MC Fireside Chats – October 1st, 2025

Brian Searl: Welcome everybody to another episode of live at the Glamping Show USA 

one here. I’m talking to a mic. I’ve got one here for you guys at home too. Um, we have a couple special guests here that we’re gonna be talking to. We’ve got Mike Harrison from CRR Hospitality. Mike, do you wanna introduce yourself briefly? 

Mike Harrison: Great. My name is, uh, Mike Harrison, CRR Hospitality.

Brian Searl: Sorry, Mike, I don’t mean to stop you, but you have one of these.

Mike Harrison: For a second time, Chief Operating Officer of CRR Hospitality. We own and manage, uh, luxury RV and glamping resorts, as well as hotels and provide third party management services and excited to be here yet, once again at the Glamping Show in beautiful Colorado. 

Brian Searl: Alright, now we’ve got Sven here too as well. Sven, Glampings.com. 

Sven Schuurmans: Thank you. Uh, my name is Sven. I’m the co-founder of uh, Glampings.com. It’s an online bookings platform for, uh, well glamping OTA. Uh, we’re focused on Europe. Um, we reach millions of visitors, uh, uh, in Europe and we are looking into, like going to the States, uh, and see the market here as well.

Brian Searl: All right, thank you Sven. I appreciate it. So if you have that little mic, just pass it to me, but we gotta hold that one up to your mouth too. I know it’s really weird. We have people live here and then we have people who are at home who are watching on a live stream. So please Ann, introduce yourself. 

Ann Howard: My name’s Ann Howard. Um, my husband Mike Howard is usually my co-part. We are the, uh, on the world’s longest honeymoon. We just crossed 5,000 days yesterday. And, uh, along this crazy journey around the world, we fell in love with glamping in 2012 and have written a book called Comfortably Wild, about the best glamping destination in North America.

And we’re working on a global edition. So if you have recommendations for particularly regenerative resorts who embrace the outdoors, uh, I’d love to hear about them. 

Brian Searl: Awesome. Excited to talk to you, CRR. 

Tori Bolt: Hi Ann. I have a recommendation for you. Go ahead. Do it right now. We’ll do, oh, I’m just kidding. Sorry.

Tori Bolt, Bolt Farm Treehouse, my husband and I are here. Uh, we have a mountaintop, uh, wellness and romantic destination on a mountaintop in Tennessee. We have luxury treehouses, domes, clear cabins. 

Seth Bolt: Also on our honeymoon. 

Tori Bolt: We’re also.

Seth Bolt: So built a treehouse. 

That’s how this started. 

Tori Bolt: So I had to plug it. Absolutely. 

Seth Bolt: Yes. Um, and then we also have Bolt Coaching, and so we’re helping other, um, short-term rental owners, um, scale their business, grow their business, um, navigate the, uh, the tricky waters of construction and operations and building a team and choosing the right technology.

Um, so we’re here speaking at the Glamping show for that, and we actually are flying to Mexico shortly to speak to another group there. So we’ll be here for the first half of this podcast. Back to you. 

Brian Searl: Awesome. Thank you so much for being here. I really appreciate it. Uh, Greg seemed to be my, well, Greg, introduce yourself.

I guess you’re not just the mic, mic bearer, you wanna talk on the show too? 

Greg Emmert: No. Yeah, I’ll talk on the show. Okay. Uh, uh, apparently I also do ab on the weekends, so call me for your kid’s birthday party, bat mitzvah, whatever you have, I can help you with, uh, potting up mics and moving out stands. Uh, it’s a, it’s a new revenue stream for me, but typically I just work with my consulting firm, Vireo.

Um, we do all things for outdoor hospitality from feasibility and market studies, all the way down to operational guidance and, uh, financial work. So happy to be here. Thanks for having me on again, Brian. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, absolutely, Greg. So I think what, what I’d love to have a conversation with in start is we’re all here at the Glamping Shows USA, what has been your experience in the past at the glamping shows?

What have you taken away from this that’s kind of new and different? Mike, you wanna start us off or? 

Mike Harrison: First, I wanna appreciate for putting me a downhill and b at the show. Like, it’s like from, you know, smallest to tallest, Greg, I dunno if you wanna come join me over here, switch. Yeah. Yeah, right. Um, so this is our fourth glamping show We originally attended as an owner operator, you know, when we started building our own properties and then transitioned as a vendor from, you know, third party management.

So I have an owner operator and vendor lens, uh, as I look at the show and, you know, I, I think this has been my favorite so far. You know, when we first started coming several years ago, and I mean, you’ve been coming from the very first, uh, you know, I used to call them the dreamers, right? Hey, I’ve got one acre and I wanna put up two yurts, and, you know, I don’t even know where to start.

And those still come and that’s still the case. But, you know, we’ve now seen numerous of those dreamers being able to, you know, build their, their reality from that dream, uh, which has been exciting. And there have been more folks coming into the space, uh, from other industries, whether it’s multifamily or hospitality, uh, and the growth of the glamping industry.

I mean, you could just tell by the number of units and the variety and degree of design build, you know, how it has really, you know, changed. And what’s truly exciting is when you see the diversity of people here, I think, you know, whether it’s Ann or Seth. Um, you, you know, there are all kinds of builders, developers, owners, operators, vendors.

It’s just, it is so much more unique and fun than the hospitality space because the, I mean, we have international folks and Miguel from the Mexican Glamping Association, and I just feel smarter, uh, after, or maybe Demmer, uh, you know, after I leave. So, thanks for having me back. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, I think that’s one of the most interesting things about the glamping show, right?

Is when we, we, I’ve been coming here for I think four or five years, maybe you’ve beaten me by one year. I think I missed a COVID year in 2021.

Mike Harrison: Yeah, she is like eight, I think seven years ago.

Brian Searl: Yeah. Uh, eight years. So it’s one of the most interesting things that I’ve, like we attend, you and I attend so many different outdoor hospitality conferences for RV parks, campgrounds, a mix of glamping on RV parks, but here’s really the only place where you can meet people from around the world, from Peru, South America, South Africa, from Europe, from the UK, uh, from a, a guy who lives in Canada who services the EU with glamping.

Uh, all kinds of different things. And I think that knowledge that you can take away from meeting those people is just something you can’t get anywhere else. 

Mike Harrison: It’s, absolutely, you cannot exchange what you learn here. I think that’s what I always learn. Something new. You, you know, like listening to Ann’s session and, and Seth, I mean, it’s just, it’s great to hear because I, I mean, I’m furiously writing down ideas, right?

We’re a top company in the country for what we do, and I’m still learning every day, right? And so I think that, I don’t know why I do that when I say learning, but I must be learning in, in Swedish Canadian, I guess. I don’t know. Um, but, uh, I, I think that’s what’s really been exciting is, is you’re always gonna take something away, both from a relationship standpoint, but but also really just, you know, be able to make your own property better.

Brian Searl: Same question to you, Sven 

Sven Schuurmans: Uh, well this is my second visit, uh, the last I was two years ago. And when I see, uh, the development of, uh, well the type of recommendations that you see around here, uh, yeah, I see new types, but it’s also like, uh, the development of the technology. So during the presentations really.

Like AI is really, uh, an important subject. Um, and I think the presentations that I saw are really valuable for, uh, if you wanna start a glamping, it’s really inside information and I think that is something that you’re, you won’t get that somewhere else or Google it or something. It’s really like, yeah, from experienced people get, I think that’s pretty important. I like that. 

Brian Searl: Yeah. I mean, you talk about AI and there was some really good presentations here about AI and obviously that gives you a lot of information. You can go to ChatGPT and ask questions, but you can’t meet an Ann right, you can’t meet a Bolt Farm Treehouse. Uh, you can’t meet those kinds of people just talking to AI, those unique operator experiences that come from like, Hey, I started something and really messed it up and here’s how don’t do that. 

Sven Schuurmans: Yeah. Uh, 

Brian Searl: is priceless. 

Sven Schuurmans: Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. 

Brian Searl: Ann same question to you. 

Ann Howard: Okay. 

Brian Searl: Our eight year veteran 

Ann Howard: I know. And so the first one was in Stapleton, in like a Hilton or something, and we were all like, this is not where we belong.

Like we just, we were rebelling against this very thing. We must go to the field. And so now I love that it’s in this outdoor setting where you can, and they were just pictures of, of structures. Now we get to touch and play and explore and hang out late and around the fire pit. And, and so I, this is where it’s meant to be.

And as it’s evolved to, I love that they’ve, the American Glamping Association, the AGA has a, a bigger role because they build it as a two day show. But it’s really important as a three day show. ’cause if you are just scanning this space, you have a very different set of questions and it’s okay and we wanna like hold your hand.

So I, I highly recommend people are getting into it, make sure they book the first day, which is the Monday. ’cause that’s, you know, you’re all in it together. And the build the community you build from that. And to work through those problems as a group, I think is really invaluable. And the relationships we’ve made over the eight years, it’s like a homecoming.

I love the show because it’s like seeing all my friends. So it’s really wonderful that people have stuck with it over the years and, um, that the community is, is real. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, and you bring up a good point, like where our beloved David Kors founded the show, right? Uh, so he retired, he’s been floating around here some way though.

I don’t know if he’s still here. So I saw David, uh, now, uh, Emerald Exposition has taken over the show, but there’s still that separate piece of the American Glamping Association with Reuben, who they work obviously closely together, but day one of where I’m a new business and I can come and I can learn about investment and how to get fundraising and how to do the basics and all that kind of stuff.

And then we can go into the classes of, here’s something new that you may not have seen last year. Uh, Ari was up there with talking about AI. I invited him to our podcast, so hopefully he’ll be here too. Nice. Uh, but just those kinds of nuggets that you can’t take away from anywhere else. 

Ann Howard: Totally. I’ll add one last thing only ’cause it was a big shift. We were all a little nervous ’cause we loved David and Sally and all they did for the glancing show, and then it was purchased by Emerald and we’re like, how’s that gonna go? Uh, kudos to Emerald for, for really letting the, the veterans here take the lead and go, we trust you. I think, I think, um, Sarah Riley and Steph Riley, Kurtis has done a great job and they’ve let their experience and creativity guide and, and Emerald, thank you for like letting them just let us all do our thing. I think it’s worked out great in this transitional year. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, I agree. 

Tori Bolt: All right. Well, this is our first year speaking of the Glamping show. We came last year as attendees, and what comes to mind is at Bolt Farm, one of our mantras is we get 1% better every day. That’s something that we talk about with our team all the time, and I see that here I see more than 1% better.

It feels 5% better than last year, and last year was exceptional, but just seeing more vendors and the quality of the vendors for some of the, the prefabs and the units that are here, seeing the diverse, uh, lineup of speakers with people with different expertise is, you know, it, it’s really neat and I think it’s refreshing.

Seth Bolt: Yeah. Uh, something I love about being here is like the, the pioneer spirit that is so alive. I mean, you mentioned it like with, with year one being in a hotel, you’re like, this is the very thing we’re rebelling against. Like we believe there’s a better way. We believe that when you connect with people with nature and you give them a, a truly unique experience, that magic can happen.

I mean, that’s the core ethos of Bolt Farm and why we do what we do and why we, um, why we try our best to break all the rules and ask really challenging questions about, um, what it is we’re delivering. Like how can it, how can it provide the most value for people? Um, I think time in nature, whether you’re, you know, laughing or like just you’re surrounded by property, um, and just the places, um, uh, it’s, it’s a special thing far more than just a place to stay. And I think that that is a lot risks, big risk to build these really. Um, incredibly unique structure. Things that, uh, just never even existed before. This is so far, and I think what we’re witnessing is the migration totality, the city course. And that’s for, and, and I think, um, that’s really the future of this industry and the people here. And, um, and then we’re seeing, this is a multi-trillion dollar industry. Um, and it’s just growing year, over year, over year.

So, so many people here. People don’t want stupid noise of modern life. The fact like now there is, you know, you, you work there all the time around the pop, you’ve always got a phone on your face, always notifications, chaos. Like everyone here I think believe uh, it’s a lot better when you slow down and lose track of time and when you connect with the people that really matter, remember what really matters in life.

Brian Searl: Yeah, I mean to your point, I mean just the dreamers here and seeing the excitement on their faces, it’s like you go back to a childhood, right? And you’re running around playing things and you had the imagination that ran wild. And to see those people, like as a vendor, the first time I think I came here, I was skeptical ’cause I talked to Dreamers and I’m like, well they don’t have a product yet.

How am I supposed to sell ’em my AI and marketing services and everything else? But then I realized like talking to these people. It’s just hearing their vision for the things. Like I talked to a woman yesterday who wants to build a glamping resort, integrated with a circus. She was a performer. 

Seth Bolt: Yeah. 

Brian Searl: Like that kind of stuff.

Seth Bolt: Talk her too. 

Brian Searl: Yeah.

Seth Bolt: Yeah. 

Brian Searl: That’s amazing.

Seth Bolt: It is., it’s like, you know, like from our story, um, we, we sold everything and went all in on street house, you know, because we believed in the power of treehouses. Closest thing have a treehouse is like a time machine where it takes childhood, the world. These are. Um, because they’re risk takers and the thing is, we took big risks and we, our business almost died because we didn’t have anyone in our corner telling us what to do and what not to do.

Because I think the biggest thing that everyone’s realizing here is like, I don’t know what I don’t know. Like I’m, I’m, this is a venture. I’m borrowing millions of dollars to do this. I hope I’m taking the right tructure, I hope build out the right marketing plans so people actually come and stay and I can feel my truck.

What does that look like? Operations. We’ve never ran a hotel before. It’s a world you’ve never before. You’re in for a rude awakening, I grew up in construction, so I’m very familiar with that. And so after we experienced the, probably the most trauma we’ve ever experienced in our lives.

On this journey, we’re like, man, if only we got somebody that can hold our hand and tell us what to do along the way. And because these are our people. That’s our message here this weekend. Everyone can win. We’re not in competition with one another, one another. You win, let us know. 

Brian Searl: And it’s really interesting when you hold somebody’s hand, you tend to learn something from them too. Yes. That’s the most fascinating part.

Ari, welcome. Please briefly introduce yourself. And then our question too, we were passing around the group was just, uh, something that you’ve seen at the Glamping Show that you’ve taken away. That’s really impactful. 

Ari Smith: Okay. Yeah. Sorry, I was, 

Brian Searl: uh, just talking to the top. So we got a live stream going with Kendra.

Ari Smith: Okay. So, um, uh, Ari Smith, I’m the chief Fat.Rat.AI, AI software engineering firm. I’m also the co-founder of Balance Farm. The off grid eco resort that my wife and I are building out in Vermont and think the question was take away from like, my key ticket from the conference. Is that it?

Brian Searl: Yes.

Ari Smith: So definitely like the guest that you Okay.

Um, the, the, the, the guests or the audience. Like I love that they understand like what general was just saying a second ago about like people not knowing what they dunno. Like people actually know that they need to be asking about AI and that is so incredibly important. It’s the, the technology itself.

Like who cares? Like whatever. It’s just some random shit that some engineers can figure out how to develop. You can find people to do it, but you dunno what you need to be asking for you capabilities are. You’re lost and you’re not just lost in a way where you are hoping that you’re not, you’re not missing out on too much, like you’re falling behind.

And it’s not even linear. Like if you aren’t implementing these capabilities, or at least it’s not on your horizon, then you are seeding ground. I would maybe look a little different angle done before I, everything is competition now. You want people to be successful in the industry, but there’s uh, sort of a Darwinian, you know, view that you can take, say the quality providers will thrive and the people who aren’t providing great service, great experiences, you know, may not.

Um, and so you have to looking at AI as an absolutely vital aspect of how you’re gonna make your business competitive, how you’re gonna make, and that that competition correlates directly to how you provide better value for customers. And the fact that people, like there were so many questions, at least I was late here.

There’s just so many questions that people were asking about how they can utilize AI. These weren’t just from people like me. Most of ’em weren’t. They were people who were really interested or really focused on hospitality, on glamping, on customer experience, that they weren’t the technologist, but they knew that they needed to be thinking about it.

And that’s like you’re in the same world dynamic. How often, like all your pre-sales is just explaining what in the hell AI is, what it can do if you’re not even talking about the things that they want. Just like you’re like walking through, that is like disappearing so fast. And that’s a great thing because we know that what we can deliver is unbelievably powerful.

But if you’re having to convince people that you know everything from, no, don’t worry about Terminator maybe and don’t think about this, but like they know this is something that’s gonna make my life better because they’ve had exposure to it. And that exposure means. You are past 90% of the hurdles that get you to the real value drivers, which is what can I do to make my business better, to make my customers experience better, to make my operations better?

How do I expand using technology? How do I remove redundant, irrelevant, or repetitive workloads so I can focus on upleveling the experience that my customers have, and improving my operational efficiency. That I love that people are, it’s like they get it. Now. You don’t have to do anything. You just say, Hey, how do we wanna solve the problem, not what should we be solving. 

Brian Searl: But I think the important thing is, is all those questions together, right? Your wife was a beautiful balance to you on stage, right? Talking about how if you’re going to have that technology, you also have to do it in a way that’s not just automating for the sake of automating.

It’s using AI to enhance the guest experience, to get it outta the way it’s underneath there. They can’t necessarily see it, touch it, feel it, but they know it’s there and it’s enhancing their experience. 

Ari Smith: Absolutely. And and I, I can tell you that one of the things that people that are like, for in my world we, we’ve all this like I love seeing technology motherboards and hard drives.

Yeah. It bad to me until I saw. So somebody who knew a lot more than I did, which my wife explained to me and showed me, it’s like, yes, you want, what does mean to be intentional? It means that the technology serves you. You’re not serving the technology. Wouldn’t even let us have like a TV with power, but everything like the television, like digital artwork and embedded into the wall.

So seriously you can’t see the line. So those design the wood comes down, you see the frame this way. And so you don’t even, you don’t see the frame because you think it’s part of like the system was just embedded there. It has to be such a high level resolution that you don’t like. I never would’ve thought of that stuff.

But when you see it and actually just, yep, that’s right. There’s definitely no other way to go. 

Brian Searl: And there were so many things I took away from your presentation I think, but, but maybe the most important was that robot dogs are okay, but only on an adults only resort.

Ari Smith: I actually wanna stay there. 

Brian Searl: Is that the.

Ari Smith: No, that was a. Eventually, hilarious mistake. But yeah, like robots, we’re not quite there with robots for guests yet. But again, you try things out and you, you, you enjoy the mistakes, you know? 

Brian Searl: Yeah, absolutely. Greg, same question to you.

Greg Emmert: Why don’t we all sit down? Make it more like Fireside Chats. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, please. If you wanna sit down. Yes. Mike was so kind to get us chairs behind us.

I’ll float around, but. Kendra, you can step closer if you want and zoom in on people. So we don’t have, we always have to have a wide shot, but. 

Greg Emmert: Oh. So let’s see, what did I learn? Uh, well last and a not stand down. What is left to cover?

Brian Searl: That’s it. You’re just, I mean. 

Greg Emmert: And Mike too. Every time I get off one of those panels with Mike, I need to be on the other side. We’re passing it to the left. That means a different thing in Colorado, but it’s, it’s happening. I, I should, I should have been on the other side of Mike because he really, he articulated a lot of what this show is for me, which is, uh, yeah.

Okay. I, I with Vireo shirt, I wanna. I would love to have a contract to go home with. That’d be great. But really this conference more than any other one, this is a spark. Um, that kind of goes back to the, but this is a spark where my, my brain just gets, it feels like it gets rewired here. It’s so much more progressive thinking, forward thinking.

So many of the, the dreamers you refer to that I come away from this really reenergized, uh, for all the reasons that, that they talked about rather than go down the path. Like they, yeah, they do. I gotta go sit in the other chair now so I can, sound smarter. Or at least get to something first. 

Brian Searl: Well, you can. I mean, you gotta go pass the mic, back to Mike, the mic to Mike

Mike Harrison: He just wants to get away from me.

Brian Searl: Smoke all smokescreen? So.

Greg Emmert: Killed it.

Brian Searl: Mike, I think my next question to you is like, you’ve had lots of conversations at the show, both at your booth and walking around and networking with people. What’s the most interesting thing that you’ve had a conversation about?

Mike Harrison: So I had I think a couple of Glamping conversations. Um, first give a shout out to. 

I wrote down something that, you know, I’m not gonna say you royalties, um, but I’m really gonna use this my mantra for, you know, we have a mix of glamping and RV coming from the hospitality world. Sometimes I forget that Glamping really, truly hospitality said something this morning about we want people to know we’re expecting.

So what I wrote down this morning, it’s gonna become a mantra for all, for our training we’re expecting because that. You know what we, right. And, and sometimes, you know, you get in the trap of forgetting transaction, right? And somebody’s checking in and you got, you know, service and you check out again.

But really, why we, what we do is that serve right? Welcome. We’re expecting. So thank you for that. I really inspired this morning and you know, I’ve already built my team and setting up a webinar to do a whole new training and what the hell doing? 

Brian Searl: You gotta give her royalties for that man. 

Mike Harrison: Invite you to our leadership conference, um, Anyway. Um, and, and I think the second thing really is, uh, you know, speaking with Miguel association, I, I’m a, I’m an endless learner. You know, one of our values is curiosity. And I want to understand, and I wanna know, you know, how do they do it differently? Right? And, and, you know, hearing how he relates and communicates his message and how he serves, you know, there’s nowhere to get his, his membership here and what they do differently.

You know, that’s an important takeaway to me. Um, because you know, whether it’s, uh, listening the story about the sweet spa and how you could incorporate that or listen to Miguel how he handles the membership Glamping Mexico to Regina and her walking around with her for Mexican stickers, which I now have seven of, I think I have enough water bottles to cover.

Um, you know, again, I think it’s just the diversity of what you can take away. So that, that’s, that’s my, I think my main takeaway. 

Brian Searl: Sven. 

Sven Schuurmans: Um, well I think my biggest takeaway from this show is I really, it’s more a general thing. I’m trying to compare like the market, the US but the market in Europe. And I really notice here that the type of activations here are entrepreneurs.

You see a lot of like smaller location. In Europe, the, the difference is that a lot of Campground owners or acquired, they decide to change the camp spots into land spots and so they can more revenue out of the camp. So that’s, that’s really a big difference comparing, um, and you see a lot of like unique, uh, complete concepts. Um, well in the campgrounds, for example, uh. That’s, that’s really like only beautiful spots. They, they really thought it through and yeah, that’s really, I get a lot of inspiration from that I, I see happen in your as well. 

Brian Searl: I mean, I think to your Mike, to your point too, Mike, when you were talking about in your speech about being, just being, expecting, expecting people to come, I think that’s not only just the welcome, the personalization like Ari was talking about using at his property, but it’s also thinking about the things that they may need that anticipating what they might want during their stay.

Uh, I think I told you this story, Mike, but uh, we were in Ireland and we went to a, a treehouse that was Handbuilt and the guy had just a little Walmart ice maker outside. Like those things that, like, I didn’t use it, but you, you appreciate it just by knowing it’s there.

Mike Harrison: Well, I think know has opportunity. I dunno what we’re talking about, cabin and everything like that.

Um, but you know, if you can make a true smart cabin and you know, I don’t mean Google turn the lights on, understand profile that coffee is in, come on. 

Brian Searl: I feel like you can do that. Ari’s gonna give you some pointers and I can later too.

Ari Smith: How dare you assume that doesn’t already exist.

Mike Harrison: Um, but I think, you know, that’s, that’s where, you know, integrate technology, kind of the data.

Brian Searl: I think I, I wanna let Ari jump in there for a second ’cause he does, he did talked about his personalized guest profiles and gathering guest data. I think that’s important to close the loop on what you’re talking about. 

Ari Smith: Yeah. Like hundred percent. Like what you’re saying. That is what smart means. Smart is not, you know, Google open up the door that, that chip sale like 15 years ago.

Smart means, anything, whether it’s the facility or the specific facility they’re staying in, the property in general, the experience they’re having, all of it is catered to them. Like there is a, the application of personalized intelligence to optimize for the guests hot coffee. Absolutely. And not just is it the right type of coffee, a type of bean or whatever, but is it ready when they want it ready?

And did you know that maybe without asking them or they already told you in some indirect way that as humans we could have say, you know what, maybe after lunch, well, did lunch happened in the 11? Did it happen in 12? Did it happen 1? Probabilistic systems infer, answer that question in a way that traditional software never could.

And that is unbelievably performant for guests. And it is, it is what smart should be understood as moving forward is like the world bending to the guests and not the other way around. But that kind of goes with, actually gotta make the other point that you. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, go ahead. 

Ari Smith: It kind of goes to something else I was thinking about relative to, I think back to the question was now like what’s the, an interesting takeaway from the, the event?

And I think that this change in how we think about things is so fundamental. Not just I think world broadly, but to this industry specifically. And what I mean is that AI, robotics, automation, all of it, it’s changed the world so fast that it’s, the disruption is a. In fact, the only vector that you can look at and say, oh, this is being, you know, manipulated in a way that is, that is noticeable, is the acceleration, right?

Your second order function, the disruption is coming faster and the scale of the disruption is going faster. And this is really, really terrifying to so many industries because they can’t even try to develop a solution because by the time it’s done, they’re on. But what I have noticed the question. Folks here, folks that people here like embrace, love that shit like, and it is that, that is also a thing that I think you and I, uh, uh, don’t get experience.

Like, they’re like afraid of technology. Does that mean I have to rip out my ERP or like. Those are not the kinds of, that’s not the way that people seem to be thinking about this. And that means that a huge barrier to progress in this industry is already gone because they’re like, what’s the next big thing people are asking about?

I mean, they don’t even know what that means, means what they know, what it could do. That is scary to almost everybody else I talk to. Like, oh, does that mean my job’s done? Yeah. But in this industry, like, yes, I use that in some way that’s gonna make this guest life better or it’s gonna make my operations manager more efficient gonna know how problem this is like magic time and you just have to be, put your arms around it. And I think this place simplifies a an enthusiastic approach of disruption and that’s a pretty rare thing. 

Brian Searl: Alright, Ann, to, since we’re taking half the podcast and hijacking based on your idea, uh, expecting guests, tell us what we’re missing about that, that’s maybe not AI related, just so we don’t. 

Ann Howard: Yeah. Um, I do, I always firm believer like surprising delight and I guess might want it coming and they’re justically and so I think that’s huge. Fascinating. I do to think right this, um, but at this show that has been in the past and the conversation has evolved since it was brought up.

So sustainability, people got like tired, overwhelmed, and they’re like depressed about climate change. I want to reframe that conversation about how I always feel like should be the leaders in this because these people, congregations, they care about the environment inherently.

They, they, the way you’re building, you’re inherently picking about a land. So what is your footprint on that? How are we like honoring this space? I, I feel like we should be synonymous with like what good travel and responsible travel is because it’s might the environment. I think we should be thinking more about local communities.

We’re not as good about that in the state. We know like abroad, like how are we integrating communities prevalent, but um, that is we this a better place and I think people wanna get on the rest way. You’re like, yeah, that’s the coolest thing and it’s the better thing. Win win. So it’s kind like making everybody, making doing the right thing easier and more. And I think that’s gonna move hospitality in the structure. It extract be, you know, some of the worst polluters out there.

But in glamping, is an exception. That is not our, and I think we can’t forget that, especially as we get more tricked out like that. This is about honoring joys in life. So I don’t. 

Brian Searl: And I think that’s, I don’t wanna go back to Ari in tech, but I feel like I have to almost, because you talked about sustainability too in your presentation.

Ari Smith: It’s like, I agree with every single thing that you said, like, yeah, I wholeheartedly endorse whole I I completely reject that you shouldn’t be embracing AI. But everything else you said, I’m right there. I’m right there with you. Like, it, it’s, it’s, in fact, we were talking about sustainability during our talk so much because it’s. Can’t emphasize stuff.

Guests actually care. Like they’re not just blowing by the fact that, yeah, you have solar that’s hitting this thing, or you’re using regenerative farming. Like this was like a catch word or a phrase, or just an irrelevancy back in the day. It is. So front and center, and you wanna be able to be truly authentic when you tell people Yes we, we think about it as part of our, our daily like operational like strategy. It’s not just like some afterthought or something that we, we do because it tick a box or gets us some kind of car red. We do it because of two things. One is it really makes us more authentic in how we present to our guests and the experience they have as a result.

And two, it comes with incredible economic upside. Like it’s not, it’s not a thing you do in spite of the fact that it’s gonna cost you more. You do it because you’re taking a longer term view of, of your property and of your guests, and you’re thinking, okay, I’ll get more revenue in business. I’ll be able to increase my, my daily rate.

I’ll be able to provide more capabilities because people are, are spending money with me due to the fact that I’m doing some of these things, not almost in spite. 

Brian Searl: Greg, same question to you. Most interesting conversation. 

Greg Emmert: It’s the one we’re having right now. And I, as a lifelong conservationist, I this, that’s another thing that’s great about this show is the fact that it can, to your point.

It really hard sustainability and into conservation. Um, the RV industry that I’m from, uh, he used to hurt my soul on a daily basis to go to work and look around and oh my God, how many gallons of water did I waste outta my pool? Oh, that could have been, that’s just a lot, right? Like that weigh on me. So I developed ways in my business.

We took on recycling even though we lost a bunch of money, but who makes money on recycling? But it’s a huge cost. You take it on anyway, right? You preserve land. You try to tell the story of that, and that’s the biggest part. And that goes to what you were just saying, alright, if you do that right, if you communicate it right, you’re not guilting the guests for what they’re doing.

You’re empowering them to feel good about the stay at your place because it’s not just, Hey, we put in some LED bulbs and we, uh, got tankless water heaters. Why? Why did you do those things? Why does that mean something to you? That’s what connects with people, is telling that story properly. And that for me, again, uh, being a conservationist forever, that means so much to me.

It was a real struggle, but I took my Campground from something that was a lot of mowing for mowing sake, like double digit acres of it, and developed pollinator plots and prairies and hiking trails. And in the beginning, it was a lot. Those are the weeds. And then a year or two later, it was, these trails are the best.

They’re, they’re the best thing you have at the park. What are we gonna do? Oh, we’re gonna start doing programming. Oh, you’ve been better. And then, you know, two years later, I’ve got 80 people showing up for a nighttime fight where we catch mos and we hate, like, yeah, I’m, I’m hurting my arm right now, batting myself on the back. But it, it was, it was wonderful.

Ari Smith: You’ve done good work.

Greg Emmert: And it’s nice to hear that that is alive. Um, here at The Atlantic. 

Brian Searl: What are some of the things, as you talk to people who you consult with at Vireo, as you help them build properties, what do you think one of the primary barriers is to getting more sustainability into parks?

Greg Emmert: So, a lot of people, I think, and it’s sad to make this comparison, but I think it’s fair, uh, just based on my experience, they do it kinda like the ADA, right? Like people look at the ADA and business, I gotta spend money on that. I, we, we don’t hardly have anybody show up that needs X, Y, and Z. Like, I can, I can’t tell you how many times I consult with people who feel like the ADA’s is a barrier and oh, this is just a cost and it’s, you know, hardly anybody’s gonna use it.

It’s like that. Do you know how many millions of people you would open yourself up to if you make those changes and embrace that, advertise to them. There are millions of people that need those types of things in their parks. So I think it’s a good comparison to that because they look at, you know, the conservation side.

Like, okay, can I, can I tick a few boxes and put a green leaf on my website? Is that good enough? Right. They don’t, they don’t build it into their story and they just don’t see the value of that because that doesn’t, in their minds, they don’t see that they can translate that to ADR. Right. And that’s what you were just speaking about.

If you do it right, if you tell the story Right, it absolutely translates to ADR, I will go, I’m a case in point, I, I’m a single data point among 323 million Americans. Right? But I will seek out that place that tells that story. Because I know I can stay there and feel good about my stay. Um, but that’s the struggle.

It’s typically trying to show them how you monetize it. And it, you know, for me, my brain works backwards. You don’t monetize it. You do it for you as an owner and then the crowd follows that. They catch onto your story. You start extracting those people. You start bringing a different audience because of your intentionality.

But they, you know, a lot of times for clients it’s okay if I do this next year, how much money do I get? It’s a long play. It’s not a you, you can’t get to that very next year. At least I haven’t figured out the way. 

Brian Searl: Alright. Mike, you’re downstream from the sustainability guy, but do you, I’m sure you have things to add.

So same question to you. When you’re consulting for third party management, when you’re consulting on developments and things, how do you think about sustainability but also other things that you’ve seen here as takeaways that you would pass along to your clients? 

Mike Harrison: Um, you know, brief, brief part about sustainability. You know, you can go on forever about that, an important topic. Um, but I think, you know, both as an owner and as a consultant, park owners, you know, it’s gotta be important. You know, is it a mission or is it an action? And, you know, for most, it isn’t necessarily a mission, it’s a business. And so you have to find that balance of how much can I do where I’m still providing sustainable behaviors, but also where I’m not costing the business.

So it is a fine balance of water conversion, or water energy, uh, you know, how do you have solar? What other kind of programs are you using? Uh, and so we advise on that in the beginning. And so, you know, the owner says that. Um, you know, it’s an important topic that, you know, we can spend an entire hour on. Uh, so I’ll move on to, you know, what else are we advising?

Um, you know, it’s interestingly enough when we first started, uh, Connor was say outdoor advisory. You know, we had numerous conversations about five years ago. Um, you know, we were one of the first park to put park models in our park as you know, vacation, renting, we call it glamping. He was appalled. He was, he was just so hurt.

That’s not glamping, right? He looks at glamping as three yurts on the side of the Grand Canyon and, you know, looking to Star Night, which is glamping. 

And so it goes into that angel discussion of what is glamping. And so I’m a proponent of glamping is an open and welcome industry. glamping is whatever you define it as, that isn’t necessarily an RV or a tent.

And so, uh, you know what we advise clients on almost every property, whether it’s an RV or glamping or at North. You know, I was talking to, uh, a person this morning that they’re consulting with and he’s building a beautiful property up north. Fantastic river and you know, obviously he’s running to financial expense and you know, he wants to start out with some basic tens, which are beautiful, you know, 50 ADR as opposed to seven 50 more custom unit and just having a discussion about, you know, what’s the trade off of?

Maybe you lose five or six 10 for the cost of one of the other units, but what’s your dollar delta in terms of, of how you create not only a more profit, but really a better, you know, glamping experience for, uh, you know, that person. You still have the tent if you want some more, you know, native, authentic glamping, but you can have some diversity.

So we advise a lot of diversity glamping, not one unit type. What fits, you know, we talk about DNA, you know, is it a covered wagon if you’re in Wyoming or is it a yurt? You know, if you’re on the planes in the Geodome, if you’re in California, is it an airstream? Is it a park model? If you’re an RV resort, it can be many things.

Uh, but our main message is it should be glamping, right? That is what’s gonna drive your experience, which will. Ultimately. 

Brian Searl: I wanna bring in our guest who sat down next to you while we were talking here. Sarah Riley. She’s graciously joined us. Is it co-conference director? Can I give you so co-conference. 

Mike Harrison: Worried about the announcement Now she has a much better voice. This is like. 

Brian Searl: We, we did that to on purpose. Yeah. 

Mike Harrison: Can you make my voice AI, Brian?.

Brian Searl: We should, can we license your voice?

Mike Harrison: Yeah. Ladies and gentlemen.

Brian Searl: Please just introduce yourself and talk a little bit about your work here and how, how you’ve done with the show so far.

Sarah Riley: Thank you so much, um, yeah.

Through their journey to like this, and having time with these amazing people means people.

Brian Searl: So I think you’ve succeeded. I think we would all agree. She’s succeeded. Thank you. Uh, you come from the, the UK Glamping show a background of doing that. Uh, what would you say is the most challenging thing as you took over this show for the first time this year? 

Sarah Riley: Well, so many. So I think the only thing that that’s gonna do is gonna be event, it’s gonna help, and I think I would say earlier, one of the biggest events.

Has decided to invest in so much for this industry. It makes it really exciting. You know, they don’t invest in things, background research, so if they are investing in not by this is.

Yeah.

Brian Searl: What’s one of the most interesting conversations you’ve had during your time here? 

Sarah Riley: So many. Yeah. Oh yes. I think that, um, yeah. 

You know how hotels are this space, everyone.

So we are.

This trend is very, and we need, but we need to also feel very, 

we are way ahead.

And

Brian Searl: what’s the biggest, I know we have limited time with her, so I’m just gonna ask her one question, Mike. Uh, so just last question for you and then we can let you go if you need to go. Uh, where would you see, uh, where would you like to do differently or add to the show next year that you weren’t able to do this year or that you’ve learned from the show that you should do next year?

Sarah Riley: Well, we

make decision. We look at the feedback, we hear what everyone else is saying, and then. However, from my perspective, I think it’s about recognizing that this industry is maturing. So for while there, people very, now, lot of people, they have so much knowledge.

So we’re having

so much AI knowledge, I.

The thing

we need to.

Brian Searl: Thank you very much, Sarah. I’ll let you go. Appreciate it. Mike, you have been wanting to say something eagerly it better be good. No pressure. 

Mike Harrison: Um, you know, I think, you know, we mentioned Marriottt earlier and I think, uh, there’s some angst, you know, from the glamping Paris about Marriottt space and you know what I would say, or what I would add is, you know, thinking about Dan and Dan, Dan and Dan and this morning, and from listening to Ann, who’s gonna, Sweden, you know, she’s visiting one of the kind world type destinations on a regular basis, and they exist.

She gets to experience that raise your hand and the rest of the Glamping show how many people have experienced that, right? But they’re a thing, right? Steph’s property great example of that. Then you, Kathleen, and she’s, you know, providing Go, Dan, you’re that Dan’s got more of a corporatized environment, park, vacation rentals, water park.

That’s, and then it was Kathleen, somewhere in the middle. And you know why I bring that up is we talked about earlier, there’s, there’s glamping for everyone, right? It’s no different than a courtyard

diversity. And so, as Sarah had mentioned, Emerald taking the shuttle and one of severe in the, in the industry, in the country. Evolving this, that’s what Marriott’s gonna do too. You know, so for, for folks that are really worried about shared nature, they will bring, you know, financial investment. They’ll bring technology and evolution to the space.

They’ll bring distribution and awareness for an industry that maybe somebody hasn’t seen, familiarized or entered into it. Um, that’s, that’s what I’m really excited about. What is Marriottt? And I think that’s. 

Brian Searl: Just for the people who are on the, who are watching live who haven’t heard the Marriottt announcement.

Do you wanna briefly? 

Sarah Riley: Oh, sure. Well, a lot of people, Marriott post cabin last entered the space, which, uh, you heard me five minutes ago in patrol saying that exact thing that Marriott would buy somebody into the space and, uh, which is very exciting. You know, Hilton involved, uh, and Hyatt’s involved with Under Canvas and Autocamp as well.

Um, but what Marriott really has done differently is they announced Meritt Outdoor. Which is four 50 properties across the US of various different kinds. Some hotels, some landscape hotels, some retreats, coast Guard cabins, various different kinds of outdoor, uh, experiences that also provide, you know, whitewater rafting or wine experience or local conservations, birding, uh, you know, type things.

And so, uh, that entry into our space change the dynamic of forever, uh, which is important because as we see these people, they’ll be more available to capital, will help with, uh, various data points and investment and it’ll be super exciting to see what they have. 

Brian Searl: Sven, how do you, or sorry, go ahead Ann, I didn’t let you finish the last time. 

Ann Howard: I decided that’s like blowing my brain.

Brian Searl: No, go ahead.

Ann Howard: I dunno if it’s gonna work, but I wanna throw it out there because I feel like people who are Marriott people are loyal people. 

Brian Searl: For sure. That’s me. 

Ann Howard: And that’s you, then meanwhile, that’s. In good way will bring them to our world. They go, oh the outdoors. But I’m wondering, so that in one way I hope that we them and they try it.

They’re like, oh, it’s worth going outta my world trying something new. Or do we need to step up and create a point system amongst our boutique hospitality world where we can be sharing these guests? Because I feel like that’s, once they know they can use these token system for cool things in the outdoors.

Like I don’t want them to eat our lunch. And I think we should just kind of like the community idea. How can each other, because none of this become, they love your resort. My resort wanna send experience, expect forever. Sharing guests, making, choosing arms. I’m not trying competitive.

My mind, but I’d like.

Mike Harrison: It’s a great point, but it isn’t about points, it’s about, it’s about the barrier to anything. So they’re, so I’ll tell you from, you know, the loyalty about, right? If you’re checking for a Marriott, you can’t find something, you raise your hand if you only have one hotel. 

Brian Searl: Yeah. Because we got rid of the benefits that everybody cared about when. 

Mike Harrison: No anymore. Right. And, and it’s, it’s access, right? So what they’ll do is hopefully they’ve stayed at maybe one of their properties and next time they’re gonna try something else. Or if you look at Sarah’s properties on Under Canvas, it’s, they’re not offering points, but it’s no different. I say Zion, oh my gosh. I, the other Under Canvas, I wanna check.

So it’s, it isn’t necessarily about points, it’s about the access to loyalty, the introduction to the space to become passionate about experiencing the outdoors. And they’re gonna help, you know, they, they have. 50 or 60 million members, you know, right now, which we aren’t necessarily touching. Uh, so that’s what, you know, I think our hope is, is, uh, you know, I point pardon language, um, but, uh, you know, I don’t think it’s gonna be about that, especially people that are experiencing glamping.

It’s when coming from the hotel world, I it a story a lot. You know, in the RV and glamping world, you know, you come out on the porch of your yurt and you’re in your boxers and having your cup of coffee, and then across the, you know, other yurt, somebody’s in the bathrobe 

and Hey, morning Sally. Morning John. If you put that in a hotel, you know, and you’re in your door and they open a door and you’re your boxers and they call the cops, right?

Or what do people do in an elevator? Everybody gets in an elevator and tell you, look, don’t talk to me. I’m not gonna touch you. Like, there’s it’s loss. The, the spirit of hospitality and the outdoor hospitality industry.

Brian Searl: Both of you’re right. In some cases I think, I think exposure that Marriottt is gonna bring to the industry is great. I think it’s gonna put some operators, probably most of whom, who aren’t here on the defensive because they’re just doing things, they’re setting up side by side park models and they’re not doing the experience rider.

And those people are gonna be on the defensive more so than anything else. But just like as you get, you still have this independent boutique properties 20, 30, 40 years after the big chains have come in and commoditized everything, there’s going to be still people who crave those experiences, who will go outside.

And so I think Mike’s right, and you’re right. So 

Greg Emmert: we can all be right. Yeah. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, Sven, I’m curious. Yeah, go ahead. 

Sven Schuurmans: I honestly think. My experience is from Europe. What I, what I noticed there is that a lot of parks and campgrounds, they all copy each other. So they all have the same glamping band. And so it’s, it’s, it’s all the same. And I think when companies like Marriott enter the market, but also like with this kind of events, you see that, uh, people have to be more diverse with their location.

So you see more different type of recommendations on, on, on the Campground, like, like five different types. What you’re saying is also like, um, there’s way more interaction. 

So if you have like five different, uh, types of accommodations and you’re sitting around the campfire, people start to talk to each other like, Hey, which accommodation are you?

I, I think that’s a good thing.

Brian Searl: What other takeaways, for all the conversations we’ve had so far, what the European so far with how this is ’cause an earlier adopter in some cases of glamping than the USS what, from all the, from all the discussions we’ve had about and hotels and entering, how have you seen that take? 

Sven Schuurmans: Um, well, you see concept, unlike a, to build a complete concept. You see that, um, there’s like a lot of new amenities, uh, getting added to, to like the accommodations, like a hot tub, like sauna. So yeah, people are getting more and more, uh. Attracting the, the guests. 

Brian Searl: Does anybody know the time? 

Greg Emmert: It’s, uh, one, two hours?

Brian Searl: No, we’re one hours. We’re one hour. So 

Greg Emmert: it’s three o’clock Eastern right now. 

Brian Searl: Okay. So we’re almost trying to wrap up. All right. So, uh, Ann, uh, do you wanna start us off just, uh, like one thing that you would, one thing you think that we haven’t discussed that you think we should about the glamping show?

Ann Howard: Um, I like to commend the architectural creativity that’s happening. I think people are starting to be, like, starting too much of one thing. So I we’re pushing the boundaries of the architecture side of it and creating like, truly unique, beautiful spaces. Um, so I think to keep pushing that direction and yeah. This is then they could be an art form. 

I think we can be, we can be that example. So they kind keep pushing. Yeah. 

Brian Searl: And where can they learn more about HoneyTrek, what you’re doing. 

Ann Howard: We are HoneyTrek, instagram, YouTube

book, which is Comfortably Wild, best glamping in North America. And like I said, keep the conversation going as we work on the global position. 

Brian Searl: Thank you, Ann. Appreciate your time joining us. Greg, same question. Anything we missed? 

Greg Emmert: Um, no, I, I don’t think there’s anything we missed, but there’s, I’ll lean in.

I don’t wanna be Debbie Downer at the end of the show, but I’m gonna lean into, and if any of the manufacturers are listening to me right now, these things are beautiful. And to your point, the architectural side is absolutely gorgeous, but the amount of glass that I see as, as a conservationist kind of concerns me a little bit because I don’t see, I don’t see anyone, and maybe they are, and I, I still have yet to make my rounds to kind of ask questions, but I don’t see anything that is, um, is mitigating collision with the glass.

Okay. So like. Again, my soapbox, uh, you can tune out right now if you want, but, uh, about a Billion Birds a year in building collisions and glass is a massive part of that. Um, just take a look at what happened with US Bank Stadium in, uh, that’s Minneapolis, right where the Vikings play, I think. Um, they got boycotted by, I dunno how many different.

We’re picking up a hundred dead warblers a night in front of your place during, you know, what are you gonna do? And they were like, so, you know, I pulled all my accounts from US Bank. I’m one of those people I guess. Um, but I’m gonna, I’m gonna put my money where my mouth is, right? So I still have some, some rounds to make.

But I would really like to see since sustainability, since conservation is a part of this business and needs to be, I think from the, the ground up, I think we have to ask ourselves a little bit as we buy these and as they’re designed, how are we planning that into the story all the way from top to bottom.

Because you can mitigate those collisions. Really low cost solutions. They’re not obtrusive, uh, despite what a lot of people think. And, uh, so yeah, there, there it’s, I I threw you a downer for the close of the show. I know I’m not supposed to do that, but then I’m gonna give back to Mike. He’s gonna kill it.

Brian Searl: I, I don’t think that’s a downer. So, but where can they learn more about Vireo. 

Greg Emmert: growwithvireo.com Come and see me. We’ll talk about birds. 

Brian Searl: We, we won’t make you stretch. We’ll give it just event. We’ll end with Mike 

Sven Schuurmans: Mic. What I missed here? 

Brian Searl: Anything, anything you think we’ve missed that we should be talking about, about the blaming show?

Sven Schuurmans: Um, that’s a good question. It’s, it’s, uh, what I think is really interesting is focus on the social media. 

You don’t need, like me as like the founder of I, I’m really, um, curious, um, have you been. How, how that is developing here in the US market, uh, was with, uh, AI. But you also see that AI is also typical for like the, the bookings, uh, in the future maybe. So we’re really trying to get, um,

yeah, how do you say it? Sorry. 

The customer definitely change gonna like TikTok to Instagram, so I’m really curious how that’s benefit thing 

and so I wanna say 

Brian Searl: ending glampings.com, they can find out, uh, more about. And everything else you, 

Sven Schuurmans: yeah. Yeah. So, um, glampings.com. we connect like, uh, partner in Europe.

Um, with the general; management. So that is for, uh, yeah, for the future. 

We’re also looking into the state to connect with other partners. 

Brian Searl: Mike. 

Mike Harrison: Thank you. Thanks for inviting me and I appreciate being here at the a. Um, but I think, you know, I was gonna say something else and I changed my mind.

And, uh, you know, my takeaway or, or something I think that’s important to say is education. And so, you know, I don’t necessarily, I don’t disagree with Greg. I don’t with Greg, but I take away is I never really thought about, you know, and so as I’m developer, owner, operator, you know, I sourcing units for property right now 

about how much I would never really have been because I’m,

um, because you know, something, you know, that’s important that I, as you, it’s learning passionate. And so whether it’s continuous improvement, rising connection, education, learning. Right. So yeah, you, you know, talking to people and taking something away and writing something down and trying something new, that is all innate to how much effort you put.

Um, so that’s what education. So, and, uh, you know, you can learn us about us crrhospitality.com. We’d appreciate it. Either. You can come stay with us, either that, uh, or whether consulting group. So thank you. 

Brian Searl: Yeah, thank you. Mike, Sven, Ann, Greg, who’s ,been on our panel. Uh, Sarah, everybody who has us in the show, Ari as well. I think the key takeaway for me is just like the, there’s so many different voices here.

There’s so many different things from tracks to vendors, to buildings and people that you meet in networking events that as much as we try to talk about it all in an hour long show, we’re going to touch it. And, and I think the key is you should come here as a person willing to learn. Experiences in your