cause glamping is harder. Nothing should be as easy as Airbnb was in the beginning. Ridiculous. Like, that is sustainable if it’s not easy. Yeah. 

Chris Jeub: Yeah. That’s right. Well, the, uh, so anyway, glamping is, is going fantastic. I’m, uh, I’ve got more good news than bad news. The bad news is just the general operational stuff that this goes on with the, with the, with the program and, and, but it’s all good. I I, I’m, I’m having a blast here in Colorado doing what I’m doing and, uh, and I’m glad you called me the glamping guy.

Brian. You’re one of my, on YouTube. You go to glamping guy.com and see, I, I’m, I’m a teacher at heart. Mm-hmm. I left teaching to do glamping full-time. Uh, and that’s, that’s my story. So I, this is my fifth season into running a glamping operation. [00:13:00] My wife and I love it. Uh, but I feel like I’m hoarding all this awesome knowledge and awesome development so, Glamping guy.com is my journal, you might say, of my blogging and vlogging journal of, uh, of stuff I’m doing.

I just released, 

Brian: just be careful because I thought I was that guy too. And then I started talking to smart people, like back and realized 

Chris Jeub: claiming to be the glamping guy. But you know, the URL was available. 

Brian: I’m not sure you’ve got it, but I don’t have it. That’s all I’m saying. 

Chris Jeub: I’m gonna grab it. 

Brian: Continue though, please.

I’m sorry. 

Chris Jeub: Oh, yes. That’s, that’s just, uh, well, here, here’s my, here’s my story, Brian, and, and anybody who’s watching. So in 2019, I was a teacher and I had the summers off and I owned a curriculum company on the side. And we have a beautiful piece of property that we moved into 23 years ago. Uh, but I, but it’s a, it’s a fixer upper.

And then we remodeled the bedroom and we moved my, I built a platform outside. I put my hunting tent up on the, on the platform [00:14:00] and moved my master bedroom outdoors. And Wendy and I loved, We had a great time for a month and a half. Instead of sleeping in the living room, we were out there under canvas and just, just having a great time while we were doing this remodel.

And after the remodel, we decided to put it up in Airbnb to see what would happen. We booked out the rest of the summer. I couldn’t believe it. You know, my hunting gear that’s usually in storage was actually making me money. And uh, and then the next summer we put up two tents, and then the next summer we did three tents and three container homes.

That’s kind of another story where we, uh, I’m in one of my container homes right now and we started developing these things and um, um, and then that’s when I started getting into trouble. We started talking about, uh, uh, zoning and planning and, and all that, the building. I started getting yellow jackets in my front yard.

I call ’em yellow jackets. They show up in your front yard wearing a yellow jacket with a badge, and they say, we’re from the government and we’re here to help. 

Brian: Yeah, it’s really ridiculous. We should just all get together as glamping people and start our own country somewhere. [00:15:00] Regulation and everything except glamping.

Chris Jeub: Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. 

Zach: I think we could easily take over the UK at this point. You know, and we know that they’re, they’re already friendly towards glamping, right? They’re No, we’d be able to turn enough of the existing ones to our side. 

Vidar: Yeah. Yeah. I think the challenge is that it’s, I, I think we are actually seeing a bit of a inflation in the markets when it comes to the amount of glamping sites that’s gone up over the last few years.

And every landlord wants to do it ’cause 

Brian: well, we would just get rid of inflation for you. That wouldn’t be part 

Vidar: of, just have to get rid of inflation. No, I think with, um, ’cause there’s been massive encouragement from the government, uh, to, to do this. And there’s actually, even though planning rules are really, really strict in the UK when it comes to houses and land use and so on, when it comes to actual glamping, it is quite easy.

And, um, a lot [00:16:00] of landlords wants to do it because of that. And you can, you can legally have a, a site up for 28 days. So while they actually change it to 60 days now, um, definitely in my county, um, with our planning permission, you need to notify the planners so they can come and have an inspection on your site.

But, um, it’s, um, it’s very easy to, to get stuff up and running if you have some gear. And knowledge, obviously. 

Brian: So what is, what is Nordic glamping tell us? 

Vidar: Nordic Lamping is, is basically me. Um, it’s, um, I always know all the 

Brian: best things start man is just with you. 

Vidar: Yeah, it is. It is Less, less, less problems, less conflicts.

Um, anyway, I was super, uh, I got super interested in, uh, in, in yurt structures by reading some articles online and in a couple of magazines. And then we started looking into the, [00:17:00] me and my wife, we love to travel and, and, uh, she didn’t like to to go Camping, so she, but she was happy to go glamping. So we, we stayed in various yurts and various other structures.

Um, started doing that about eight years ago, eight, nine years ago. Here in the UK mainly. ’cause the scene was already pretty established here. Um, and, uh, it was just a pleasurable way of, of, of holidaying. And, uh, and I thought, man, I, I start building some structures myself. ’cause I’m, I’m pretty hands-on.

I’m from a family of furniture makers, so on the west coast of Norway, so, so I, I just, yeah. Started it a few years back. Hmm. So I do, at the moment, I, as I’m sitting at one of my earths here, um, rent them out for festivals for, uh, weddings and [00:18:00] events that need, uh, somewhere for people to stay. I currently don’t have like, big wedding yurts and stuff.

Um, that’s an investment I haven’t chosen to take on yet. Um, but yeah, no, it’s all very low key, um, in a conversation with various landlords, uh, about starting up sites. ’cause, uh, as you say, interest rates and what they call it, like the cost of living crisis, we call it here in the uk, has impacted people’s affordability.

So that is hitting me, I would say, um, significantly, uh, people rather pay like. A third of a cost to, to rent a cheap belt tent than a yurt with a wooden floor and a, a wood burner. So, so I, I have to, I have to utilize my yurts in a different way ’cause I have a portfolio of yurt stamp, um, I spending too much time sitting [00:19:00] inside another yurt for storage.

So, so that’s, um, that’s kind of where we are. Um, but yeah, so markets, uh, the rental market is challenging, but, uh, glamping market is still, is still going strong. But I, there is a lot of sites, um, popping up these days. So I’ll be interesting to, to, to speak to a lot of my contacts by the end of, uh, end of a season and at the local, well, the UK Glamping Show, which is in mid-September.

Uh, get some updates there. That’s really good. Good show, uh, in Midlands here in the uk. So, uh, yeah. 

Zach: So Vita, you mentioned, um, kind of your background. Uh, did you build your yurts or did you source them through a, a supplier and, and if so, who? 

Vidar: No, I, I build them all from scratch, so it’s all steam bent hardwood, um, with a heavy duty canvas from, uh, I use a supplier that has a [00:20:00] long history of, uh, supplying like military canvas.

So it’s really durable stuff. It’s, uh, it’s uh, a mix of cotton and polyester, so it feels and looks like, like cotton, but it’s far more durable and uh, and really good stuff. Uh, lasts for years, 10 decades, so, yeah. Hmm, that’s good stuff. Do you think I do it all myself. 

Brian: Do you think that that is, ’cause to me that is right from a marketing guy perspective, but also from a consumer perspective.

And I know this is ant everybody right? But that’s a difference maker to me. The handmade, the quality. Hmm. Difference in the personal touch. So have you Yeah. Thought about, or do you already, I’m sure you do a little bit market that way. Difference. 

Vidar: Yeah. I need to, my marketing, uh, that, that’s for sure. I’ve tried to use a company, I wasn’t too happy with it, but I think I need to, to spend more effort and I was quite, quite pleased to, to, to be [00:21:00] introduced to the YouTuber here as well.

That’s something I thought about maybe doing, uh, doing a kind of, uh, workshop, video shots and stuff like that to introduce people to the materials and how it’s handled, how things actually come to life. Um, so, so that’s something I’m, uh, yeah, I’m, I’m quite interested in. 

Zach: And 

Connor Schwab: are you doing business in, uh, in Norway or in the uk?

Vidar: Uh, no, I’m not doing business in Norway at the moment. It’s a bit of a hurdle with the whole Brexit thing. Uh, so, uh, yeah, not at the moment. Okay. So this is all happening in the UK and Yeah. And mm-hmm. 

Connor Schwab: And you’re renting yurts out for temporary events, so set up, take down in like a week or two or a couple days?

Vidar: Yeah. 

Connor Schwab: Wow. So you’re the first 

person I’ve heard of doing temporary or like event stays with a yurt. Obviously it’s quite common with, with glamping bell tents. Yeah. Um, but how long does it take you to set one of those up and take ’em down? 

Vidar: Uh, two hours pitching where [00:22:00] the wood burner, all the interior and a wooden floor.

So it’s not too bad. And that’s just, that’s just one man. So, yeah. 

Connor Schwab: Wow. Are you, and then are you selling the units? 

Vidar: Yeah, I have them for sale as well, so I am selling them. Yeah. 

Connor Schwab: Okay. 

Brian: Connor will take 20.

Connor Schwab: No, that’s, it’s a cool, it’s a cool story and I think I’m.

Vidar: I’m sure we can go off with a trade deal between the UK and the us. It’s in the, it’s in the working, I believe. 

Connor Schwab: Well, and I think you having like lineage in a, uh, like West Coast Norwegian furniture making family is a really cool story. Um, yeah, it’s making sure people are aware of that.

Um, it’s nice to know that it’s, yeah, there’s, there’s a story and a person and a craftsman behind 

it, so that’s pretty cool. 

Vidar: Yeah. I need to get, get, I need to get some u over and take some pictures of, uh, of the west coast. It’s not, it’s not a bad place. 

Connor Schwab: It is the best place ever. [00:23:00] 

Vidar: The days that it doesn’t rain ridiculously so, 

Connor Schwab: yeah.

Brian: It’s interesting though, like we talked earlier in the beginning, right? About the ebbs and flows and, and all the different things that go into the market. But from a, just a marketing standpoint too, you see that a little bit, at least I do in my world, from the ebb and flow of like, sometimes we think consumers care about the story.

Sometimes we think they do, and then it kind of, and I don’t know whether that follows the economy the whole time. I don’t think it does. And I think we tend to just kind of overestimate the course correction that people are doing. And maybe it doesn’t fluctuate as much as we think, but I for sure think that’s a great story that you should embrace.

Chris Jeub: Yeah. I, I, I was just gonna say that too. V um, check out Davis tent. I, I, i, there Davis tent davis tent.com. I buy their tents outta Denver and, and one of the reasons I go with them is because they have a lot of their story in it. Now, the, the Davis family, there’s one Davis that still works there, but it’s owned by somebody else.

But the Davis fam, they, they kept that, that brand because of the story. And they’re, [00:24:00] they’re, they’re mountain hunters and, and, and they, they, but they have like videos where they talk about what, you talk about the fabric and why their, their vi their, their canvas is top of the line canvas and they compare it to the Cabela’s garbage and stuff, things like that.

They, they have those kinds of how to lock a tent, you know, you can lock a tent. There’s a video where Chris Davis is actually showing you how to lock it up and, and, uh, those kinds of things and mm-hmm. As well as the, they, they boast about being a 50 year old, 10 tent manufacturer. Yeah. And that story, that the, the, the story element, I mean, Mike Lepers really do appreciate to know that there’s a story that they’re staying in, they’re staying in this camp that I have their brochure in my, in our, in our, in our welcome book and, and stuff.

So they can see, hey, these are Davis tents out of Denver, Colorado. And, uh, and that becomes part of their experience. Is the story of the, of the structure. 

Brian: Well that’s the thing and I think it always will be right Part of [00:25:00] that story. So even if you go into like boutique hotels, right? I think there’s a tendency sometimes from a, if I’m a marketer trying to reach as many people as I can at scale that this more, I don’t wanna call it a niche audience, but a lesser audience of people who will go stay at a boutique hotel versus just whatever’s cheaper or whatever the chain they stayed at always is, right?

But I think it’s a big enough audience that for, and I think it’s growing too. Would you agree with that? I dunno if your data shows that Connor, but I feel like Boutique Hotel’s, boutique Lamping niche is growing in popularity versus the other. 

Connor Schwab: Yeah, I think ex experiential hospitality, which is kind of tied in with a story, I think is, uh, all I’ve heard is good things.

And I think, and 

I think Conscious Capital is, is a big, becoming a big driver and eco-friendly. And I think I. There is always gonna be customers, and maybe it’s the majority of customers that are gonna purchase based off price. Um, but I think there’s a, a growing segment who wants to put their money, wants to put their money towards, [00:26:00] towards a business or a person that, um, you know, they feel good about.

Brian: And for sure, I think there’s a balance there. Right? So let’s just, just a good example, right, is me pivoting that we said, I was said before I was gonna talk to Iceland about Iceland real quick, right? Mm-hmm. So we’re planning this trip, me and my girlfriend to Iceland at the beginning of September for two weeks.

And we’re not gonna go around the whole ring road ’cause we wanna drive six hours a day, right? We’re gonna take the whole kind of south coast or whatever and do take our time. And so we’re researching accommodations and I don’t know if anybody’s too familiar with Iceland, but like Revic is the main city there, and then there are tiny, tiny little cities everywhere else.

But for the most part, accommodations are few and far between in the typical way that we would think of. There’s a Marriott in the Hilton on every corner. And so really these chain hotels don’t exist outside of that landscape. So, Your choices are a couple hotels here and there, or guest houses, which are like the communal, like hostels, right?

In Europe, uh, or like these new glamping startups that are all over the place. And so [00:27:00] you’ll see these that have popped up in these fields in Iceland that are domes that you can look at the stars that are unique, you know, little cave things that are right, and, and all kinds of different stuff. The problem for us is they’re just, there’s, and what I’m talking about, the middle ground, right, is I wanna support boutique, I wanna support small, but for one, Iceland is more expensive than everywhere else.

It’s one of the most expensive places in the world. But we were looking at some of these glam accommodations. They’re 900 bucks a night versus the hotel that’s really nice down the street, right? That may not be in the middle of nowhere, may not have that same experience, is three to 500. And that’s a big gap no matter what your income level is.

So I think there’s, there’s that balance that we’re still struggling to find, whether it’s in Iceland or the US or Canada or wherever else between, like we want people to make money. But they’re like, how much can you really support realistically outta your pocketbook, especially with an interest rate, increasing food prices, all that kind of stuff.

Chris Jeub: Well, that would go to the, that would go to the argument that they’re, they’re charging $900 a night because they can 

Brian: Oh, sure. I’m not [00:28:00] saying they shouldn’t, I’m not saying they should lower prices at all, but 

Chris Jeub: experiential glamping is outplaying the, the standard Marriotts, and, and, and that’s, uh, 

Brian: well, yes and no.

I mean, not necessarily in Iceland just because of the smaller cities. There’s just not enough for a Marriott to exist anywhere outside of Revic or 

Chris Jeub: just a hotel. Like you’re saying hotels are $300 versus experience at $900. That’s, um, well, that’s, that’s quite the gap. 

Brian: I mean, I think the, right, so like if you look at like when we’re traveling in these tiny towns, there’s literally like two hotels.

Four hotels, two hotels, that’s it. And they’re three to four hours apart from each other. So I think it’s a demand consequence too. Mm-hmm. Of just there’s not enough room. 

Zach: Yeah. But to the point earlier, you know, when we talk about experiential based hospitality, that $900 is not what you’re paying for the accommodation.

It’s, it’s what is the experience that’s being delivered with that? You [00:29:00] know, I can’t lay in a bed in a Marriott and look up and see the Northern Lights. Um, I’m not, you know, greeted with some beautiful panoramic view out of a, a hotel window that’s, you know, this far from the building next door, um, which you want. And so I think.

Chris Jeub: You don’t wanna go in a to a hotel, you wanna go experience iceland, 

Zach: right? And so I, I think that’s, that’s one of those differentiators that when we look at experiential based hospitality that we’re saying, you know, if you, if you’re the consumer that is only looking at the price point or, or, and I think availability and, and market probably ties into that a little bit as well.

But if, if the bottom line. Is all that you care about. Glamping will never compete with traditional hospitality. If you want the cheapest place to stay for a night, go stay in a hotel. But you also don’t want those people, right? No. And and we’re not, we’re not targeting those [00:30:00] people, right? You know, the people that have come to glamping, the people that are seeking that experience are willing to pay more for it so long as there’s a perceived value in what they’re getting.

You know, if somebody books that at $900 a night and shows up and, and it’s a, you know, crappy unit with a hard bed with sheets, you’re not sure when the last time they were laundered and, and they’ve got, you know, a, a composting toilet in the corner, right? Like, yeah, that’s not a premium guest experience and their perception of value is gonna look and say, gosh, you know, that was really expensive for no more than it is.

Yeah. Um, so I think as long as you’re delivering an experience that is, is commeasured with your price point and the market will dictate that, right? Like you put that out there at four, 500 bucks, people see the pictures and you don’t get any bookings. You’re, you’re trying to exceed the value that’s perceived by what you’re presenting. Right. Um, 

Brian: and lemme and [00:31:00] clarify like, I’m not, I’m not suggesting that I’m not arguing in favor of lowing prices at all. Like more power to them. No, you’re rated is the experience. I just, my, when we were talking about consumers, right, I think that as there becomes more of a middle ground between four and 500, that more consumers would be willing to support there than they would at nine if they wanted to support ACO tell story type 

thing.

Zach: And I think part of that discussion then goes back to operations, right? Like you could lower your price below market value and be a hundred percent full and you’re gonna be doing a lot more work to take care of it. You’re gonna be paying, you know, more fees. More operational costs and expenses, um, for, for a lower return, a lower revenue, you know, so, uh, you know, I think especially when we approach design on ING resorts, that’s one of the reasons it’s so important to be informed.

That’s why we look at, at, you know, Connor’s market analysis to, to see how many units can we support in this area, [00:32:00] and then figure out what is the average a d r? Where, where is that market? Do we think we’re above or below it with what we’re delivering? And then where’s that sweet spot where we’re making our clients the most money in the market that they’re in, um, with, you know, the, the least amount of kind of headaches from, from operations.

Um, so do you find that that is, it’s, it’s all a balance. 

Brian: Do you find that that’s in your research with Connor or anybody else? Do you find that that’s the price point? Like is it that high though, or is that just, I feel like that’s just Iceland, like certainly under cannabis has and collective retreats has really nice.

Right. Six, $700. And certainly there are some resorts that charge upwards of a thousand, but is there a number that you think is a, for a luxury type glamping resort that they could consistently make average wise across the states? 

Zach: You know, as always, I like to say it depends. 

Brian: Oh, sure. Okay, fine. 

Zach: You know, 

Brian: I’m not put you on the spot here, 

Zach: I’ll let Connor weigh in on, on the APR r discussion or the question.[00:33:00] 

Um, but what I would say is, you know, there is precedent, there are, there are examples. You know, if we, we look at the model created by places like Dutton Hot Springs or, or the resort at Pza, right? Those are two to $3,000 a night. Um, they, they are able to demand those higher rates because of the exclusivity of what they’re creating, right?

Um, when you look at their staff to guest ratio, you know, they may have 15 or 20 guests and 60 staff to take care of them. Because they’re delivering a premium experience. You know, you’re not microwaving a cup of noodles in your tent. You’re coming down and you’ve got a, a Michelin rated chef that is crafting a three-course meal specifically for you with locally sourced ingredients.

Um, you know, anything you want to drink, they have it. Um, and so I think it, it just plays back to that, what is the experience [00:34:00] and, and what can you command for the experience that you’re delivering 

Brian: Again. I agree. And I wanna let Connor, I’ll let you, Connor, I’ll go into it in one second. And I agree with you.

I think, I think my thing is, is, is certainly that experience for sure commands that rate. Certainly an experience in the middle of the field next to a waterfall or a nice mountain in Iceland for sure commands that price. But how much of a market is there? Like how many resorts can there be that charge two or $3,000 a night before the American consumer runs out of people who can afford that is my question.

Well, I think you could look 

Connor Schwab: at the hotel market, um, as an indicator for, for where we might go, you know, 20 to 30 years from now and see, you know, what percentage of a hotels are are five star, um, or, or luxury. So that’s probably the best looking glass we have in the future. Okay. Um, in terms of, so this is, this, this question is something that I spend a lot of time looking at and, and researching and I, I actually did this for a client ’cause they wanted to know, yeah. What, what would put you over a thousand for an A D R. And I think [00:35:00] it’s important to remember that average daily rate is truly the average of all the rates that you charge per night that year. So if you’re saying that your average daily rate is over a thousand, then that means you have some that are, you know, 13, $1,400 and some that are probably eight, $700 depending on seasonality and weekday versus weekend.

Um, but for something to be. Have an A D R and across all their units. We also see, you know, it’s pretty common that a property might have, you know, a honeymoon suite or one particularly luxury or a couple particularly luxury units or waterfront spots that are getting over a thousand. But as far as the site where across all of its glamping units, it’s getting an a d R over a thousand dollars is probably less than 20, probably be between 10 and 20 in the US right now.

Um, and yeah, usually that probably comes down to exclusivity guess to staff ratio, um, are probably kind of the two biggest things. So I don’t that answer your question, Brian? [00:36:00] 

Brian: I think so. I mean, I’m just trying to really prompt it and explore, you know, the dialogue more. I’m definitely not claiming I know ’cause I don’t, I.

You gentlemen know way more, way better than I do. So it’s just interesting to me. That’s all. Like, I’m trying to give the best advice I can to the people who are watching this show, who are interested in starting glamping unit pro projects, or who already have and are trying to figure out where do I go?

Do I target the high end, the mid end, the right? 

Zach: Mm-hmm. So I, I’d be interested Chris, and, and beat our, um, where, where are you guys at in, in your markets? What, what are you looking at, you know, what has your guest response been? What have you found kind of different times of the year? Um, and and how has that influenced sort of how you’ve developed, how you’ve grown?

Vidar: =Yeah, so I would say, I mean, UK is, is, is different. Uh, well, England and Oxfordshire, where I’m based England, you, you would have a, typically a five to six month season. Um, for [00:37:00] a, a lapping side of it with tent based structures, um, you are, you’re gonna struggle to get people into a, a damp yet in the, in the middle of the winter.

That is, uh, for, for the people within a, yeah, a quiet taste. So that’s why most people do this on a season seasonal basis. Whereas I know there are high end sites and I’ve studied in some of them, um, that do all year round. But they will have supportive structures and restaurants and enough things where people, enough structures, enough support structures to to, to justify staying there midwinter when it’s like seven degrees and rainy, um, it’s still comfortable.

So there are quite a few, I dunno if you have the Shepherds Hots over in, uh, in the US it’s basically a. Box on wheels [00:38:00] normally not that big. Normally like two and a half by five meters. Um, structures with, with, always with a wood burner and a, and a double bed. That’s normally what all of them have the night just add on with kitchens and showers and flushing toilets.

And so, so they, some of the higher end sites here, they, they struggle to charge more than 250 pounds a night. Uh, I would say there are, there are, there are obviously, um, those in the market that charge more better. It’s, uh, it’s, it’s different. It’s different to the high insights in the US that’s for sure.

And Iceland. So, uh, um, my experience from Norway is that there are some high end sites there, but they, they struggle to charge more than three, three and a half thousand, 4,000 knocking out. And that includes a onsite [00:39:00] chef in a small environment that would cook like steaks in front of you on a, on a grill in the middle of nowhere, and there will be hot tubs and lakes for while swimming and so on.

Um, yeah. But, um, it’s, um, it’s, it’s, it’s a diff there are different markets and here glamping is pretty well established and you can, you can stay in a belt tent for like 70, 70 pounds. So it’s about a hundred bucks, US ish. 80, 80 bucks for nine. 

Chris Jeub: Yeah. And, uh, if I can answer the question, this, this is, uh, I got so many ideas that, that are coming out of this discussion ’cause uh, uh, I really like the, the idea of experi, experiential glamping.

And I’ve kind of experimented with that idea, uh, over the last five years. Uh, just to give you some examples. One, we had, uh, what was called a Colorado cookout. Now I don’t have a [00:40:00] chef coming and doing all this stuff. That’s not, that’s not, that’s not my thing. And, um, something just happened to my computer. Can you guys see me still? 

Brian: Yep. We can see you. 

Zach: We can see you in here. Yeah, 

Chris Jeub: something just happened. I’m my computer anyway. Um, so, uh, we did a Colorado cookout and the, the idea is that I, I kind of wanna have my, my ampers come and be self-sufficient as possible, like a self check in and, and things like that.

I’ll come by, I even say this in my, my communications with them, that we, we, we want to give them their space. Uh, and, but, and we don’t wanna be overwhelming to them. And I’m like, you know, ho ha hey, how you doing? And stuff like that. I just, I get turned off of that when I travel that way. And, and the host is too friendly.

Um, so we make that clear up front so that their expectation is they can come and they can just stay Colorado cookout. We, we would provide them at four o’clock a cooler with, with, uh, some hamburgers or buffalo burgers or something like that. And then, and then, uh, some chips and some, some toppings, buns and stuff, and they can grill their [00:41:00] own food.

And that was, that was a thing we were providing for 50 bucks and a number of people came up with it. That became, we don’t do that so much anymore, but, uh, but that was an option. Um, and, and, oh, actually we make our own wine. So this is something we give our kid, our kids, our, uh, our ampers with this is glamping.

This is, this is my first tent. The tent that I told you about, that I put up, this is my hunting. 

Brian: I just wanna point out that I talked to Chris about marketing like a year ago, and he promised me a bottle of wine. I never got it. So 

I 

Chris Jeub: probably did. I promise, I make a lot of promises of this wine. I will gladly give you one of these, but this is glamping Cabernet made in Monument, Colorado, and the, it says, cheers, cheer, outdoor experience.

And so I gift this to everybody who comes, and then I also invite them to a wine tasting. I gotta tell you guys, that is the most enjoyable thing we do in our whole glamping operation. When, when a guest says, Hey, we would like to pay [00:42:00] for a wine tasting, and they pay us $30, and we show up with two bottles of homemade wine, which I think is a great deal, and, uh, we could probably charge more, but, and then we sit down and, and we, the, the cue of getting to know them is, is, Hey, ask us about our wine making.

And then they usually are very curious and they, they ask about how we make it and what we do and stuff. And that just lends to a conversation. And then, and then we sit and we, we drink for, for an hour, sometimes two. There’s been times one our longest four hours sat there and then we kept pulling the wine out of the cellar and just having a great time with these guests.

Who, who were paying for the experience. And it was, it was, you see how that’s kind of a backdoor to getting to know our, showing up and demanding that we get to know them, um, that, that was, was really, was really nice. And, and the people who leave, especially with our wine tasting, they leave and they feel like they’re friends.

They, they will come back. They’re gonna [00:43:00] repeat g they’re gonna, they’re gonna come, they’re gonna re recommend us to all their friends. I think that adds to the, kind of, the snowball effect of the success of mining planting is that we get a lot of what I call staycations. And you know what those are, they’re, they’re people from where I’m at.

I’m right in between Denver and Colorado Springs and people, people are just busting out of their apartment building and, and want to have an outdoor experience. So they come and, and they, um, and we. Uh, that’s awesome. That’s awesome. Now, like it’s not the chef making the homemade three, three course meal for him, 

Brian: but it doesn’t need to be. Right. And I think we’ve hammer, we’ve talked about this on the show before, and, and I don’t, I don’t think I need to tell this to anybody on this show, right? But it is the people who are listening maybe, and this is why we keep talking and bringing it up, right? It’s the experience. It doesn’t matter if it’s the ritzy high-end, $3,000 night experience with the Michelin star chef or the $300 experience with the Colorado cookout or the wine tasting.

It’s all about what it [00:44:00] like setting expectations. What are you gonna offer your guests? Who’s your target market? Make sure you’re reaching those people, telling ’em exactly what you want, getting the guests into your glamping resorts that are your targeted guests, so they’re expecting and appreciative of the experience you’re providing.

And that’s it. It’s all about the experience, whether that’s a field in Iceland or a $3,000 escape in Montana or whatever it is, or, 

Zach: and I think it goes back to. The hosted experience. You know, Chris, what you’re describing there, what you’re selling is yourself. Yep. You know, you’re, you’re providing something that’s a unique experience.

Now, there, there may be an underlying, you know, piece in there, right? Like, obviously they have to like wh to start, um, or that that’s the, the mechanism that we’re facilitating this, this whole experience, right? But that’s not what they’re paying for. They’re not paying for the wine. They’re paying for the time.

They’re paying for you as a host to sit down and, and there’s as [00:45:00] much, you know, storytelling and entertainment and, and jokes and recommendations. You know, I can go and, and for 250 bucks get a night at the N B C Suites that has an amazing bar downstairs that I can drink, you know, crappy Cabernet at, at 12 to $16 a glass for as long as I want that night.

And, and maybe if I get a good bartender, they’ll chat me up a little bit while I’m there. So when we look at, you know, what, what’s the spend for, what’s the deliverable? If it’s just accommodations, if it’s just a meal, you know, there’s an equivalency there. So why do people seek out glamping instead? Um, they’re searching for that hosted experience.

That connection with a proprietor, a person that’s sitting down and talking to them and getting to know them. You know, what do you guys have planned tomorrow? Oh, we thought we’d head up to this place. Oh, it’s really cool. You know, you definitely, you should go check that out. I know the owners have been friends.

Um, you know, let me call ahead and, [00:46:00] and I’ll tell ’em you’re coming, you know, to expect you guys, like, that’s the differentiator between a hosted glamping experience and, you know, hospitality. Yeah. 

Brian: Yeah. And I don’t, I don’t think I disagree with you. I mean, I will always choose that hosted, not necessarily glamping all the time, right?

It depends on my needs and where I’m going. But I always choose that boutique smaller experience if I can over a corporate chain, unless they’re up here, me to Sweet and Marriott, which is a different story. But, um, anyway, uh, but I’ll always try to choose that, right? I think, I think the only difference for us in Iceland specifically why we chose a hotel is because it’s few and far between to find a restaurant too.

So when you go to these glamping sites, like they’re literally, I’m talking about four set up in the middle of a field, you have to go grocery shopping and cook your own food and it’s 45 minutes away from the nearest town, right? And so it’s not the same as glamping over here. So, 

Zach: yeah. Connor, do you, you wanna, do you wanna weigh in on the, uh, the f and b wildcard factor when it comes to, to glamping?

Connor Schwab: Yeah. It’s, it’s been something [00:47:00] that we’ve, we’ve put a lot of effort into in, in looking into the data and it’s, um, the, the two most, looking across all the data that we’ve gathered across, 250 business glamping locations, which includes 700 different unit types. We track whether the units have a private bathroom or not, and how many people they sleep and what the unit type is and the location and all these different things.

And, um, what we found was that having private bathrooms in the unit and whether there was f and b on the property, um, are the, are the, the biggest things from a, from a data perspective that make the biggest difference in rate. And we, we actually even noticed that f and B did make a bigger difference.

And I think it’s important to distinguish what exactly that means. And I think when we see a restaurant level quality at a glamping resort, um, and the units have private bathrooms, we’re almost always seeing a d r above $500. Um, which is pretty awesome. And, but you, you know, you have to have both. And, and this might [00:48:00] be two, you know, they’re serving two or three prepared meals a day.

Um, You know, and there might even be like a, a waiter or a server. Um, so they’re pretty high quality. And then I think, I think the other thing is having some sort of, some sort of food solution on property is gonna be super important 

because most of the time, glamping is super remote and it’s really difficult if you’re coming out somewhere for two nights to shop, to like cook on a grill in an area that you don’t know, to put stuff in a fridge.

And you, you just, you end up with waste and it’s, and it’s just, it’s a lot of logistics. So your guests, you know, food, water, shelter, right? So if they’re coming to your site, knowing that they have a, a simple solution to get, um, their meals, and I think that’s something that they’re willing to pay for. And it adds, you know, it adds more revenue to your business as well.

So it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s not easy, but it’s super important. 

Brian: Yeah, I, I mean, I, I, I would love to see what the future of, again, it’s probably just getting started in, in [00:49:00] Iceland specifically. Right. But I, I would, I could see food and beverage options there at 1500, $2,000 a night easily because of the surrounding options.

But like, I don’t know. Have any of you ever been to Iceland? 

Connor Schwab: Not yet. Just Norway. Three times. 

Vidar: Hey!

Connor Schwab: Every time I have an opportunity to go to Iceland, I’m like, yeah, but I could go back to norway. 

Brian: Mean, nor, there’s nothing wrong with Norway. Nobody’s saying Iceland’s better or worse, but that was one of the other things with us.

If you haven’t been to Iceland, most of the restaurants don’t open until like 11, 11 30 in the morning. Yeah. So if you don’t have food and beverage and you’re glamping or breakfast in your hotel, you’re kind of outta luck. You’re gonna have to wait to eat. Yeah. 

Connor Schwab: I would be really curious to hear from Chris.

Chris, do you have any thoughts on that? Like, obviously you’ve sit down, sat down and had a lot of great conversations with your guests. 

Do you guys offer, I know you, you mentioned you do the barbecue thing is. What, what’s the f and b solution there, and what are, what are you seeing for Stan? 

Chris Jeub: Well, I would say it’s, uh, it’s, it’s something we just can’t, or we don’t want to provide f and b.

I mean, we, we, we, we will, the more, [00:50:00] the more we looked into it, that would be hard. I would have to partner up with maybe a vendor in town and we’re only two miles from town, so we could do that. Uh, but that would take some effort to, to provide that. The people who did buy the Colorado cookout, they were people who were, uh, you know, like an Iceland or something.

They, they just didn’t wanna go out and shop. Uh, they didn’t wanna go out to eat either. They were, may maybe shut up. They just, hey, having dinner right there on the porch, the patio, and, and the grill’s right there. So I could just grill up the meal that, you know, the Jupe family made for them, 

Brian: which I think is perfect for your audience.

As you mentioned, escaping Co Denver and Colorado Springs, getting outta their apartment for the weekend. They don’t wanna cook. 

Chris Jeub: Right. Right. And they would wouldn’t mind and they don’t mind, uh, doing something on the, so, uh, we did s’more packs too for a while where we would put a $15 s’more, uh, marshmallow and graham crackers and chocolate together, uh, for them, 

Brian: your Honor. Looks like he wants to try to talk you out of whatever you’re saying. I’m not, 

Connor Schwab: oh, no, I was just gonna say, did you, did you [00:51:00] stop doing the s’mores pack and did you stop doing the Colorado cookout and why? 

Chris Jeub: Uh, the Colorado cookout, um, became, it’s just labor intensive. And, and so we still, well, we still provide it on Hipc Camp.

Uh, so we have it as an extra on Hipc Camp, but we don’t really advertise it in our, in our book, uh, we advertise the wine tastings and it’s, that’s, and if they, if we aren’t able to make our schedules line up, it sometimes happens. Uh, we will just get, get them with two bottles of wine and say, here you go.

And they’re for 30 bucks. They’re, they’re, they’re, they like that this homemade wine. It’s really very, very good. And, uh, uh, and then, Yeah, the Colorado cookout was just labor intensive. That’s why. And it depended on what we had in the freezer too. That’s what we had. And, and I don’t, um, and I don’t know if permitting was, would be an issue on that one.

That that is something we didn’t explore with wine. We did get permitted with a b and B license. So we can gift our, our, our people with wine and we get in trouble with the, uh, with the state on that. [00:52:00] Um, ’cause it is alcohol. Uh, we, we do have a, we do have a non-alcoholic conversion. We have homemade kombucha.

Uh, so we make our own homemade kombucha and our family just makes that, so we drink kombucha. 

Brian: I’ll take some of that too, please. 

Chris Jeub: Yeah okay. And then, so that’s something we gift them too. So if they’re not, we say wine or kombucha. Um, and sometimes we show up with both and, and we taste it and get to know each other.

Zach: You know, I know that, 

Chris Jeub: well, I, I was gonna say, there’s, there’s different entry levels and I’ve, I’ve found this in all the glamping community or glamping discussion groups that, that I’m in. There’s just different levels to enter into. I, I feel like I’m a level two, uh, or maybe three because I have 

two properties.

Brian: Um, but don’t you feel like as the glamping guy, you should be sinking a couple million dollars in here and leading the industry on your YouTube channel? Chris, someday, I don’t wanna put you on the spot. 

Chris Jeub: My days are numbered. So level, level one would be the 10th of your backyard type of type of person.

Where I stood out, where I started out. Level two is really more than one unit. You know, you’re, [00:53:00] you’re, you’re starting to treat it like a business. And level three would be more like multi properties. And I feel like I’m just starting that with two properties. We do have a third one in the, in the making because now I’m, well, the, the whole thing with the Colorado cookout and the wine tastings, that’s not scalable.

You know, that, that’s dependent on, on me. So I want a property manager to come into the second property and bring their, their food and beverage solve and solution. To that, to somehow, some way they will, they will come and they go, Hey, this is, this is my skill. And when did you make wine in kombucha? And that’s what we do.

We, we, we are, we are wine drinkers and we’re kombucha drinkers. So we will, we will gift our, our, our guests with that, uh, the, the property owner that we’re, we’re, we’ve still got some, I, uh, some ideas on, um, or the property manager for the, for next year. They might bring, um, I don’t know what the homemade, [00:54:00] homemade bread or something, which might be a thing that they will gift their guest somehow coming in.

It’s not a campsite with like 40 units. It will be a camp. This will be a glamp ground with 12 units on this property. And so, so what can we do to, to, to make it a host experience so that people get to know their hosts as much as they want to get to know them. And without overwhelming the host or overwhelming the guests.

Brian: This is an interesting, this is interesting to me, Connor and Zach, if you weigh in on this, right? What, is there a middle ground here between full food and beverage, no food and beverage, and maybe even like a curated partner with three restaurants that are really nice and you come and take that food and put it in a nice presentation?

Chris Jeub: Oh yeah. There’s so many ideas in middle there. Yeah. 

Zach: What, what I would say is, um, you know, I, I think you’re absolutely right. Um, I think that this is one area in the [00:55:00] industry where we’re actually starting to see a lot of inroads being made, a lot of innovation. You know, we’re, we’re seeing companies like Advair Kitchen that are, are coming to this space saying, we want to help operators specifically solve their f and b problem or their, their challenges on their, on their GL site.

Um, and focusing on this industry. Um, I think, you know, just like you described Chris, um, where in this case your. You are making the wine, you’re producing the wine, you’re leading the discussion. That’s, it’s very labor intensive. Um, now there’s value to it and it’s part of what you’re, you’re creating and selling to your guests.

Um, but you know, you then you, you brought up the perfect point is how, how do we scale that? How, how do we, you know, increase that? And, and maybe that becomes, you know, partnering with a winery that they’re doing that anyway and then seeing, you know, hey, maybe on Fridays and Saturdays, could we get, could you know, could we just contract this with you and get one of your employees [00:56:00] to come out and lead this in a, a larger group setting where instead of you being direct one-on-one, which is one single guest and, and leading this two hour long experience, um, it instead it becomes a communal thing and you’re bringing in a partner from outside that already does that, it’s part of their business and facilitates it.

Um, you know, we’ve, we’ve seen glamping operators that say, Hey, there’s this thing I’d like to offer that’s, that’s, um, a value add and, you know, an additional guest experience that the one example I would give is, um, massage, um, where they said, you know what? We’re gonna create a space for it. We’re gonna build a platform.

We’re gonna put up a tent. Um, and, and we have this local person that does massage therapy, and we’re gonna add that as a, you know, an add-on to any of our guests that while they’re staying with us, they can book the massage. But then that booking is sourcing out to, you know, another platform for that partner that they use.

And then when they get those [00:57:00] appointments, those bookings through a unique link, they know, okay, this one is, is out at the lab site. Um, and so they’ll, you know, stack two or three appointments up and they’re just gonna come out and provide that service, that experience on the property. Um, but it, it offloads it from the operator.

Having to, to do all of those things. Um, you know, I think there’s also, in this industry it’s somewhat unique that, um, certainly those premium guest experiences, yes, people are demanding the, the service, the, the staff, the, you know, everything that comes along with that. But I think that it doesn’t have to, it’s not a binary decision.

It doesn’t have to be that extreme or nothing. Um, you know, I think, you know, your, your concept of like the meal kits, I think that’s brilliant. You know, there’s, there’s certainly some basic meals and, and really even some things that can create a high-end guest experience that don’t have to be super labor intensive.

Um, you know, my [00:58:00] family, my, my, we tell my kids all the time that they’re growing up spoiled rotten. ’cause one of their favorite dinner meals to request is a charcuterie board. And my wife is an incredible cook. And, and she does it. 

Brian: I don’t want anybody, Zach, but maybe. It’s possible. 

Zach: You know, we’ve got five, six kinds of cheese on there and envelopes and crackers and, you know, prosciutto and, and salamis and all that.

But that’s something that, you know, you could make up 10 or 15 of those, um, ahead of time they get covered. Um, and, and really even, and I’ve said this, I think I’ve said this before on the show, but, um, I think part of that perceived value, right, when you make it optional, when you add all these add-on things, it can start to feel like, you know, the, the hotel like, God, if I take this out of the mini bar, they’re gonna charge me $10 for two ounces, right?

Mm-hmm. Um, and so I think there’s, there’s a certain threshold of [00:59:00] things that you just want to provide. Just like you said, you know, we, we include the wine. You’re not charging them extra for the wine. That’s, that’s our gift, right? And if you gotta raise your a d r by $10 a night to cover whatever that is that you’re giving them, do it.

Um, because the, the perception of value is God, when we showed up, they had, they had this little basket on all these snacks. They had bottles of water. We got a bottle of wine. Like you’ve created the perception of, of a higher value, even though it’s built into your a d r, your price. Um, but I think certainly for some of those things, having those optional add-ons, that is something that you can prepare ahead of time or work with a, a local restaurant to prepare ahead of time, um, that you can easily stock and just, you know, before they check in, pop it in the mini fridge and it’s, it’s, they’re waiting for them, right?

They have to unwrap it and they, they’ve got snacks or they’ve got something easy that they can munch on that night. Um, the next step up I would say is those offsite partnerships where, you know, like you said, you’re two miles from town, right? [01:00:00] So pick your two, pick your three restaurants that, that you want to partner with.

Have the menus in the room where, where people can look and see, well, where do we want to go? Um, And, and have an online booking or, or, um, you know, offer that or whatever. Right. We’ll call in a reservation. Yeah. It’s in your app, right? Like, um, you know, and, and we’re, we’re a connected world today. You know, people in an area like that where you’ve got restaurants two miles away, um, they can DoorDash something out to their site if they really want it.

So I think in some cases, some instances, depending on your location and what’s around you, um, there’s not as much of a, a prevalent need to create that. And I, I think, you know, what Connor was getting at, with, with that point of how important this is. If you’re in an a location where you don’t have it two miles down the road, now we have to create it on the site.

We have to have more of those options available, or we have to include it in the stay because it is important [01:01:00] in it, it’s part of that overall guest experience and keeping people comfortable. 

Brian: All right, so we’ve got solved, right? We’re running over on time, so we gotta wrap it up a little bit. But we’ve got this solved.

We’ve got high end solved, we’ve got mid-tier solved, and then low end. I think Vidar was talking about throwing axes. We could just put some free range chickens on some land and have ’em go hunter in it, right? If they wanna save enough money. So we’re just, again, MC, Fireside, Chats has solved the world’s problems during an hour of the show.

So, uh, anybody else have any final thoughts before we head off for the 

Chris Jeub: Yeah, I wanted to pick there because I think we’re, we’re, we’ve identified a market, a market idea here that the market is demanding this, I, I, I gotta follow Fons, or are you gonna say something else? No, it’s, uh, just locally, there’s a, uh, a local, they, they make skiers pea is what they call, it’s riding off of skiing.

This is skiing country. And, um, and they make a beer called Skiers Pea. It’s, it is the funniest thing. People love popping it open and say, oh, I’m drinking skiers pea, and they drink it. It’s gonna kind of funny. But [01:02:00] they’re a local brewery. And they dropped off just the other day. A a bunch of brochures.

They want me to put it in the glamping sites. And the, the thought is, is that, you know, the, the, the Chamber of Commerce loves me to death. I mean, they just can’t get enough of, of Monument glamping bringing people into Monument Colorado and visiting the restaurants and the, and the breweries and the, and the wine, every, everything here.

So I, I guess I’m, I’ve got what I’m gonna do. This is my, this is my commitment to all you guys. I’m, I’m making a vow tonight. Uh, to, to follow 

Brian: 30 seconds to make your commitment, 

Chris Jeub: leverage those local businesses. Okay. I’m gonna, I’m 

going to follow through with that and connect with these, these local businesses and tie ’em to my glamping operation, uh, because I think that’s a scalable route.

Zach: Hmm. The other thing is, Chris, there’s, it’s a partnership, right? So it’s not just you funneling your guests to these businesses. Um, we’ve, we’ve seen arrangements [01:03:00] where you say, you know what? I’d love to do that. Can you get me a coupon for 10% off for all of our guests? And it’s, it’s gonna have monument amping on it so that even on the backend in, in their side, they’re collecting those coupons.

They’re coming back and saying, gosh, you know what we saw? Yeah. 45 tables this month that came from, we got 45 coupons in. And then, you know, you can ask 

Chris Jeub: 2% off coupons for me and left on my doorstep. So that she wants, she wants to make that connection herself as a business owner. 

Zach: Yeah, all we got, we got and, and I think you as a business owner can get something on the back end of that too.

You know, whether that’s, Hey, we’ll we’ll kick you a hundred dollars gift card once a month, or, or you know, we’ll, you know, give you certain x amount of dollars for each referral that, that actually pans out for us. Right? 

Brian: Yep. Alright. I appreciate you all. I’d love to talk to you for another hour. I’m sure Connor and Zach and Vidar and Chris at least have something important to you.

I don’t, of course. But, uh, I really appreciate it. It was a great discussion. Like, I, [01:04:00] I think we maybe need to have another discussion about food and beverage in the future. ’cause there’s all kinds of different things we could talk about there and expand on that topic. But any final parting thoughts before we go?

Chris Jeub: Yeah. Have, have me back on Brian. I’d love, I’d love to keep talking with you guys. Are you guys are geniuses in the field so I, I, I really enjoy 

Brian: They are, don’t include me in that bundle. 

Chris Jeub: Oh, you’re Brian and yourself. 

Brian: I just go to conferences and I talk to people and I retain, that’s all. 

Zach: Brian. Brian’s the sticky glue that holds us all together.

Chris Jeub: Always. Yeah. Yeah. That’s it. 

Zach: Yeah, I might, Brian, I I 

Brian: would say gets cap off of when you’re a kid. That’s the, that’s who I am. 

Zach: I would say, I think it’d be great to dedicate, uh, an episode one month to f and b. Um, and I’ve, I’ve even got some folks I think that would, would be good guests to have on for that. 

Brian: Yeah, we had John from Outbound Kitchens on way before. He apparently got big, so, but yeah. Conversation. Alright, well thank you so much. I appreciate you for being on another episode of MC Fireside Chats, our glamping episode, [01:05:00] especially appreciate Vidar super late over there in the UK Vidar. Where can they check out and learn more about Nordic glamping?

Vidar: I can check my, uh, website. So that’s nordic lamping.co.uk or uh, check it out on Facebook or Instagram. 

Brian: That’s alright. Awesome. Well, I wish you much success. Uh, I’m sure that well, hopefully someone will come and buy some of your amazing hand. Good, of course, quality. 

Vidar: It’d be interesting to, to sell some to you guys over there. That would be cool. 

Brian: Hmm. I mean, I feel like it’s definitely a unique proposition, so hopefully. All right. So thank you Chris for being a special guest. As always, Connor and Zach for coming back for another episode and we will see you next week for our K Run on Focus episode. Till then, take care guys.

Appreciate you. 

Vidar: Cool. 

Chris Jeub: Alright, thank you. 

Connor Schwab: Thanks, Brian. 

Announcer: Thanks for joining us for this episode of MC Fireside Chats with your host Brian Searl. Have a suggestion for a show idea. Want your Campground or company in a future episode? Email us at hello at Modern Campground dot com. Get your daily dose of news from Modern Campground dot [01:06:00] com and be sure to join us next week for more insights.

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