Latest / Outdoor Hospitality Podcast: Glamping, STR, Resorts, Unique Stays, RV Parks, RV Resorts & Campgrounds / Lessons Learned From 300+ Outdoor Resort Site Visits - HoneyTrek: Mike & Anne Howard

Transcript

Lessons Learned From 300+ Outdoor Resort Site Visits - HoneyTrek: Mike & Anne Howard · Outdoor Hospitality Podcast: Glamping, STR, Resorts, Unique Stays, RV Parks, RV Resorts & Campgrounds

• 0:02
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome back to the Outdoor Hospitality Podcast.
• 0:05
  SPEAKER_02: I'm very excited today.
• 0:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm joined by Mike and Ann Howard of Honey Trek.
• 0:10
  SPEAKER_02: Welcome, Mike and Ann.
• 0:11
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having us.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is probably slotted to be certainly one of the more fun episodes and near to my own heart.
• 0:19
  SPEAKER_02: I often like to think that I've seen more glamping property locations than the US than maybe hardly anyone.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_02: And then I think about what Mike and Ann have done, and I'm like, oh no, they've forgotten more about glamping site visits than I know.
• 0:34
  SPEAKER_02: So these are the real, these are the real legends.
• 0:37
  SPEAKER_02: So they have basically they started their honeymoon in 2020 and never stopped, and they have been traveling around the U.S.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_02: and the entire world, predominantly focused on travel adventure, and a big focus in the glamping and unique and outdoor hospitality space.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_02: They have written and published two books.
• 0:55
  SPEAKER_02: One is their honey track book about called Comfortably Wild.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_02: And it's an incredible coffee table book.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're wanting to decorate your lobby or your units, I definitely recommend checking that out.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it documents their travels and stays at really special accommodations throughout the country.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_02: And they also did one with Nat Geo, correct?
• 1:16
  SPEAKER_02: That was the longest honeymoon, right?
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_02: And so they did one with NatGEO as well.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_02: And now they're in the middle of creating their third book, which is comfortably wild but expanded throughout the globe internationally.
• 1:26
  SPEAKER_02: Is that correct, too?
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:28
  SPEAKER_02: Correct.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_02: They have a huge following, over 400,000 followers across all their profiles, and uh a couple stats I'll just throw out here.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_02: So 90 countries explored, 432 blogs and travel guides written, and 5,000 in nine days on their honeymoon.
• 1:46
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and over 400,000 social media followers.
• 1:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that speaks for itself.
• 1:51
  SPEAKER_02: And yeah, so we've got a lot of fun stuff to dive into.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_02: Did I forget anything?
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_01: Well, one thing on the Net Geo book, it's called uh Ultimate Journeys for Two.
• 1:58
  SPEAKER_01: So it's kind of for anything not just honeymoon related and not just you and your girl.
• 2:02
  SPEAKER_01: It could be you and your sister or brother.
• 2:04
  SPEAKER_01: So that's the Net Geo book.
• 2:05
  SPEAKER_01: And then on the glamping camps, we just crossed our 300 glamping camps that we've actually stayed at and reviewed.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_01: So kind of relevant for the audience.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_01: So we're we're living it.
• 2:16
  SPEAKER_01: We're not just at home, you know, researching.
• 2:18
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, that one looks cool.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_01: That one looks cool.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_01: Chat with some people like we are on the road physically going to these camps.
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe about 200 of those are in the U.S.
• 2:27
  SPEAKER_01: and then another hundred abroad through probably 60 or so countries.
• 2:30
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, we love it.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's near and dear, and stats aren't everything.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's a lot about the heart.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Good to hear some stats too.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: But, you know, there's there's a lot to this industry, and happy to share anything we've learned to help people make their camps as good as possible.
• 2:44
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_02: And Mike and Ann have been very closely, I think, just intertwined and leading and kind of influencing the glamping space, super involved at the glamping show annually, not only as keynote speakers, but also on the board.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so Yeah, they've just been very present and they've helped a lot of people.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_02: So I think a lot of people credit Mike and Ann for them helping out, and they've done a lot of good things for the space.
• 3:06
  SPEAKER_02: So thank you for all that wonderful work.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_02: So you guys are on your travel.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_02: I was chatting about this was coming the other day.
• 3:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I helped found Sandy Vans.
• 3:15
  SPEAKER_02: And one of my dreams, and I was curious if you guys have started have done this at all, but at Sage, we have this ranking of properties.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_02: We come up with what's called the quality score, and we use that to look at when we when we're projecting a new business in a market, we go in and we look at the major competitors or comparable businesses in the area, and we kind of lay out that property in five categories in terms of quality.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_02: So it's the quality of the units, the property, the amenities, the location, and the brand.
• 3:42
  SPEAKER_02: And then we score those out of five.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_02: We come up with an overall quality score, and then we compare that with how we think what our client is going to build and where it will fall in that quality, and we use that to project rates, you know, up or down and do their revenue projection basically.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_02: But I always thought it would be such a fun project for me or for someone else to do, or maybe you guys.
• 4:03
  SPEAKER_02: And my dream was always to like take a Sandy van and travel around the U.S.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_02: and basically do like kind of like a Michelin star type situation for the glamping space, but try to come up with like the top ten properties in the US for those five categories, you know, units, property, amenities, brand, and all that.
• 4:20
  SPEAKER_02: Do you guys do you guys break it down that way in your book?
• 4:22
  SPEAKER_02: Do you like categorically break down or what's kind of like the main content and structure of that in your in y'all's books and how you're documenting and thinking about these properties?
• 4:31
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we feel like glamping, it was so much about the proprietor's story.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: What is the origin of this?
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: Why do you want to share this piece of land?
• 4:41
  SPEAKER_00: What is driving, you know, you take that risk to build something in a remote area, you know, blood, sweat, tears.
• 4:48
  SPEAKER_00: There's these wonderful human stories half the time behind them that you don't really get into outdoor hospitality because you think it's gonna be some big moneymaker.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_00: The whole idea is it's a rebellion from, you know, the big box hotels and how can I franchise and just grow, grow, grow.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: It's putting so much love into something that you think someone else will truly care about as well and want to share with their family and friends.
• 5:09
  SPEAKER_00: So it just became really personal and sort of the the intimate experience you could have with nature, with the people you love, and that that was curated by somebody who deeply cared about sharing this special place and that they cared about the environment too.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_00: That's another sort of like breakaway from glaming, especially as it's kind of glanding's always evolving, right?
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_00: When it started with more of like a beautiful tent in the woods, things are getting really flashy right now, too.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And there's, you know, we have to be a little careful with that too.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, why are you doing this?
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_00: Just to attract attention?
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_00: Or is this still about the simplicity of connecting with nature and the people you love?
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that that core story is still really important to us of the the why are you doing this, not like the ooh, look at me, you know, trying to be on top and beat the next guy.
• 5:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's these creating these really meaningful travel experiences in nature.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: And the funny thing, you were mentioning, you were basically when you said get a van and go review these properties, you're describing how we wrote comfortably wild.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like we we did that book with Falcon Guides.
• 6:10
  SPEAKER_01: They do a lot of outdoor adventure stuff.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: They've never really done anything, you know, hospitality focused, but they read some of our work and were like, wow, you guys should write a book about clamping.
• 6:20
  SPEAKER_01: And they said, normally our authors turn books in in around six to nine months.
• 6:24
  SPEAKER_01: Like, can you do that?
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: Can you write this book about the best glamping in in North America in six to nine months?
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: And we were like, well, we could write it in that time, but we want to actually research this these things and go in person and not just like I was alluding to before, email some PR people and be like, can you send me your 10 best photos and a description and maybe an interview with the owner digitally?
• 6:46
  SPEAKER_01: No, like we want to be there.
• 6:47
  SPEAKER_01: We want to sleep in the sheets, eat the food, do the activities, meet the owner around the fire pit, try their s'mores, like see the other guests, see how the whole thing flows.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: So we got our publisher to give us a two-year extension.
• 7:01
  SPEAKER_01: We've bought Buddy the camper, like this 1985 Toyota Sun Raider that anybody's anybody who's been to the glamping show has seen Buddy.
• 7:09
  SPEAKER_01: We bought that camper so that we could drive to, we drove to about 150 camps over two years, a lot of zigzagging, doing 50 miles an hour on the highway and 40 on the back roads to actually visit these camps in person and like really feel them.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: Like Ann said, meet the owners, meet the proprietors, see if their story matched up and they really had the heart that we think is so important to glamping.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_01: So it's funny you say that because that was our same vision, and like and we did it.
• 7:39
  SPEAKER_01: We spent two years doing it.
• 7:40
  SPEAKER_01: We're still doing it, but those two years writing the book were really fun.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: And on the global scale, yes, we took an even longer deadline because now we're trying to do what we did.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_00: The nine countries of comfortably wild North America is now taking on seven continents, which is a crazy idea, by the way.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Like, I don't know who we thought we were or how that was even possible, but we're making a good debt right now.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: We're at country 25, we're about halfway this year this year, where you know, we've also been glamping for 12 years solid.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_00: So we've got a really nice baseline to work with, but we're also not resting on like, oh, we remember that camping 12 years ago.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_00: We just revisited the first camp we ever stayed at in Chilean Patagonia.
• 8:18
  SPEAKER_00: Literally, it opened up our world to whoa, like what to glamping that we could be deep in nature.
• 8:25
  SPEAKER_00: Torres Delpani National Park is a wild landscape of glaciers and and just craggy mountains.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: And we revisited them and say, Hey, are you still holding up?
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_00: Right, you can't eco camp.
• 8:37
  SPEAKER_00: And and they we just had the greatest connection with the owners again, just really talking about like what is staying power, right?
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: How do you be a camp who's been around 25 years and still be winning awards like this year?
• 8:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, that's really important is like keeping, you're not just resting on awards you've won.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_00: We've revisited a lot of camps that were in the first edition to then also we just went to a camp in Salta, Argentina, that isn't even open yet because the concept to us is so good.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: We wanted to see where they're going and we're gonna keep tabs on them for the next six months.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_00: So we're doing the best we can as two people and having a really fun time doing it too.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_02: Hello, listeners.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_02: I wanted to share a quick story.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_02: I recently started to help a client set up their three properties, two RV resorts and one glamping resort.
• 9:24
  SPEAKER_02: And they wanted me to help roll out their new tech stack.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_02: And at the center of that is the PMS or the property management software.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: These clients decided to go with storable new book, and thank goodness they did because the property management software is the nucleus of everything that you'll set up: your website, your social media, your bookings, your cleanings, everything.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_02: And it really handles the entire process from both the front customer facing side as well as the back end and coordinating cleaners and things like that.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_02: So it's, you know, setting up your photos and your pricing and your dynamic pricing and revenue management and your unit information and ensuring a smooth and customizable shopping cart experience to ensure a high conversion rate with your customers.
• 10:07
  SPEAKER_02: And then they have all these great automations.
• 10:09
  SPEAKER_02: It can send texts and emails to your guests before they arrive on the day they arrived or after to get feedback and reviews.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_02: And you can track all your financial performance.
• 10:18
  SPEAKER_02: And then it also helps with the back end and analyzing your data.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_02: I honestly couldn't be happier with the experience.
• 10:24
  SPEAKER_02: If I called the new book helpline, I get an answer right away with someone who can help me with like three or four standing meetings each week with different members of their teams to set up the different capabilities and softwares.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: We're even using them to set up these property websites, we're using them for digital marketing services and SEO.
• 10:41
  SPEAKER_02: And honestly, it has been excellent.
• 10:44
  SPEAKER_02: I so I chased down Storable New Book to ask them if they would be sponsors of the podcast because I really believed in their product.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_02: Fortunately, they were willing.
• 10:52
  SPEAKER_02: So they are today's sponsors.
• 10:54
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're unhappy with your PMS or you're launching a product and shopping, definitely give them a call.
• 11:01
  SPEAKER_02: They'll give you a free software demonstration.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: And if you let them know that you came from the Outdoor Hospitality Podcast, they'll give you 15% off your new book signature subscriptions.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_02: Can't recommend storable new book highly enough.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_02: Go check them out.
• 11:14
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, for for anyone who's thinking about launching a glamping property or in design phase, I imagine purchasing Comfortably Wild and getting to read through that and kind of distilling two years and 100, is it 150?
• 11:31
  SPEAKER_02: 150 site visits?
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: 150 that we visited, not all of them made the book.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_01: I think there's about 80 or so that that made a full feature in the book, and then another 150 or so that are in the directory.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're just trying to have the straight shot of the high octane ideas of what cuts through, I would imagine that comfortably wild is the best way to do that from the two most well-traveled people in this space.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_02: So are you two so are you only focused on like mom and pop single-site operators, or are you still doing any brands?
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_00: I think you know brands are always worth acknowledging because you, you know, it's in ways as exciting that Marriott's getting into this and that, you know, people are starting to expand and franchise more.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_00: So that I think it's good for the industry because it's show it's like proof that this works, right?
• 12:17
  SPEAKER_01: And we do work with brands.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like we're not we're not against bigger brands.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_01: And one thing when we do work with brands is like we because I think a lot of well, brands are obviously get a lot more money focused and numbers and ROI and you know, get ranking scores and and very not just minutia, but like also volume and stuff.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_01: So when we do work with them, we try and bring, you know, a little bit of that, you know, mom and pop, a little bit of that heart back into it and bring some of that storytelling and and and emotion and passion and like connection with the land, and obviously help them, you know, get more bookings and midweek bookings and off-season bookings, but but do it in a way that I think brings that that true love of the land that that we really relate to.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_00: One good example, because they're not a small shop at all, but what they're doing is so I I like the scale that they're doing, it takes money and it takes, you know, a lot of backing to take on some of these major conservation projects.
• 13:21
  SPEAKER_00: This Great Plains in in they're running across Kenya, Botswana, and Zimbabwe.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_00: And I need to look up exact numbers, but it's conserving, you know, upwards, you know, oh wow, how many hundreds of thousands of acres or hectares actually in many camps.
• 13:36
  SPEAKER_00: In many camps, because they're doing, you know, ecosystem restoration.
• 13:39
  SPEAKER_00: And that can't just be a mom and pop two-person show, right?
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_00: You're gonna need multiple villages and you know investors to to pull off such ambitious dreams.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_00: So, yeah, we're certainly not you know scoffing at that.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_00: We want to help raise raise the voice of the voice of such causes.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_00: So there are, you know, there's a huge range, right?
• 13:57
  SPEAKER_00: So in this book right now, too, we have incredibly, you know, luxurious five-star places, but there's also, you know, the community-based tourism project in Rwanda at the against the phase of all of the really swanky resorts at the foot of the Volcanoes National Park, wherever we go see the gorillas.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_00: This is a cultural story that's not being told.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_00: The gorilla story is being told tenfold.
• 14:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's that who are the people behind this place?
• 14:21
  SPEAKER_00: You can still go see gorillas, but let's not forget that this is Rwanda and what that looks like culturally.
• 14:26
  SPEAKER_00: So we're trying to do a whole mix of like affordable, approachable, like, you know, grassroots community to, oh, the dreeniest possible place on the planet.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_00: We want all of that to be a part of glamping because it's really should be no limitations if the the way it makes you feel at the end is top-notch, right?
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not necessarily in how luxurious it is, it's the emotional takeaway.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_00: And that comes in many forms.
• 14:50
  SPEAKER_01: Which is the kind of like it's not just how we go glamping, but it's just how we travel in general and how we like to see a country.
• 14:57
  SPEAKER_01: And your hand's example of Red Rocks there.
• 14:59
  SPEAKER_01: It's 30 bucks a night, it's simple mud hut thatched roofs with Wait, you're going to Red Rocks?
• 15:05
  SPEAKER_01: Well, we went there already.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we went there and reviewed them.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_02: In Rwanda, I've stayed there.
• 15:10
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's so cool.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, we love those guys.
• 15:14
  SPEAKER_01: We love all they're doing, their community projects.
• 15:17
  SPEAKER_00: I want to shout them out personally.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_00: It's Greg Bakunzi, who's like won a well, he has like a UN award for like what a cultural village could be, where it's not like people dancing for tourists, it's like really uplifting local people to be like, how do you want to run this?
• 15:32
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, Patricia who's running like the whole dance program, and someone else is running cooking.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like, how do you want your culture exported?
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_00: Not let me tell you what to do, you tell me.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_00: That is so crazy.
• 15:43
  SPEAKER_00: You stay there, it makes me love you even more.
• 15:45
  SPEAKER_00: That's fantastic.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: But my point was that it's not the fanciest place.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's far from the fanciest place in in Rwanda.
• 15:52
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not even in the top 30, but it's got the heart.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: And for us, we want travelers and and glampers and everybody alike to experience both sides to do a little bit of that, a little bit of the high end.
• 16:03
  SPEAKER_01: Because if you only see one of those, only the super low or only the super high, you kind of miss out a little bit on that full experience of the culture.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_02: Dang.
• 16:11
  SPEAKER_02: So you guys, you already went to Rwanda, you're not going back.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_01: We might go back, but yeah, we went there last year for the gorilla naming ceremony.
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: We got invited in there for like the 20th naming ceremony.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
• 16:22
  SPEAKER_02: So that was kind of the kickoff of my solo travels in in Africa.
• 16:27
  SPEAKER_02: And I got really involved with the children's library there called the Agati Library, and I've stayed like on their board basically since then.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: So I get to be on like a monthly call with them.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_02: And just like the most inspiring.
• 16:39
  SPEAKER_02: They're probably a 15-minute walk from Red Rocks, the Red Rock Hostel.
• 16:44
  SPEAKER_02: And I spent maybe a couple hours hanging out with Sabrina.
• 16:46
  SPEAKER_02: I think her name's Sabrina, but she's I think Greg's younger sister, and she was she was great too.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that whole place truly they like blow me away.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_02: What they've been able to accomplish in the last six years since I was there.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's just it's awesome.
• 17:01
  SPEAKER_02: It's awesome.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: I can't wait to go.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_02: I've been meaning to go back and see it.
• 17:04
  SPEAKER_02: But funny how close we got.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: And then also spent some time in Tourist Del Pine as well.
• 17:08
  SPEAKER_02: But yeah, so many, so many stories.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: So you mentioned something earlier about storytelling and almost like consult you know consulting people.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_02: I'd be really curious of a customer of yours or a client of a site you visit and for maybe an entrepreneur, maybe they're setting up a property.
• 17:26
  SPEAKER_02: And is there people that you've helped kind of find their narrative in a sense that they're like, oh, we don't know what our story is, and then maybe you kind of help them reflect and see that.
• 17:37
  SPEAKER_02: And like, do you have any good examples of how that's come to be?
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: Because I think it's such an important aspect of hospitality and storytelling and connecting guests.
• 17:46
  SPEAKER_02: I was just curious if you have any like specifics you could share.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_00: We, I mean, I'm not gonna take any credit for this asset because they're doing so, so well on their own.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_00: But the missing hotel, who's done so well in Texas, like they hadn't even closed on their land.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_00: And they were like, hey, Mike and Ann, like we're gonna do this crazy thing.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like, you will you come look at the we happen to be in Texas, we walked the land with them before they bought it.
• 18:08
  SPEAKER_00: We were brainstorming ideas, it's the missing piece, it's the missing hotel, like, and you know, scratch doodle scratching clothing designs for them.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_00: And you know, so no, I'm not worried to credit, but that was it's so brings us such joy to see how well they've done.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_00: And so, like that, that's so fun for us when we can come in at the the ground level.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, we do consulting from you have an idea and you maybe you're looking at some land to how can we refine something you've been doing for a year or many years to maybe bring in new life from everything from how your website's looking to how you're putting, positioning your story.
• 18:42
  SPEAKER_01: Um but we do spend a lot of time with people finding out what's unique about their area, what's unique about them.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: Let's say it's a couple that's running a camp because so and we help them get out of their shell because a lot of people, it's new to them, right?
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe they were a lawyer and a fireman, and now they're like, okay, we're done with that, we're gonna go do this glamping project.
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: They're not used to being storytellers, they're not used to putting themselves out there.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_01: They're a lot of them think like, okay, we'll just put two tents in the corner, rent them out for 200 bucks a night, and people will just show up and we'll give them a key they can check in, and we don't need to be the face of this.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_01: And that could work for a lot of people.
• 19:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, I mean, it it's not gonna work as well, but it's an option.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_01: But we try and help them see that, like, when when somebody sees there's a face behind it and they go to your website and they look at your about us page and it shows you and overalls digging trenches and laying pipes for the bathroom and putting in a pond or whatever with a you know front end loader, like they see that and they're like, wow, this is a real couple who's built this.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_01: I want to support them.
• 19:42
  SPEAKER_01: They're not just owned by the Marriott, they're not just like some business who's looking at me as a number.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is Gene and Jeanette, and this is this couple that wants us to come experience their land.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_01: And we so we do help them not like make up their story, but like share their story.
• 19:58
  SPEAKER_00: And I think I think I remember saying that.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_00: About this in the panel at the glamping show this year, about people always they they fall into this trap when they get in just describing, you know, who they are on their website, they want to sound all important.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that this is they could create this perfect oasis, and it's it's like I don't want to hear about any of that.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: I'll just hear about the eye to write their thing, right?
• 20:20
  SPEAKER_01: They're they're all the half their website is like you know that whether it's AI to write your about a state or your description of your flowing rivers and beautiful, serene, you know, mountainscapes like that.
• 20:33
  SPEAKER_00: But whether you're, you know, uh have a you're a you know uh have a huge backing and or you are just a small mom and pop, either way, your story is your story, and that's sort of the only thing that makes you different and special.
• 20:46
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, to stop trying to be like everyone else or to sound more important than you are, the honesty and the rawness of that I think is compelling.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_00: And that as everybody's getting more competitive, is like, what is your story?
• 20:58
  SPEAKER_00: Why are you doing this and who are you?
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: That matters so much to you when you look at a place.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: And you shouldn't have to work too hard to find it, you know.
• 21:05
  SPEAKER_00: So just be, you know, transparent and and and endear people to to why why they want to come to your place and why they want to get to know someone like you who put so much love into this.
• 21:16
  SPEAKER_02: I couldn't agree more.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_02: In Sage, when we're consulting people on feasibility studies, I usually try to get them to think about the story.
• 21:22
  SPEAKER_02: And how I typically frame it to them is if you were if someone was writing a press release about your property, uh, what's the story that they would tell?
• 21:32
  SPEAKER_02: And that's a really good organic free piece of PR that can be extremely powerful for any launching business, you know, whether it's a local newspaper, a regional news outlet, a blogger, like whatever it might be, like what's the story that you're telling?
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_02: And there's usually a number of angles that you could take with that.
• 21:50
  SPEAKER_02: I think the most compelling is what you said, which is the the hum you know, the humans behind the property and the story and why are they doing it, what's the guest experience that they're trying to create.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_02: Because people connect with other people.
• 22:05
  SPEAKER_02: So I think that the human element is the most com compelling.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_02: Every property and opportunity is different.
• 22:10
  SPEAKER_02: So some other things some people don't want to be the face behind something, you know, they just have that the complex where they don't, you know, they they they just want to be behind the curtain.
• 22:19
  SPEAKER_02: So some other angles that that you can have as well as what's the story of the land itself, the property yourself that you're on?
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_02: What's the story of the surrounding town or the surrounding attraction, whether it's a park or a town?
• 22:32
  SPEAKER_02: And then the third one might be, you know, what's the story of the guest experience that you're trying to create?
• 22:37
  SPEAKER_02: What are you what experience do you want guests to have when they come on site?
• 22:41
  SPEAKER_02: Why would guests stay at their property?
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_02: So for anyone listening out there, I definitely recommend having some some clarity on that.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_01: Another one to add in there is staff too.
• 22:49
  SPEAKER_01: Like not a lot of people do it.
• 22:51
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, when you can shout out your staff, whether you have a guide or a naturalist or your GM is a local girl or guy or an artist or somebody, you know, some people on your staff.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_01: And as people leave, cool, you take them off your site and you add new ones, but just showing some human faces about who are we?
• 23:09
  SPEAKER_01: We're not just the AI script of why this place is so cool and click here to book.
• 23:13
  SPEAKER_01: No, this is, you know, this is Ron.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_01: He's our maintenance guy.
• 23:17
  SPEAKER_01: You might see him around, and this is Fran.
• 23:19
  SPEAKER_01: You'll see her at the front desk when you check in.
• 23:21
  SPEAKER_01: And that makes people feel like, wow, okay, cool.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm gonna show up and know somebody.
• 23:26
  SPEAKER_01: They're not my friend yet, but I'm gonna know Fran and I would show up.
• 23:29
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, Fran, I saw you on the website.
• 23:30
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like that, those little touches are human.
• 23:33
  SPEAKER_01: And to your point, we're all humans, we're looking for connections, we're looking for a connection with nature, but also a connection with the staff and everything.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: So even if you don't want to be the face as the owner, you can still put some faces on your site there.
• 23:45
  SPEAKER_02: That's a great take.
• 23:46
  SPEAKER_02: And something as simple as a check-in, you know, like an automated check-in email where it comes from whoever the front desk person is or the GM person, and it's like, hey, I'm Sarah, and I'm, you know, I we're really looking forward to your stay.
• 23:59
  SPEAKER_02: I started however long ago in my favorite, you know, corner or nook of this property where you can experience, you know, something special sitting by this pond at sunset.
• 24:08
  SPEAKER_02: Is sunset is this?
• 24:09
  SPEAKER_02: Like, wow, what a what an immediate connection before the guest has even got to the property, and then you reinforce that when they arrive.
• 24:17
  SPEAKER_02: So I beautifully put.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_02: So uh when you when you arrive at a property, what what are the things that you notice?
• 24:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like, how does your brain work when you're you know, when you book to the communication that happens, to when you arrive, to staying in the units, to like when you check out?
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe just walk me through like how you think about that, what you're looking for, and what type of advice you typically give people.
• 24:42
  SPEAKER_00: I think that welcome is huge.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's the idea that people lead these very busy lives and they're like really leaning into I've got this 10-day vacation, and they and they've you know, then they pick the place, but then they've now slopped around the the country or the planet to get there.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: And it's you need to welcome them with like the warmest, cushiest hug to be like like it's all good now, right?
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_01: So how you resist, don't paperwork, don't give them like something to sign or a credit card to swipe, like somehow, somewhere, but not in that first moment.
• 25:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's like literally they cross a threshold into your land and they feel like it's it's it's good now.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_01: We stayed at a place in New Zealand where you know we because most times you have people's credit card and you have most of their details in advance because they've booked the place.
• 25:29
  SPEAKER_01: And we showed up at this place, Matakauri Lodge in New Zealand.
• 25:32
  SPEAKER_01: This was probably 2014, but it still sticks in our mind.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: And we just showed up at this place and we walked in and they said, Welcome, like here's our check-in process, just sit down.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_01: And we sat down and overcame this huge charcuterie board, two tall glasses of red wine, because they knew in advance that we drank red wine, and they were like, Welcome to check-in.
• 25:53
  SPEAKER_01: And then we just drank red wine and ate charcuterie and watched the water.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: There was no paperwork, there was no, you know, show me your passports and let's do stuff.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_01: It was like wine and charcuterie.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: And that is our favorite check-in of all time.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_00: So it's check-ins where it's like, you know, you might you know hand pull yourself across a raging river to then like leap, like throw yourself in an adventure, too.
• 26:18
  SPEAKER_00: So that kind of that initial wow when you get there can be done in various forms, but it shouldn't be a wah-wah, it should be like a wow or a big when you get there.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_00: So think about what works for you.
• 26:31
  SPEAKER_00: If it's a place of more relaxation, if it's a more adventure, lean into that.
• 26:35
  SPEAKER_00: And even if you need to, you know, draw it out a little bit, like we were just at a place, this place called Aurora Safaris in Sweden.
• 26:43
  SPEAKER_00: And it's like you could have arrived a more direct way, but like they kind of swept you around in a in a in a snowmobile sleigh situation and they had hot chocolate waiting.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_00: Like they didn't have to do it that way, but they did, and it made it so exciting from the moment you began, because you were like on an adventure, right?
• 27:01
  SPEAKER_01: So another fun example is this camp.
• 27:04
  SPEAKER_01: One of our other, one of our earlier clients is the camp called Aridale in Pennsylvania, and it's a a good example of the owner being involved.
• 27:12
  SPEAKER_01: To our point earlier, not every owner wants to be involved or is on site running the property, but he was and still is years later.
• 27:18
  SPEAKER_02: He's an AJ member?
• 27:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, he's an AGA member.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: But what he did was the check-in, you show up at the front, okay, here's your key, head up to your cabin.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: I'll come by in about an hour, and I'll bring any paperwork we need to fill out, and I'll answer any questions then.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_01: But go settle in, get used to things, and I'll come up and answer any questions you have.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_01: An hour later, he would show up.
• 27:39
  SPEAKER_01: If there was two, if there were four people, let's say a couple and two kids, he'd bring four little whoopie pies, which is kind of this like Pennsylvania Dutch, like little Amish tree of this place.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_01: So he'd come up with four whoopee pies and say, Hey, I brought you some whoopee pies.
• 27:53
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the owner of this place, happy to answer any questions.
• 27:56
  SPEAKER_01: Everything works well here in the toilet.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you know how to do the coffee maker.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_01: Here's a little map of the property, here's a little gift, and maybe what something to sign if there is any paperwork.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_01: But it was just a nice touch because he was he showed up in person to their place with a little gift, made that effort.
• 28:12
  SPEAKER_01: He also gave them time to settle in and unpack so you're not just like with your bags on trying to figure out paperwork and where to go.
• 28:19
  SPEAKER_01: So I thought that was interesting.
• 28:22
  SPEAKER_00: About say when you go to a restaurant, they don't say, How's the food until you've tried the food.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_00: They come back five minutes later.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_00: Because you, even in checking into a room, you don't know how the room works.
• 28:32
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have any questions because you haven't tried to push any of the buttons.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's more of like once things are underway, you now have questions.
• 28:38
  SPEAKER_00: But they've already given you the tour, and now it made you feel stupid because they gave you the tour already, but it wasn't in practice that you like had the knowledge to ask the questions, right?
• 28:47
  SPEAKER_00: So there's nothing to be said for like if you are a little, you know, you just gotten off the road and you need a moment for yourself.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_00: Then once you're settled in, people are in a better frame of mind to receive information and they'll have the questions to ask.
• 28:58
  SPEAKER_00: So I do like the check.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: And I think logistically it worked better for him because people were checking in at different times.
• 29:05
  SPEAKER_00: He couldn't always be there when they arrived, but he would be there every day at between four and six to be around, ask questions, to light the fire, to deliver whoopee pie.
• 29:15
  SPEAKER_00: So it was kind of like worked with his life too.
• 29:18
  SPEAKER_00: And everyone else knew I'm around from four to six.
• 29:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like, have any questions that I you know?
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_00: Meanwhile, we're lighting a fire, and you know, feel free to buck bring a bottle of wine, and you know, we can talk shop if you want.
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_00: So it was like a a very relaxed invitation for questions and hangouts.
• 29:33
  SPEAKER_02: What a subtle difference that, you know, like you said, can have a pretty big impact on that.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_02: Where it's something as simple as, hey, your guests aren't gonna know the problems they have with the unit until they spend 30 minutes to an hour unpacking and turning lights on and all that.
• 29:48
  SPEAKER_02: So I love that.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_02: And have you guys ever heard of or read the book, The Art of Gathering?
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_01: No.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_02: One of the takeaways from that for me was it says, never, never start or end a meeting or a gathering or a hospitality stay with logistics.
• 30:04
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, never start or end with logistics.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_02: And like you said, you know, so with the the group in New Zealand, they kind of made a joke of it.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_02: They were like, hey, come in and do the we have a very lengthy check-in process, like please sit down, and then they bring you charcuterie and rhymes.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and then they also talk about you know when you are coming to this gathering or this hospitality state.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like your think about your entry onto that property or that space as a portal.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_02: It's like as guests enter the portal to enter your experience.
• 30:37
  SPEAKER_02: Like what is people have the strongest memories of the first and last interactions they have, like whether they're meeting someone or whether they're coming to a new property, the first and last things have the most lasting memory.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: So you want to make those special and memorable.
• 30:51
  SPEAKER_02: And it sounds like a couple of those properties you just mentioned did that really well.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_02: So it's a really good thing for guests to think about.
• 30:57
  SPEAKER_00: So you want the craziest example of that that I can think of, is uh this has been all the rage.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: Outpost X.
• 31:04
  SPEAKER_00: If you've heard of this place that's like just it's like the edge of Utah, Nevada.
• 31:09
  SPEAKER_02: Stratus Chambers.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: Right, exactly, right?
• 31:11
  SPEAKER_00: With his whole like experience, like he's uh he started as a set designer and he's like these experiential stays.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_00: He is going so far as to give you a series of podcasts to then listen to on your drive there.
• 31:23
  SPEAKER_00: So you enter his world, like you like literally know the narrative of the world.
• 31:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is obviously over the top.
• 31:30
  SPEAKER_00: This is like going into more of the sci-fi realm.
• 31:33
  SPEAKER_00: But it's also like, I'm not really into sci-fi.
• 31:35
  SPEAKER_00: It was so playful and fun.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: By the time you get there, you're just like, you feel like you're on an inside track before you even got there, and you're like, don't waste a minute.
• 31:43
  SPEAKER_00: Like you're just you're jumping in.
• 31:45
  SPEAKER_00: So that's an extreme example, but there's still something to be learned, how immersive that experience is.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_02: Wow, what a great idea.
• 31:53
  SPEAKER_02: We had Travis on.
• 31:54
  SPEAKER_02: I had so much fun with that guy.
• 31:55
  SPEAKER_02: What a visionary.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_02: And talk about creating an experience that really transports your guests, you know, out of this world, even.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_02: But what what a concept to shoot your guests, you know, on the day before a couple hours before their check-in.
• 32:10
  SPEAKER_02: You shoot them a text, and maybe it's a 10-minute or a 30-minute podcast or a recording where it's like, hey, listen to this before you come out, hear the story of this property or this, you know, this founder or the guest experience that we want you to have.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_02: Like, wow, what a what an amazing uh I don't know if the word is like pre-course almost like you're I mean, how impactful, right?
• 32:33
  SPEAKER_01: Even if it's just even if it's just a 20-minute thing and interview or just a little chat with the owners.
• 32:39
  SPEAKER_01: Hey, hey, I you're on your drive here.
• 32:41
  SPEAKER_01: Hope you're enjoying the drive through Pennsylvania.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_01: We're the two owners.
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_01: This is our story.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_01: We used to be X, Y, and Z.
• 32:49
  SPEAKER_01: Now we got into glamping because we want to share this with you.
• 32:52
  SPEAKER_01: Here's what you're gonna find on the farm.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_01: You might find some chickens running around and you'll see our kid Teddy riding his bike or whatever.
• 32:58
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, their story.
• 32:59
  SPEAKER_00: And then also it could be like a fun road trip soundtrack.
• 33:02
  SPEAKER_00: Like maybe we're making like a mixtape for them for their drive, right?
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_00: To get them in that zone of like, this is the you know local tunes, yeah, exactly.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_00: Like local artists to just the feeling of their place.
• 33:14
  SPEAKER_02: Oh, I love that.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_02: I love that.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_02: After, you know, and then after the founder's like, yeah, so we hope you enjoy your drive.
• 33:20
  SPEAKER_02: And actually, we have a special Spotify playlist from some of the most popular like local or regional artists that we think you might enjoy on your sunset drive it.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that's like 100x more memorable than you know getting your key code to go lock it, while you know, unlock it the unit.
• 33:40
  SPEAKER_01: Exactly.
• 33:40
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): Hello, listeners.
• 33:41
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): This is Sherry Halala, founder of Sage Outdoor Advisory.
• 33:45
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): If you're launching an outdoor hospitality project like Clamping, we can help.
• 33:48
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): We offer feasibility studies and appraisals.
• 33:50
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): What that means is we look at your specific market and proposed business offering and complete an in-depth analysis to make sure that your planned business will be profitable.
• 33:59
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): Getting a second opinion on your proposal and forecasted financials is critical to understand before you spend years of your time and hundreds of thousands of dollars.
• 34:06
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): This is particularly important if you are looking to raise money for your project from a bank or private investors.
• 34:11
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): They are going to want to see this type of deep dive analysis from an independent third-party specialist in the industry.
• 34:17
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): We at Sage have completed well over 250 feasibility studies and appraisals in outdoor hospitality in North America in the last four years.
• 34:26
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): So we understand what it takes to bring a project from concept to reality.
• 34:30
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): If this sounds like it could be helpful to you, you can go to our website, SageOutdoorAdvisory.com, and schedule a call with our team.
• 34:36
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): While you're there, check out our proprietary glamping database map too.
• 34:40
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): Thanks.
• 34:40
  Shari Heilala (Sponsor): Now back to the show.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_02: What an interesting way to engage your staff as the guest book.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it obviously it's always important to tie your employees, whether it's a cleaner, property manager, tour guide, general manager, you know, retaining good employees, a huge part of that is just like job satisfaction and fulfillment.
• 35:04
  SPEAKER_02: And if there's a guest book and people are leaving these really meaningful entries about how the experiences helped them or impacted them, being able to have it be part of your cleaners or your maintenance guy or whatever, be like, hey, when you go into a unit in between guests, like take a few minutes to like read through the entries and just see see the impact, like just see what these guests are having, right?
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_02: Like what a what a cool free way that is just like a win-win for everybody and really helps the staff connect their work with the impact that they're having.
• 35:39
  unknown: Yeah.
• 35:39
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_01: And even maybe pull one out.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like you are the owner, if you've got 10 units, maybe you get three new entries a day.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe not everybody's gonna write in there, but or team meeting pictures.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I'm saying.
• 35:49
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm saying to pull one or two out per week and read them at the team meeting, especially if somebody gets called out or it's just something really emotional.
• 35:56
  SPEAKER_01: And to your point, yeah, that will lead to more retention for your staff and for yourself and give you some more staying power.
• 36:03
  SPEAKER_01: Kind of written that one down.
• 36:06
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I am.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_02: I am.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_02: I'm gonna literally tell our GM at this property to be like, we need to order guest books pronto.
• 36:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, exactly.
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_01: And nice ones too, like nice sturdy ones that you know, these ones were like nice leather-bound things.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_01: They had their things stamped on the front, not like you know, a three-ring binder or something that anyone's gonna tear out of, but something that makes you feel like you're right in literature.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I like it.
• 36:27
  SPEAKER_02: Have you ever you you mentioned, Mike, when you arrived someplace you kind of like to like walk around.
• 36:32
  SPEAKER_02: And I've talked about this on the podcast before, but one of my favorite features that I saw, it wasn't actually at a hospitality, it was just in the forest that some people it's up in Squamish, Canada.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_02: During COVID, these people built an 18, an 18-hole wiffle ball course like fr within and amongst this forest.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_02: And it was uh one of the coolest experiences I've had in nature because it just it takes you around and you you're just playing this game that's intertwined with the landscape.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_02: You're like, oh, I gotta get it over this tree or like through this rock or like not in this creek.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_02: And it was such a fun way to engage with the land.
• 37:09
  SPEAKER_02: And I always think about how awesome that would be at a glamping property, because what a fun way for someone to literally explore, engage, and interact with the land, like the actual topography on the land, and it's super low cost.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_02: But have you guys ever seen anything like that any of the properties?
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_02: Like a good way for guests to engage.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, Brisbane Golf.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: I mean disc golf.
• 37:27
  SPEAKER_01: Are you playing disc golf where the where you're playing through the woods?
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_02: Disc golf is the other best thing, like very similar.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_02: Agreed, very similar.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_01: It's so easy to build.
• 37:35
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need to cut any trees down.
• 37:36
  SPEAKER_01: We've we've stayed at a property up in Alaska, actually, that they didn't even do the baskets, you know, those big metal baskets, which can be a couple hundred bucks each.
• 37:46
  SPEAKER_01: They were just like, okay, let's take a two-foot by two-foot piece of plywood, spray paint it, whatever color was, like blue.
• 37:53
  SPEAKER_00: Elegant solution, but you can have something simple, like something.
• 37:56
  SPEAKER_01: Something simple, and they just put it on the tree with a number on it, and it was like, here's the hole.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, go out, have fun.
• 38:01
  SPEAKER_01: And it was a little hand-drawn course, and they had three discs, obviously, at the front.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_01: They were like, take a disc, go have fun, and to your point, see our forest, get a little exercise, do something fun, throw a frisbee, which most adults haven't probably done since they were 15.
• 38:15
  SPEAKER_00: And maybe there's like a fun fact at the end of each one, or some little like tidbit, or we've also seen it as done.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_00: This was in Quebec, and it was more geared towards children, but it was like this really kind of like walking fairy tale, where it was just like more like more like a poem that unfolded.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_00: It was like a phrase, and then you kind of continued, and then the next verse came in and kind of got kids moving through the forest with sort of these whimsical little prompts like that kept them moving around.
• 38:44
  SPEAKER_01: And another good one, which kind of ties back to the in-room handwritten guide that's like physical and tactile.
• 38:51
  SPEAKER_01: Some properties that anybody that we consult with, we always give them this tip, is a hand-drawn map of your property that shows people that kind of lets them know of different things to do around there.
• 39:03
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's a trail that you've cut through the woods, maybe it's a hammock, a secret hammock that they've got to find.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_01: One of our one of our favorite properties, place called Cozy Peach, down in Arizona.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_01: They're in the first edition of Comfortably Wild.
• 39:16
  SPEAKER_01: They have a secret library and they don't tell you exactly where it is, but they give you hints.
• 39:20
  SPEAKER_01: They're like, if you see this building, it's somewhere near there, but it's under this pine tree, and it's a little box with a hammock and like a bunch of books, you know, about being in the wilderness.
• 39:30
  SPEAKER_01: So it's like a secret library that no one knows about, but it's kind of hinted at on the map.
• 39:34
  SPEAKER_01: So just having that like hand-drawn map gives people the comfort to be like, okay, maybe I shouldn't go exploring, as opposed to just like, okay, I'll go to the lobby, go drink a beer by the fire, I'll just do what I can see.
• 39:46
  SPEAKER_01: But it gets them to be like, oh wow, look at this.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_01: This is the secret sunset spot, hon.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_01: Do you want to go there for dinner tonight?
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_01: Let's bring our wine and go to this sunset spot because it's on the mat.
• 39:55
  SPEAKER_01: If they didn't see it, they'd never ask at the front, oh, where is the sunset spot?
• 39:59
  SPEAKER_01: But it's on the map.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_01: And it's like, wow, that's something to do tonight.
• 40:02
  SPEAKER_01: Maybe let's not go out.
• 40:03
  SPEAKER_01: Let's just cook in and we'll go, you know, eat out there at this little sunset spot by the lake because it's on the map.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 40:09
  SPEAKER_00: And that map is like the narrative you're creating about your place.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: You know your property best.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_00: And it you should, you know, strive to know it inside it out exactly.
• 40:19
  SPEAKER_00: Where is the light most beautiful at sunrise?
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_00: Where is the most beautiful at sunset?
• 40:23
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe there's like a family of birds that loves this certain tree.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: Like you should know everything about your land.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: And that map kind of helps people like have reasons to explore and know where to go and just create intrigue in what may just seem like a forest if they didn't know where to go.
• 40:39
  SPEAKER_01: And make paths too.
• 40:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like a lot of people don't.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_01: They'll have raw land out there.
• 40:44
  SPEAKER_01: And well, you know, whether it's animals or poison ivy or whatever, people are just scared to go trudging off into the forest.
• 40:51
  SPEAKER_01: But just a little simple path, you don't even need to do anything, gravel or anything, but just cut off some shrubs and mow it down, you know, a couple times a season and just have a path onto your land because as simple as you, the owner, thinks, oh, my land's not that special.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_01: There's big national parks nearby.
• 41:10
  SPEAKER_01: There's other things people want to see.
• 41:11
  SPEAKER_01: It's just my land.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_01: There's a little creek and it's only 30 feet of elevation.
• 41:16
  SPEAKER_01: But walking your land, like they're coming to your place for your land.
• 41:20
  SPEAKER_01: A little bit, your glamping tent that looks unique and you know your story, but they're also there for your land.
• 41:25
  SPEAKER_01: And a simple morning walk, they even if it's a half a K or a little 3K walk around your farm, maybe you have no trees, but just a little path out there gets them listening to the birds, experiencing your land, feeling that much more connected to you.
• 41:38
  SPEAKER_01: And they want to ask you about, oh, I was out there by the river and I saw this little animal.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know what kind of animal that was?
• 41:44
  SPEAKER_01: It's a conversation starter around the fire.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_01: So have a little pat.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_01: Mow mow some grass, cut down some low shrubs, and get people as far around your property into the unique spots as possible, because that's gonna just lead to great stories, more retention.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna tell their friends about it.
• 42:00
  SPEAKER_01: It seems simple to you, and it doesn't seem as exciting, but it is to these guests.
• 42:04
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of them are coming from the city and they haven't walked in a field or they haven't walked in a forest like your property.
• 42:10
  SPEAKER_01: So you want to give them that opportunity to do it, and that that's on that map that shows this little route around, and it's an activity that they can do.
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, cool.
• 42:18
  SPEAKER_01: You know, oh, before lunch, let's go hike this trail on the map, and then we'll go do it.
• 42:23
  SPEAKER_00: So this was a perfect example of that same thing was it was a yoga class, but then they suggested, you know, still have a yoga, and then people are like, you know, might go right back to their phone, right?
• 42:34
  SPEAKER_00: So it's kind of like, and we have it was like a 15-minute at max medit meditation trail, you know.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_00: So you extended your practice of this very nice thing.
• 42:42
  SPEAKER_00: You just did an hour-long yoga class, and just to, you know, if you'd like to continue your your breathing and your zen that you're having, continue on this 10-minute walking path.
• 42:52
  SPEAKER_00: So simple.
• 42:53
  SPEAKER_02: Your property treasure map.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_02: That's a great takeaway.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_02: Go find the treasures.
• 42:58
  SPEAKER_02: What have you seen as a really great way to exit, you know, the property experience or like something that reconnects the guests during their departure or after their departure that helps them stay connected to the experience they had or remember it?
• 43:13
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's funny, I wasn't even thinking about it, put this on.
• 43:16
  SPEAKER_00: So my bracelets that I'm wearing here.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we did have the great joy of staying at Few and Far Lapondo, Sarah Dusik's new camp in South Africa.
• 43:24
  SPEAKER_00: And she is nailing the thoughtful touches, just doing so well.
• 43:29
  SPEAKER_00: And, you know, the turn down service at night wasn't a chocolate on your pillow.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_00: One night it might have been like a baobob, you know, which they're famous for their fantastic baobab trees, you know, the fruit of that as your sweet treat before bed.
• 43:41
  SPEAKER_00: The next night, the Venda people use these bracelets for various things, different colors, meaning other things.
• 43:46
  SPEAKER_00: And it was like this was a very simple local bracelet, but because I knew the story of the Venda people, it wasn't just like a random Tchotchki.
• 43:54
  SPEAKER_00: It was like this bracelet that I really love and wear all the time.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's like timeless sort of silver, and I, you know, I wear it all the time.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_00: And I think of that place when I wear this.
• 44:04
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, I'm sure the cause of these braces, they're not like refined silver, it's the idea that came with it, and they're like a timeless design.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_00: So that was a really lovely the the story with the souvenir that I now I'm still wearing.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_01: So and I've got one that will keep you connected to the property, it'll keep your friends and family connected to that property, and it will I guarantee anybody who implements this next tip, it'll be the highest ROI you could ever spend on any marketing in your entire life, and you can hold me to that.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_01: You can get a free hour consulting if it doesn't.
• 44:40
  SPEAKER_00: I would have no idea what's gonna come out of your mouth.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_01: And that is to put two to four postcards in the room of your property, not super branded, not with the big dot com on the front, but just a really nice sunset photo, four different photos from your property, and on the back, maybe your URL's on the bottom, and it just says your property name down there.
• 45:03
  SPEAKER_01: And it's a postcard, it's pre-stamped, so it's already got a stamp on there, or there's a note that just says, drop this at the front.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_02: Drop it at the front.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_01: We'll handle it for you.
• 45:12
  SPEAKER_01: You just put the address, we'll we'll pay for postage and we'll get it to whoever you want.
• 45:18
  SPEAKER_01: When it's that little 50 cent, now I'm dating myself, whatever it is, 70 cent postage stamp on that card.
• 45:27
  SPEAKER_01: The guest who's staying there and paying$200,$500,$800 a night, they are likely going to send that postcard to other people willing to spend two, five, or eight hundred dollars a night.
• 45:39
  SPEAKER_01: They feel it was that they're only gonna send it to people who would be in awe or want to come stay at your property, and you now have you're not gonna take that address, but you're gonna send this letter, whatever it says, to somebody else who has a super high probability of booking at your property, and it costs you 70 cents.
• 45:57
  SPEAKER_01: I've written down another one now.
• 45:59
  SPEAKER_01: It costs you 70 cents stamp to get the warmest lead you could ever have.
• 46:05
  SPEAKER_01: But the lead aside, that's why it's great, that's why it is the best ROI in marketing in hospitality history.
• 46:12
  SPEAKER_01: But from the guest perspective, if I get there and there's four postcards that are unstamped, and it says, oh, like buy the stamps, it's a dollar a stamp at the front.
• 46:21
  SPEAKER_01: It's not the four dollars.
• 46:22
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just it's just a pain.
• 46:24
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not gonna go up and be like, oh, here's my card, swipe it.
• 46:26
  SPEAKER_01: But if it says write these four cards, I'm gonna be like, Who didn't get a card recently?
• 46:31
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, my brother.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a while since Ryan got a card.
• 46:33
  SPEAKER_01: Send him a card.
• 46:34
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, and my uncle, I haven't talked to him in a year now.
• 46:37
  SPEAKER_01: Let me send my uncle a card.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_01: I'm just gonna pick four people and send them a card, and it's gonna be from this cool glamping camp.
• 46:43
  SPEAKER_01: And so from the guest, it's like, wow, that's such a nice gift.
• 46:46
  SPEAKER_01: They're gonna post this for me and mail it and pay for the stamp.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: I'll send some cards.
• 46:50
  SPEAKER_01: I might not have otherwise thought to write Antoinette a card, but here I am.
• 46:54
  SPEAKER_01: I'm in the woods, I've got the time.
• 46:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's also the act of I'm gonna connect with a family or friend that I haven't with a handwritten note.
• 47:00
  SPEAKER_01: So there's so many benefits of that.
• 47:03
  SPEAKER_01: You know, the few postcards in the room where they don't have to lift a finger.
• 47:08
  SPEAKER_01: They address it, they leave it in the room.
• 47:11
  SPEAKER_00: Don't treat it like a marketing thing.
• 47:13
  SPEAKER_00: It will become a marketing thing.
• 47:14
  SPEAKER_00: Don't set it up on Facebook.
• 47:16
  SPEAKER_00: Or I'm not gonna send it, right?
• 47:18
  SPEAKER_00: So, but I just feel like it's the prettiest view of the place.
• 47:21
  SPEAKER_00: That that's what you want to share.
• 47:23
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 47:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yes, I did write that down, and yes, that's pretty genius.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_02: That's that's so good.
• 47:30
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, just get a nice photo of the property.
• 47:32
  SPEAKER_02: It says, like, hey, enjoying a quiet moment and thinking of you or hello from, you know, as simple as that.
• 47:39
  SPEAKER_02: And that's just complimentary.
• 47:41
  SPEAKER_02: And that and how many people receive postcards these days, right?
• 47:44
  SPEAKER_02: You just all you get all anyone gets these days is just target adult mail of bills and parking tickets.
• 47:51
  SPEAKER_02: So like for anyone to get a postcard from someone that just lets them know that you're thinking about them is just it's just a special uh human touch.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_02: Right.
• 48:00
  SPEAKER_02: So you guys consult uh for businesses.
• 48:03
  SPEAKER_02: What what's tip what what kind of consulting do you typically do for glanty businesses or outdoor hospitality properties?
• 48:09
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, our strength is that we've stayed at a very large volume and a wide range of places in a large swath of the globe.
• 48:18
  SPEAKER_00: So we have that, you know, tested and approved.
• 48:20
  SPEAKER_00: Like we have seen what works, what doesn't work, we're seeing what's trending, what's, you know, we have a really nice face to draw from.
• 48:27
  SPEAKER_00: So that is kind of and we have done it as a guest, not as a business, business owners, but who are out there in the field all the time.
• 48:35
  SPEAKER_00: So we try and give that vantage point and expertise to help other people craft that guest experience.
• 48:42
  SPEAKER_00: So at the end of the day, it really is what experiences are you sharing with your guests that they're gonna want to then share with other people and come back to you.
• 48:49
  SPEAKER_00: So, you know, from everything from you know, looking what land you're picking to what structures to those little thoughtful touches that that stick with people forever, we have a fairly comprehensive, like four-hour workshop where we go zoom one-on-one, we send you a questionnaire so that we're actually tailoring that course to what are your needs and where you are in your whole process, to then more like if you just want to shoot from the hip and like cover us with questions, more like QA style as well.
• 49:17
  SPEAKER_00: And then we also do more long-term things.
• 49:19
  SPEAKER_00: We're like, hey, I think I'm just gonna need a friend to call who knows what they're talking about in these crossroad moments of like, I'm about to put down a big chunk of money on this, or do I go left or do I go right?
• 49:30
  SPEAKER_00: And then we're kind of like the the phone call that you'd make.
• 49:33
  SPEAKER_01: So like a glamping guardian angel, we're just on retainer.
• 49:37
  SPEAKER_01: If you need us, if you want us to look at a plan, or just jump to look at a new structure, or just chat something out, text us, hey, you guys screen an hour.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_01: We jump on a quick Zoom and chat it out.
• 49:46
  SPEAKER_01: So we yeah, we do in-person, all of our stuff is one-on-one.
• 49:49
  SPEAKER_01: We don't pre-record anything aside from the glamping university for the AGA.
• 49:54
  SPEAKER_01: So they've got a little bit of our knowledge there, but everything's one-on-one, and it's either a one or two hour QA or a four to six hour proper course.
• 50:02
  SPEAKER_01: And then we do a lot of in-person stuff where we'll go to camp.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_01: So when people, a lot of either our past clients or people who just come to us and say, Wow, you guys really know this glamping space, can you bring, you know, we've got about 400,000 followers on social.
• 50:17
  SPEAKER_01: Can you bring your audience and come experience our camp and share it with your audience?
• 50:21
  SPEAKER_01: Share it, you know, tell them about our camp.
• 50:23
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll go there, we'll do social media storytelling across Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, shoot videos, do that.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: We'll create like a photography package.
• 50:32
  SPEAKER_01: Give the camp photos that they can use on their social.
• 50:35
  SPEAKER_01: And then so we do that with camps, and then we also do that with manufacturers.
• 50:39
  SPEAKER_01: So we've worked with Ecodomes, we helped Yala launch when they changed from Luxateton over to Yala.
• 50:45
  SPEAKER_01: We flew to Europe and did a multi-country campaign with them to help photograph their tents out in the wild.
• 50:51
  SPEAKER_01: Similar thing with Ecodome this past summer, we did some lifestyle photography for their manufacturers.
• 50:57
  SPEAKER_01: A lot of manufacturers will send their stuff out there and they have like showroom photos, but then they're like, we don't really have photos of our stuff in the wild because we don't go stay there and we don't so we'll come in.
• 51:08
  SPEAKER_00: The aesthetic of who use soldier can't do isn't really what you want to put out.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_00: So, like, actually worked in magazines for interior design magazines before we started traveling.
• 51:16
  SPEAKER_00: So, like doing styling and photography around interior.
• 51:20
  SPEAKER_00: So we come with a weird set of expertise or like uh, you know, from marketing and social media, that was his background is like start a social network in 1999 to me, doing interior design magazines to us now running this, you know, honey track as a social brand.
• 51:33
  SPEAKER_00: So we try and pull all our skills together and help people the best we can.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_02: So if I heard you correctly, maybe the two big components of that is one, you know, get feedback and nail your guest experience.
• 51:45
  SPEAKER_02: And two, content, you know, photos, videos, as well as posting and the best strategies to for them to utilize on social media as well as as well as you guys posting and pushing stuff on your own channels as well.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_02: Love it.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_02: And obviously you two have become quite prosperous online and you know, getting your name out there as well as the as well as the names of the properties that you've been to and visited.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_02: Uh if there was kind of a uh three-step playbook for someone who's about to launch or currently launching their new property, what is like the three things from like a content or PR or social media publicity where it's like, you want to get your name out here, here's the three things you must do, preferably things that don't require a ton of budget.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_00: One thing I would say that do not wait for that launch moment or the month before, three months before.
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_00: The second you know you have this idea, start building your audience and start building anticipation and excitement around it, because there will you never have a perfect moment for that like big splashy ribbon cutting.
• 52:50
  SPEAKER_00: You know, it's it's gonna be an iteration all the time.
• 52:52
  SPEAKER_00: So do not wait.
• 52:54
  SPEAKER_00: It's that, and even like we're saying that that personal, you know, the struggle is okay to share.
• 52:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's so like whether you use those social media, you're starting your story from the moment you get into this, and maybe you're not rolling it out every day, but you need to be building that archive for when the moment is right to be sharing your story, but just generally be sharing your story all along because yeah, there is no like, we're ready now.
• 53:19
  SPEAKER_00: It's never gonna be that perfect moment.
• 53:21
  SPEAKER_01: So just our colors doing our everything, and our website's perfect, and you know, don't wait for that moment.
• 53:26
  SPEAKER_01: And along those lines, I'll give a second one that's not social media related, but it's related to your camp.
• 53:32
  SPEAKER_01: Don't think that because you see under canvas with 30 locations and these beautiful tents and they're right up on a national park and they're doing drone photography, that you need to launch like that.
• 53:46
  SPEAKER_01: Don't think that you need to raise four million dollars and invest more than your net worth to build something special.
• 53:57
  SPEAKER_01: Start small.
• 53:58
  SPEAKER_01: Like so many people think like, wow, I need to do I need to get 15 tests to maximize this piece of property I'm on, and I've got two buddies who are gonna give me a million dollars each because they see the potential here, and I'm gonna go to the show and just buy all this, and probably the manufacturers are kicking me under the table.
• 54:17
  SPEAKER_01: But like, you know, start, start small, right?
• 54:20
  SPEAKER_01: Start, you are gonna, if you start way big and make a you know, the wrong choice of direction, maybe for your climate, for your clientele, for you as an owner.
• 54:31
  SPEAKER_01: It's very hard to pivot from having 12 to 15 units if you realize they're the wrong units, then if you have two to three and you start with a team of two to three, you you and your partner, and maybe one other person, and you learn those pain points.
• 54:45
  SPEAKER_01: You learn what's fun for your guests, you learn what's fun for you, and you pivot in that direction.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, we'd like things to be a little more climate controlled.
• 54:53
  SPEAKER_01: Let's go that way and see if those book out more.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_01: Wow, these are not booking out more.
• 54:57
  SPEAKER_01: People like these ones that are more free-flowing and breezy, even if they're warmer.
• 55:01
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like you'll pivot in that direction.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_01: Activities, you can grow slowly.
• 55:05
  SPEAKER_01: I think everybody wants to put the cart before their horse or they have this big dream that, wow, I'm gonna become a millionaire, and you know, money's just gonna flow in.
• 55:13
  SPEAKER_01: So I and I've got the money maybe, so I'll just do it.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_01: But sometimes you you get in over your head, and you also might realize as an owner, wow, this is more work than I anticipated, or more stress.
• 55:24
  SPEAKER_01: I wish I had less units and less money coming in because I actually can't go on vacation now because I've got 15 units and a staff of eight mouths that I need to feed.
• 55:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like I need to be here running and churning.
• 55:37
  SPEAKER_01: So I think that's that that's one of them is to not, you know, don't get over your skis there.
• 55:42
  SPEAKER_01: You know, take take it slow and iterate and and incorporate your employees' feelings, your guests' feelings, and your own feelings into the proper direction because all three of those parties are very important in having a successful camp.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_01: And you don't want to go too far in the wrong direction where it's harder to turn your to turn your ship.
• 56:03
  SPEAKER_00: And then to make three, if we're at three, is to do a soft launch with family and friends, where it's like you or even if you're you know giving it away, just to invite the people you love or people that you trust for their honest feedback and also honest reviews to build that review base, if say you're starting to list your things on Airbnb, like to get like off offline feedback and online feedback to have start building your name up and also pivot before you put it out to an angry guest who could bring you down.
• 56:32
  SPEAKER_00: You know, you're also getting all the kinks with yeah, with the business friends, also doing photography with family and friends, just kind of have that like celebratory moment until you're able to like book out your your hotel every single night, like book it out with the people that you love to get their one celebrate, celebrate what you're doing, get them behind what you're doing, and also get that invaluable feedback, photography, and just a moment to have them be your champions.
• 56:57
  SPEAKER_00: If they love it, then they're gonna tell their friends.
• 56:59
  SPEAKER_00: So I think it's really valuable to do that friends and family soft lunch.
• 57:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I've got a bonus, a bonus fourth for you of people who are either looking at land or already have land and have structures, or even if you've got your camp set up, is go glamping.
• 57:13
  SPEAKER_01: Go glamping as often as you can, right?
• 57:15
  SPEAKER_01: Like get out there, experience other camps, especially your competition, anybody within 200 miles of your camp, book one or two nights at their property, whether you want to tell them you're coming or not, see the booking flow, see how they engage with you, do their activities, try their meals, see how their employees are they smiling or are they sour pusses, you know, how did they embrace the local area?
• 57:40
  SPEAKER_01: That is so impactful because a lot of people see this on Instagram or they come to the show and they're like, wow, this looks great.
• 57:48
  SPEAKER_01: I love the outdoors, and my wife maybe did something in hospitality or my husband did, or somehow I think I should do this, but they don't even go glamping, and then they are about to build a glamping property without knowing exactly what that experience is like.
• 58:04
  SPEAKER_01: And there and no glamping is alike.
• 58:06
  SPEAKER_01: So you could do 10 and yours will be completely different.
• 58:09
  SPEAKER_01: But from those 10 places that you go to, and you know that's a decent uh spend of money that you're gonna put, but you're gonna have a great time, and it's a tax write-off, and you will learn so much from glamping at those five or ten properties that you would never learn if you ran your own property in one direction without visiting other people's.
• 58:27
  SPEAKER_01: You go to those, I guarantee you, what you spend on those five or ten camps, you're gonna save two to 10x in lost direction or lost revenue from all the things you're gonna learn about those camps, and you'll just have a fun time doing it.
• 58:41
  SPEAKER_01: But I think that's a great thing that a lot, a lot of people don't utilize that free resource that's right.
• 58:47
  SPEAKER_01: The free fund resource is other people who've already done and they're successful because they're up and running and they're getting bookings.
• 58:54
  SPEAKER_01: They're doing what you want to do in your state or your country.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_01: Go visit them and experience them and yeah.
• 59:00
  SPEAKER_02: You're speaking my language.
• 59:01
  SPEAKER_02: I mean just in the world of go go stay at the comps, the comparable businesses are the the competition.
• 59:08
  SPEAKER_02: I think looking at you know, it's easy to look at the other glamping operators in your area's competition, but I encourage you to look at them as like camaraderie, and you have a lot more to gain.
• 59:19
  SPEAKER_02: I was just out consulting on this this project that we're working on out in the Grand Canyon, and I went over to meet ClearSkies and Hal Feinberg, who's been on the show and chatted with him.
• 59:29
  SPEAKER_02: I was like, hey, yeah, we're launching this property down the street.
• 59:32
  SPEAKER_02: You guys do domes, we do airstreams.
• 59:34
  SPEAKER_02: They close in the winter and they have a great food truck.
• 59:37
  SPEAKER_02: And I'm chatting with them about potentially bringing their food truck to our property so that our guests have food in the winter and their food truck isn't sitting idle in those months and they could have some income off of it.
• 59:48
  SPEAKER_02: And it could be a lot of other things.
• 59:49
  SPEAKER_02: It could be finding really good maintenance guys is really hard, and maybe you don't have enough your property isn't big enough to have a maintenance guide full time, but maybe you share that that good hire with your company.
• 1:00:00
  SPEAKER_02: Competition or you know, whatever it might be.
• 1:00:02
  SPEAKER_02: So there's a lot of room for people to share insights with each other.
• 1:00:06
  SPEAKER_01: Or you're full and they've got room.
• 1:00:08
  SPEAKER_01: Hey guys, we're full, but our sister property, our friend property is right down the street.
• 1:00:13
  SPEAKER_01: They've got these sweet domes.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_01: Give them a call, tell them we sent you, they'll give you 10% off.
• 1:00:18
  SPEAKER_01: Vice versa, they're full.
• 1:00:19
  SPEAKER_01: They send people your way.
• 1:00:20
  SPEAKER_01: And there's also repeat visitors, too.
• 1:00:23
  SPEAKER_01: Like obviously, if you have different structures and you want to get repeat guests whenever possible.
• 1:00:28
  SPEAKER_01: But hey, if I'm gonna if I'm gonna send somebody, I'm gonna send it to somebody who's friendly to me and sends me some guests.
• 1:00:33
  SPEAKER_01: And hey, you know, also here's a coupon, you know, if you want to go try out our our friend's place down the street, here's 10, 20% off their property.
• 1:00:41
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to try the airstreams out or whatever.
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_01: Like there's so many ways to to work together and and to be friendly.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_02: Absolutely.
• 1:00:49
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, go stay at our partner property down the street if we're full, and they'll do the same for you, hopefully.
• 1:00:54
  SPEAKER_02: So wise words.
• 1:00:57
  SPEAKER_02: And you were talking, you know, talking about the three-step plan.
• 1:01:00
  SPEAKER_02: What I'm usually advising to people, you could tell me if you have a different opinion, but I usually tell people launch your website and launch your social media best case scenario, 12 months before you open your property.
• 1:01:12
  SPEAKER_02: Because it takes a while for your property to rank with SEO.
• 1:01:15
  SPEAKER_02: Some of that is the duration of how long your website's been around.
• 1:01:18
  SPEAKER_02: And then with social media, you get people invested in following the story and following the journey and building suspense and building an email list or a following so that when you do finally open, you can open with pent-up demand.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_01: Totally.
• 1:01:32
  SPEAKER_01: And one little one to add on there, which I think a lot of people miss because they've got a preconceived notion that they don't like Facebook because it's for old people, or they don't like TikTok because I work in the government and I don't think it's a good idea.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's for young people.
• 1:01:46
  SPEAKER_01: You know, reserve whatever your handle is, whether your handle is, you know, green mountain glamping.
• 1:01:53
  SPEAKER_01: It's probably not available on all platforms, but whatever name you come up with, hopefully the name can be your dot com and all of your social media handles can be the same.
• 1:02:04
  SPEAKER_01: That's the dream scenario.
• 1:02:05
  SPEAKER_01: You don't want one to be green underscore mountain underscore glamping and the other to be GM glamping.
• 1:02:12
  SPEAKER_01: Like try and come up with a name where that handle can be the same on your website and all handles, and also reserve it across every platform.
• 1:02:21
  SPEAKER_01: Even if you have no dreams of ever being on Twitter, reserve your handle on Twitter so someone else doesn't.
• 1:02:26
  SPEAKER_01: Because once your business comes out, robots will immediately, as soon as you register that domain, there's robots going and trying to reserve it on social media.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_01: So scoop them all on the same day.
• 1:02:36
  SPEAKER_01: Every single all 20 platforms that you could dream up of.
• 1:02:39
  SPEAKER_01: Just ask your millennial or your Gen Z niece, like what platforms do I need to be on?
• 1:02:44
  SPEAKER_01: Reserve your Snapchat and you'll be there regardless of where everything goes.
• 1:02:49
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a little kind of social media tip.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_02: I love it.
• 1:02:52
  SPEAKER_02: Switching gears a little bit, when we were at the glamping show, I got to enjoy your guys' warm mold wine outside of your buddy.
• 1:02:59
  SPEAKER_02: That's the name your guys came for Buddy.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 1:03:01
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, got to hang out.
• 1:03:02
  SPEAKER_02: I got to hang out for I think my third or fourth year of doing so.
• 1:03:06
  SPEAKER_02: And we had we got to have some great chats about Burning Man, which is one of my favorite topics of conversation.
• 1:03:11
  SPEAKER_02: So if there was anything from Burning Man that would apply towards someone creating a great glamping experience, what what might that be?
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_01: I will give one that we haven't touched on yet during the conversation, but it is so important for us.
• 1:03:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's probably the main reason why we're still talking about glamping 14 years after the first camp that we reviewed, is the low impact and the regenerative nature that you can have on the environment, and that's both the animals, it's the land you're on, and it's the community of people, both that work for you, that are doing tours for you, that are tangential to your company, and also the people who live in the neighborhood or the region where your camp is.
• 1:04:01
  SPEAKER_01: There's a lot of parties that can benefit from your camp, and you don't want to be abstractive to any of those.
• 1:04:09
  SPEAKER_01: To me, the most important one is the land that you're on.
• 1:04:12
  SPEAKER_01: You don't want to be putting chemicals in there or waste or, you know, whenever possible use, you know, composting toilets, don't have single-use plastics on your property, install solar so that your guests are not going to be pulling off the grid.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_01: Do everything, you know, use reclaimed material when you can.
• 1:04:30
  SPEAKER_01: So just focus on your impact on the land and the community and try and be, and as that's like a one-of-the-burning man ethos, is like leave no trace.
• 1:04:40
  SPEAKER_01: When you leave, when we leave the playa of Burning Man, we're raking for glitter and little pieces of string that might have fallen off the tarp and picking it all up so that when we leave, it's as if Mother Nature left it.
• 1:04:54
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, it's a tough thing to do with 60,000 people, but we all try our best.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I think in glamping, it's the same thing.
• 1:05:00
  SPEAKER_01: You're not going to be perfect.
• 1:05:02
  SPEAKER_01: There's going to be sometimes you need to cut a little corner to save a little money.
• 1:05:05
  SPEAKER_01: But when you can invest in that and show yourself and your employees that you're doing the right thing, you don't need to tell your guests, although you can.
• 1:05:14
  SPEAKER_01: Your guests will notice that.
• 1:05:15
  SPEAKER_01: And your guests are there be they're glamping and they're not staying at the Red Roof Inn or the Marriott because they also care about the environment and they want to see and they respect people who are doing the same.
• 1:05:27
  SPEAKER_01: So even if it's not totally in your ethos, do whatever you can to make it part of it.
• 1:05:31
  SPEAKER_01: And it will be a self-fulfilling flywheel that will lead to more bookings, more referrals.
• 1:05:36
  SPEAKER_01: Your employees will be happier, your neighbors will be happier because you're respecting them and the environment.
• 1:05:42
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a big one for me.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_01: How about you?
• 1:05:45
  SPEAKER_00: Um, burning my ideas that people really get to be who they want to be and their best self, their dream self, and that it's done because this environment makes you feel so comfortable.
• 1:05:56
  SPEAKER_00: So I do feel like the luxury and glamping is how you make people feel and make them feel so at ease and at home.
• 1:06:04
  SPEAKER_00: And and that just so I think that idea of it's, you know, when somebody says like, ma'am, to me, or you know, is so overly polite or whatnot, it's a relaxed atmosphere, like you're inviting a friend.
• 1:06:17
  SPEAKER_00: They're you're inviting them into your world.
• 1:06:19
  SPEAKER_00: This is like a little family, right?
• 1:06:21
  SPEAKER_00: It's a hangout, it's it's that convivial environment that I think is that's not the pretense of five-star where everything's like, everyone's like walking on eggshells to make your life perfect.
• 1:06:30
  SPEAKER_00: It's not like that.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's more of just like, you know, welcome in, you know, you're a part of this thing.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_00: So I think that making people feel at ease is is a luxury.
• 1:06:38
  SPEAKER_01: Because it is a lot of times people's first time in nature, right?
• 1:06:41
  SPEAKER_01: Like people aren't used to building a fire, so don't make them feel awkward if they don't know how to make a good fire or if they're scared about bugs in their tent and you live there all the time, so you're not worried about spiders, but for a lot of people they are.
• 1:06:54
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, make it welcoming.
• 1:06:56
  SPEAKER_01: Make, you know, a lot of these people are coming out of the city, they're of different cultures than you.
• 1:07:01
  SPEAKER_01: And, you know, it might not be your beliefs that, you know, they could be a gay couple, but when they show up, make them as warmly welcomed as as they can be.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_01: Because, yeah, I mean, that's what it's all about.
• 1:07:13
  SPEAKER_01: It's that human connection, it's that understanding that we're all out of our element a little bit and getting back to that human nature.
• 1:07:20
  SPEAKER_00: And then it's all an adventure, right?
• 1:07:21
  SPEAKER_00: I think that's how we deal with travel in general as we, you know, keep spirits up while always treating everything like an adventure and you know, letting like having everybody's things just gonna roll off, you know.
• 1:07:32
  SPEAKER_00: When something goes wrong on your property because it will, and some something does, you know, kind of not to make light of it, like don't take them, you know, but just like, you know, just smooth things over in a way that's like we got this, or that that that kind of way where it's everyone's gonna error, but it's it's how you respond to that error, and you know, making people feel like it's not a disaster, but you're all just gonna kind of get through and it's an unexpected adventure.
• 1:07:56
  SPEAKER_01: And one little one on there, which I'll add on, is make sure your employees are smiling all the time because smiles are contagious and won't say that in like a scary forced way.
• 1:08:08
  SPEAKER_00: No, it's a forced way.
• 1:08:12
  SPEAKER_01: And like when I see employees, we we stayed at a property which I won't name over the last six months, and nobody smiled.
• 1:08:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like even the check-in, everybody just everybody felt like they weren't angry or mean to you at all, but they were just like sullen, they were just somber, they did their thing.
• 1:08:32
  SPEAKER_01: Cool, here's your key.
• 1:08:34
  SPEAKER_01: Have fun.
• 1:08:34
  SPEAKER_01: There's the fire minimum enjoy and the cleaning lip staff and the people you see around.
• 1:08:39
  SPEAKER_01: It was just like they were just normal, and that affects the guests, and it also affects the other employees.
• 1:08:44
  SPEAKER_01: So bring joy into your, you know, your employees' daily life, your and it'll pass on to your guests.
• 1:08:50
  SPEAKER_01: And that's all led by example, right?
• 1:08:52
  SPEAKER_01: That's the owner needs to be joyful and and and bring that joy so that employees don't feel like they're walking on eggshells or that they've just been berated and now they've got to go put on a happy face in front of the guests.
• 1:09:04
  SPEAKER_01: You need to to bring that because that really does shine through in reviews, in repeat guests.
• 1:09:10
  SPEAKER_00: It's the culture that you're creating, like cult creating a culture that employees are happy and get that you're happy, guests will be happy.
• 1:09:16
  SPEAKER_00: It's like, you know, raising the vibration of the whole place.
• 1:09:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 1:09:20
  SPEAKER_02: It kind of reminds me of I I think I shared this on a recent podcast, but I had a Finnish Friday, started a tech company, and it eventually grew, grew, grew and eventually failed.
• 1:09:28
  SPEAKER_02: And he did like a TED talk on it.
• 1:09:30
  SPEAKER_02: And it he pinpointed the reason why the company failed was because they no longer were having fun.
• 1:09:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I always took that with me.
• 1:09:37
  SPEAKER_02: And it kind of reminds me of like Southwest Airlines and Kerb Heller, who's the founder of that.
• 1:09:42
  SPEAKER_02: Like if you've fli I'm not sure if it's quite that way anymore.
• 1:09:45
  SPEAKER_02: Maybe it still is.
• 1:09:46
  SPEAKER_02: They don't fly in and out of the places I flip, so I don't get to fly them.
• 1:09:49
  SPEAKER_02: But the employees are literally the employees are literally always having fun.
• 1:09:54
  SPEAKER_02: Like they're laughing, they're joking, they're smiling.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_02: When they do their announcements on the intercom on the plane, they're joking, they're like having fun.
• 1:10:03
  SPEAKER_02: And I think that's just a value of the company that they look for in employees and that they hire for.
• 1:10:11
  SPEAKER_02: So if you're trying to incorporate more smiles, maybe just uh put some intentionality behind having a culture of fun, and that will seep into the guest experience.
• 1:10:20
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 1:10:21
  SPEAKER_02: What would you say is maybe uh the highest impact amenity you know, if someone ideally it's something that uh attracts guests and maybe is like uh drives more bookings or I guess maybe there's kind of two parts to this question.
• 1:10:36
  SPEAKER_02: What do you think is in in your experience, what do you think is in the most high demand?
• 1:10:39
  SPEAKER_02: Uh-huh.
• 1:10:40
  SPEAKER_02: Like what do you what do you think is the most underserved or like wanted amenity?
• 1:10:44
  SPEAKER_02: And then also, you know, when they act that might attract them to the property in the first place, and then one that's more like, oh, it unexpectedly turned out to be a a high impact amenity once you were there.
• 1:10:55
  SPEAKER_01: One that uh for me I think really moves the needle is having some kind of water structure on your property.
• 1:11:04
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, water feature, water feature, whether that's a river or a lake or a pond that you build on that property.
• 1:11:14
  SPEAKER_01: Good one won a friend, and we did some some on-site photography and social storytelling for open sky.
• 1:11:20
  SPEAKER_01: So we were down there with Biggs a couple months back, and and when we're dropping all the all the friends of the show, yeah, exactly.
• 1:11:28
  SPEAKER_01: So so we were down there and and some selfboards out and a little kayak and some little benches, and we're like, wow, this is this is a nice little pond.
• 1:11:36
  SPEAKER_01: And he's like, Yeah, I built that.
• 1:11:37
  SPEAKER_01: Like I built that with a backhoe, and I didn't even build it thinking that it would be a guest amenity.
• 1:11:43
  SPEAKER_01: I built it because the fire department said, I'm so far from town that they can't bring water up here to fight a fire.
• 1:11:50
  SPEAKER_01: So I'm gonna put 10 or 15 units on this property.
• 1:11:53
  SPEAKER_01: I need to build a pond that has X gallons of water so that they can bring up a truck, drop a hose in to put out the fire on this land that I now brought structures onto.
• 1:12:03
  SPEAKER_00: Also, did something with like water filtration for bagger.
• 1:12:07
  SPEAKER_00: And then meanwhile, I'm just I guess thinking, how lovely to wash the stuff.
• 1:12:12
  SPEAKER_01: He's not building it so that people can supp on it.
• 1:12:14
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm going there thinking, wow, this is just a great supping lake, nothing about fighting fires.
• 1:12:19
  SPEAKER_01: But when he built it, he was like, Wow, this is now a great amenity.
• 1:12:23
  SPEAKER_01: The photos with sunset, have a glass of wine by the water.
• 1:12:27
  SPEAKER_01: So having a water structure, if you can buy land that has a river or a lake, or you can build one naturally that has a little dock out there and has a little sunset spot.
• 1:12:36
  SPEAKER_01: So that's a good amenity that I think really moves the needle for not a lot of heavy cost.
• 1:12:41
  SPEAKER_00: Even in ways of like beautiful reflecting pools that become more artistic than actually you're gonna swim in it, but it's just you know, there's something soothing about water and the way the light catches it that just puts everybody in that eat mo, you know, in that headspace of calm as well as photography options.
• 1:12:57
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah, I'm a firm believer in figuring out water of some kind.
• 1:13:01
  SPEAKER_01: I'll give another one while Ann thinks of one that I think is a little bit unexpected, and obviously depends on the climate.
• 1:13:07
  SPEAKER_01: But adding a sauna, a little cedar sauna that you kind of just roll in, like you don't need to build it yourself.
• 1:13:15
  SPEAKER_01: You're getting super pretty, and it's such a nice touch, especially if you're open in those shoulder seasons or if you stay open through the winter.
• 1:13:23
  SPEAKER_01: But even that, even if it's just a nice cool, you know, it could be in Arizona, but if if at night it's down in the 40s and 50s, you can still have that nice sauna moment.
• 1:13:32
  SPEAKER_01: And that to me is a nice little modular thing.
• 1:13:35
  SPEAKER_01: You don't need one per unit.
• 1:13:36
  SPEAKER_01: You can get one or two for a property of 10 or 20 units, and it's just enough to photograph and give us a nice amenity, especially if you're at all in wellness and yoga, and to say, hey, we you know, we don't have a swimming pool, but we do have a sauna and cool.
• 1:13:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's very low maintenance, there's not like the cleaning involved of like shopping hot tubs and things like that.
• 1:13:55
  SPEAKER_00: It's uh they're much more hygienic.
• 1:13:57
  SPEAKER_01: They gave you time to think of a third.
• 1:13:58
  SPEAKER_00: No, you've said at all.
• 1:13:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's also uh 10:30 here in French Vienna, and we're getting up at five to then go to a like uh one of the it was an old they call them the the Alcatraz of South America.
• 1:14:12
  SPEAKER_00: And get this there's a lodge there now in the old guard's quarters.
• 1:14:18
  SPEAKER_00: So this place is mega haunted.
• 1:14:19
  SPEAKER_00: I'm not gonna call this glabbing, it's just wacky.
• 1:14:22
  SPEAKER_00: We happen to be in the area, so we're gonna get up really early and and maybe stay in an old prison cell, I don't know, on this island, but it'll be unique and memorable, that's for sure.
• 1:14:32
  SPEAKER_01: We'll tell them all the tips when we get there.
• 1:14:34
  SPEAKER_01: They'll have a guest book and a sauna before we leave.
• 1:14:37
  SPEAKER_02: Anyone who listens to the podcast knows I'm annoyingly obsessed with a sauna, and I'll go stay somewhere just for that.
• 1:14:43
  SPEAKER_02: And it's you know gonna be five to ten grand, and it's it's gonna increase shoulder bookings and winter bookings, and people you can take photos of it.
• 1:14:51
  SPEAKER_02: It's great.
• 1:14:52
  SPEAKER_02: Well, wrapping things up, what maybe you just give a little sneak peek to the guests of you kind of just mentioned it, but like where you're at, you know, kind of what you're doing now, and and what does the future look like for Honey Truck?
• 1:15:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, so we are deep in our global glamping research for the new edition of Comfortly Wild, and we are deep into our South America leg of this seven continent journey.
• 1:15:13
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, we are still trying to get to White Desert Antarctica.
• 1:15:16
  SPEAKER_00: And yeah, having gone through Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil, we've just arrived to the Guianas.
• 1:15:22
  SPEAKER_00: Not so much that there's living here, but we still travel because we absolutely love travel and you know, feed off adventures.
• 1:15:28
  SPEAKER_00: So we have just overlanding ourselves through the Guianas.
• 1:15:33
  SPEAKER_00: And then we're very intrigued by that there one, these countries are like over 90% rainforest, like French Guiana is 98.9% just forest.
• 1:15:43
  SPEAKER_00: And then there's indigenous cultures that are still living, you know, in the depths of the forest.
• 1:15:48
  SPEAKER_00: So we're really excited to do some more indigenous-led glamping in very remote parts of the jungle of Guiana.
• 1:15:54
  SPEAKER_00: And because we're really very inspired by community-based tourism and think there's gonna be some exciting things on that.
• 1:15:59
  SPEAKER_00: They might be maybe as luxurious, but they're gonna be incredibly authentic and special.
• 1:16:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we're excited to get that side of uh, you know, the story in.
• 1:16:07
  SPEAKER_01: And to that point, if people listening to the podcast have know of glamping camps, eco-resorts with freestanding structures that focus on sustainability, doesn't just need to be Indigenous run.
• 1:16:20
  SPEAKER_01: Like if you have a cool indigenous one, that's great.
• 1:16:22
  SPEAKER_01: But people that are really focused on sustainable and regenerative glamping and have a unique offering could be anywhere in the world, even if we've already been there.
• 1:16:32
  SPEAKER_00: We are going to Asia starting in the fall.
• 1:16:34
  SPEAKER_01: So that's kind of like a Central Asia coming up, so we visit in person, but send us links to places anywhere in the world.
• 1:16:40
  SPEAKER_01: We'd love to see them and chat with their owners and see if they're a good fit for the book.
• 1:16:45
  SPEAKER_01: On social, we're honey trek, so at h-o-n e y like a honeymoon, T-R-E-K, like a long adventurous trek around the world.
• 1:16:52
  SPEAKER_01: So just honey trek across all social media, send us a DM.
• 1:16:57
  SPEAKER_01: We answer them all ourselves.
• 1:16:58
  SPEAKER_01: We're a team of two who do everything, but we love to hear from people in the community and kind of help them.
• 1:17:04
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to reach out on the consulting side, just go to honeytrek.com slash glamping or shoot us a DM and tell us about your offering and how we can work together and we can just jump on a little quick chat and see where the synergies are.
• 1:17:17
  SPEAKER_01: If you want to scoop either the Net Geo book or our glamping book, they're up on Amazon or Barnes and Nobles.
• 1:17:22
  SPEAKER_01: We'd appreciate the support on that front.
• 1:17:25
  SPEAKER_01: Leave a five-star review if you dig it.
• 1:17:27
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, we're just, you know, we're doing, we're doing this because we love it.
• 1:17:31
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it's not, it's not the most lucrative career, but it's definitely the most fun we could imagine happen having, getting to experience these places and then getting to take that knowledge and help break down barriers and give people a little leg up on that experience that they want to create for their own guests.
• 1:17:48
  SPEAKER_01: So we just get a kick out of it, and we love helping people make their properties better.
• 1:17:52
  SPEAKER_01: And yeah, we we're honored to be on the podcast.
• 1:17:55
  SPEAKER_01: So thank you so much for having us.
• 1:17:57
  unknown: Thanks, Car.
• 1:17:58
  SPEAKER_02: Amazing.
• 1:17:58
  SPEAKER_02: And you guys are in French Guiana, Brazil right now.
• 1:18:00
  SPEAKER_02: Do I have a French Guiana?
• 1:18:02
  SPEAKER_01: We just left Brazil.
• 1:18:03
  SPEAKER_01: Now we're French Guiana.
• 1:18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Tomorrow, two days from now, Suriname, and then two weeks or so, we'll be in Guiana.
• 1:18:09
  SPEAKER_02: This might be the most remote location anyone's ever called in and done a podcast from.
• 1:18:14
  SPEAKER_02: So I appreciate you guys making it work.
• 1:18:16
  SPEAKER_02: Such a pleasure.
• 1:18:17
  SPEAKER_02: I feel like I have a bazillion more questions, but we'll have to save that for an episode two at some point.
• 1:18:22
  SPEAKER_02: Or I guess episode three, because you've been on before.
• 1:18:25
  SPEAKER_02: But yes, have amazing rest of your travels.
• 1:18:28
  SPEAKER_02: Can't wait to see in the future.
• 1:18:28
  SPEAKER_02: Are you going to the burn this year?
• 1:18:30
  SPEAKER_02: Next year.
• 1:18:31
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 1:18:31
  SPEAKER_01: I don't know.
• 1:18:32
  SPEAKER_01: Well, I maybe, maybe.
• 1:18:33
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see.
• 1:18:34
  SPEAKER_01: We'll see if we can turn the book in before burning mana.
• 1:18:36
  SPEAKER_00: We'll always come back.
• 1:18:37
  SPEAKER_01: We got our tickets two days before.
• 1:18:38
  SPEAKER_01: We decided a week before the burn this year that we were going, and we got tickets two days before the doors open.
• 1:18:44
  SPEAKER_01: So we could pull a miracle next year, too, maybe.
• 1:18:47
  SPEAKER_02: If you end up pulling a miracle, let me know.
• 1:18:49
  SPEAKER_02: We'll hang out, and at the very least, we'll have some mold wine at the glamping show outside of Buddy again.
• 1:18:54
  SPEAKER_02: Sounds good.
• 1:18:55
  SPEAKER_02: Thanks so much for coming on.
• 1:18:56
  SPEAKER_02: You two take care and have the best time.
• 1:18:59
  SPEAKER_02: We will, man.
• 1:18:59
  SPEAKER_01: Peace.
• 1:19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much.
• 1:19:00
  SPEAKER_01: See you everybody.
• 1:19:01
  SPEAKER_01: See you in the woods.