AGA Member Spotlight: Kisatchie Vista Glamping Experiences
“After 10 years in real estate as a foreclosure and investment broker, I went back to school to obtain a Master's Degree in Healthcare Administration. For the past 12 years, I have worked in the healthcare space and I am currently Director of Reimbursement and Analytics at a publicly-traded vertical. I really thought I left real estate behind, but my husband and I bought a piece of property a few years ago with a rental unit on it and we inched back into that world. The long term rental was good to us, and as we started purchasing additional parcels of land that attached to our horse farm, we realized we were sitting on a pretty special place. We started RV camping in 2022 and the more we explored, the more we came to know that our piece of the world was something that should be shared. We are up to 300 acres now and we just opened our doors to our first glamping property six weeks ago.”
Q: Tell us a bit more about why you started a company in the glamping industry.
I have owned a few RVs before and managed to never actually go camping until a couple of years ago. I used to drive myself and my show poodle and Arabian horses to shows and we would stay on the show grounds, on concrete, never venturing out to actually "camp." I suppose that like many, I got a little cabin fever while working from home during the pandemic and started looking for travel adventures. I have yet to sleep in a tent although we did just take delivery on a custom tipi last Friday. Glamping is just more my style, and apparently a lot of other folks agree. I place a high value on comfort at this point in my life. My husband and I have parked our camper in some beautiful places but it's always a little "peopley" for our taste, so we decided to focus our business efforts on providing an elevated glamping experience with the benefit of solitude and the peace of being right on the edge of our National Forest.
Q: Tell us a bit about where your glamping business is today? Where do you see your business in the future?
We are still new to the world of short term rentals and glamping, but it feels like home. We have one door open, three more units under construction and we just added two 50-amp RV sites. Our first parcel is just two acres, but it is bordered by our adjacent properties and Kisatchie National Forest at the rear. There is no one to bother our guests and unless they want to, they won't come across another soul on their trip (except perhaps our resident ghost of Zacharias the moonshiner). Here is a little video on our story, published a few weeks before opening. It was pretty cool to see how far we came from Day One.
Q: What are you most excited about within the glamping industry moving forward?
The glamping industry feels like freedom to me and a chance to own another business that means something to us, and to our guests. Our feedback so far has been amazing. I actually teared up reading our first review. Each successive guest has shared their sentiments that getting away to our cabin was a really special experience beyond their expectations. As we grow and roll out new types of units, I am so excited to share those and to keep learning best practices in hospitality and sustainable growth.
Q: Do you have any advice for those that are just starting out?
Do it right from the very start. You can't treat a business like a hobby. Buy quality structures and amenities, but don't blow your budget on something overpriced. Do your research!
