AGA Member Spotlight: NAI Outdoor Hospitality Brokers
Bob Kaplan is a commercial real estate broker with 23 years of experience and founder of the company NAI Outdoor Hospitality Brokers, a brokerage with over 32 years of brokerage industry experience. NAI OHB specializes in the marketing of RV parks, campgrounds, and glamping retreats. Bob's nationwide team of brokers work closely with owner/operators, national and regional investors, REITs, syndicators, and private offices in transacting outdoor hospitality properties.
Q: Tell us a bit more about why you started a company in the glamping industry.
NAI OHB was started to fill a need for quality and professional sales brokerage services in the outdoor hospitality space which includes RV parks, campgrounds, and glamping retreats. We saw the growth in the industry along with the growing sophistication of operators and groups moving into space and felt that we could add value to the transaction process, as well as help groups sell properties to these new players and help new entrants find properties. Our principled and professional approach comes from the founders 20+ years transacting in other sectors of commercial real estate and brining that approach to glamping.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about where your glamping business is today? Where do you see your business in the future?
We are a team of 7 including 5 brokers and 2 support staff, who cover the entire country and market properties for sale. We have seen great growth the past 5 years as the industry grows and the need for professional brokerage services grows as well. We see more transactions and growth in the glamping sector as the industry continues to change and grow. We expect that more of the opportunities we see will be glamping properties in the coming years and plan to add to our group to fill that need.
Q: What are you most excited about within the glamping industry moving forward?
There is an amazing amount of creativity in the space. The new entrants are bringing experience and ideas from other sectors including hospitality, outdoor recreation, and technology sectors to name a few. The new concepts and ideas from lodging (safari tents, wagons, tiny homes etc.) to location, to outdoor experiences and facilities on site will bring many new concepts and exciting properties. I look forward to seeing what ideas and concepts we see.
Q: Do you have any advice for those that are just starting out?
Take time to study the innovative concepts out there, Understand the demand dynamics of the location you are choosing, don’t underestimate the amount of time and cost for approvals and construction.
