Outdoor hospitality is undergoing a structural shift as operators, designers, and developers move beyond traditional RV park and campground models toward immersive, story-driven destinations.
The change reflects evolving guest expectations, increasing demand for differentiated stays, and a growing emphasis on experience as the primary product rather than simply a place to stay.
The discussion surfaced during a recent MC Fireside Chats 本集節目由…主持 Modern Campground，由主持 Brian Searl, featuring campground owners, architects, and experiential hospitality developers examining how the industry is redefining value creation.
Participants included Jeremy Johnson, owner of 科納山營地; Zach Stoltenberg, associate principal of architecture at LJA; Joy de Vos, owner of Foxtrot Dairy Store and Campground; and Travis Chambers, founder of OutpostX, each contributing a distinct lens on how outdoor hospitality is evolving beyond commoditized lodging.
Immersive, Story-Driven Outdoor Destinations
Chambers, opened the discussion by describing his projects as immersive narrative environments rather than traditional lodging.“We’re building these, basically they’re movie set hotels,” he said, explaining that guests enter “a super themed unit” and experience a fully designed story world.
Chambers emphasized the depth of immersion his properties aim to create, stating, “There’s a whole story, there’s a podcast that you listen to on the way there with dialogue and characters and plot lines and backstories.”
He described the experience as intentionally disconnected from modern life, adding, “We try to remove all of your connections to the modern world… and you’re just in this 48-hour kind of experience.”
This reflects the same underlying shift identified in Booking.com’s 10th annual Travel Predictions report, which shows that travelers in 2026 are increasingly designing trips around personal passions, technology, and experiential goals.
The report points to a clear movement away from standardized travel products toward more individualized and experimental journeys, with technology playing a growing role in shaping how those experiences are discovered and delivered.
A key expression of this trend is the rise of “Romantasy Retreats,” where storytelling and travel intersect. As fantasy literature gains momentum, 71% of travelers said they are interested in visiting destinations inspired by fictional worlds. More than half indicated they would consider participating in role-play retreats based on favorite games, books, or films, while 78% said they would use AI-powered tools to locate “storybook” stays or real-world filming locations.
He also highlighted the role of storytelling in shaping guest perception and demand. “It’s a choose your own adventure thing,” he said, underscoring the importance of narrative structure in experiential hospitality design.
Marketing for such unconventional destinations, he noted, relies heavily on digital storytelling and influencer amplification. “We’ve spent maybe $30,000 total in two years on influencers to do about 250 million views on social media,” he said, describing how social platforms have become central to demand generation for experiential resorts.
Counterbalancing the discussion, Joy de Vos presented a grounded but parallel model rooted in agriculture and education. Describing her working dairy farm campground, she said, “We’re hoping that it’ll go on to the fourth generation… we decided, let’s do a campground. That sounds like fun. And then we talked about doing a store. We’ll have a little store to service the campground.”
De Vos emphasized the educational intent behind her operation, noting that many guests lack basic agricultural literacy. “I’ve encountered people that couldn’t tell that a bull calf was actually not a goat,” she said, highlighting the disconnect between urban populations and food systems. Her farm integrates camping with hands-on learning experiences, including tours and animal interaction.
Her farm integrates camping with hands-on learning experiences, including tours and animal interaction.
That educational, nature-rooted positioning maps to broader demand signals. Booking.com’s 2026 outlook found 43% of travelers plan to vacation specifically to feel closer to nature, with rising interest in quiet outdoor activities like birdwatching, foraging, and fishing — categories that working farms and rural campgrounds are uniquely positioned to deliver.
The conversation ultimately converged on a shared thesis: outdoor hospitality is shifting from commodity-based lodging to experience-driven design. As Stoltenberg summarized, “We’re seeing those master plan communities with resort-style swimming pools and top-tier amenities… you’re selling a lifestyle, they’re selling a brand.”
This evolution, participants suggested, is reshaping not only how campgrounds are designed but how value is defined across the industry. Instead of competing solely on price, amenities, or location, operators are increasingly competing on narrative, immersion, and emotional resonance.
Rethinking Revenue Models, Pricing Systems
Also in the conversation, Jeremy Johnson raised concerns about the limits of current pricing systems used in campgrounds, noting that “everybody’s saying turning on PriceLabs or turning on dynamic pricing in Newbook isn’t quite cutting it anymore.”
His comments reflected growing frustration among operators who feel existing tools fail to account for property-specific nuance.
Johnson added that many systems still lack flexibility at the property level, pointing out a key gap: “You can set a base floor, but you can’t set a dynamic floor.” He argued that pricing models need to better reflect seasonal shifts and the unique characteristics of individual properties rather than relying on static assumptions.
Stoltenberg responded by framing the issue as a legacy mismatch between traditional hospitality systems and outdoor hospitality realities. “All those systems and mechanisms, the booking software, they’re built for that traditional model,” he said. “Everything about outdoor hospitality is so unique and different.”
Stoltenberg also pointed to a broader industry shift away from RV-only development models. “There’s a big push right now into cabins, park models, glamping tents, other accommodation options,” he said, noting that operators are increasingly adapting to changing guest demand beyond RV-based stays.
關於我們 Insider Perks
Insider Perks 是一家專注於露營地、房車度假村和豪華露營地的戶外飯店智慧公司。該公司將人工智慧客戶服務、市場情報、自動化、人工智慧網站和成長行銷整合到一個互聯繫統中，為北美各地的飯店業者提供服務。 Insider Perks 發布原創產業研究報告，包括《戶外餐飲定價報告》、《人工智慧就緒網站標準》以及業界首個定價指數。該公司成立於2009年。 Brian Searl該公司為500多家物業提供服務並經營 Modern Campground這是業界最大的行業刊物。
關於我們 MC Fireside Chats
MC Fireside Chats 是一個致力於戶外飯店和戶外休閒產業的直播播客體驗。主辦者 Brian Searl，創始人兼首席執行官 Insider Perks 以及 Modern Campground，該節目與行業領導者、創新者和專家進行了精彩的討論，塑造了露營、房車、豪華露營和戶外休閒的未來。
該節目每週三下午 2 點（美國東部時間）播出，每週圍繞一個主題展開，深入探討最相關的話題：
- 第一周：產業趨勢與洞察
- 第二週：提升賓客體驗
- 第三週：業務營運與管理
- 第四週：行銷、人工智慧和技術
每集都有一組常客，並輔以 1-2 名輪流特別嘉賓，包括產業分析師、露營地所有者、技術提供者、永續發展倡導者等。無論是探索最新的市場趨勢還是創新的賓客體驗策略， MC Fireside Chats 為戶外休閒領域的專業人士和愛好者提供發人深省的見解。
探索前幾集 MC Fireside Chats，訪問： Moderncampground.com/mc-fireside-chats.