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MC Fireside Chats - July 15th, 2026
15th July 2026 • MC Fireside Chats, an Outdoor Hospitality Podcast • Modern Campground LLC
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Host Brian Searl led a dynamic conversation focusing on the evolving state of the outdoor hospitality industry during the July 15th, 2026 episode of MC Fireside Chats. The panel tackled complex topics ranging from tax strategies and the integration of AI to the ongoing debate over market demand, oversupply, and the critical role of tent camping in the industry's future.

Tyler Otto of Specialized Accounting provided an in-depth look at tax strategies for campground owners. He emphasized that utilizing tools like bonus depreciation and Section 179 must align with an owner’s long-term business and retirement goals, rather than just seeking short-term write-offs. When asked about property management systems, Tyler praised ThinkReservations for its secure night audit function that prevents retroactive editing, ensuring clean accounting ledgers. Corben Tannahill, also from Specialized Accounting, highlighted the human element of their financial services. He noted that when campground owners successfully outsource tasks like accounting and marketing, they reclaim their time, allowing them to focus on their families and enjoy the lifestyle that drew them to the industry in the first place.

Mike Harrison from CRR Hospitality argued that the industry is currently dealing with an oversupply issue rather than a pure drop in demand. He pointed out that the post-COVID development boom created a glut of new inventory, citing a 30 percent supply increase in markets like Verde Valley, which dilutes occupancy across individual properties. Mike also shared updates on CRR's successful integration of Rigby, an AI voice assistant that handles reservations and enhances customer experience. Brian Searl challenged the panel to look at the current market softness as an affordability issue rather than a lack of desire. He proposed that resorts experiencing softer RV bookings could introduce mid-market, thoughtfully curated luxury tent sites to capture a different demographic without diluting a high-end brand aesthetic.

Sandy Ellingson, an RV Industry Advisor, shared insights from her months on the road observing campgrounds. She noted that campers are holding onto older rigs due to affordability, but they are still traveling. Crucially, Sandy warned that the industry is losing its onboarding pipeline by phasing out tent sites in favor of RV-only parks. She advocated for keeping tent sites as the gateway drug that introduces young people to the camping lifestyle, noting that tents can act as loss leaders that drive high ancillary revenue through on-site rentals and food and beverage sales.

Wendy Heineke of Hospitality Across America described her role as a chameleon or Swiss Army knife consultant who steps in to fix revenue leaks, handle HR, and optimize operations for various properties. Drawing from her 30-year hotel background, Wendy stressed that owners often fail because they hire for technical skills rather than a true hospitality instinct. She also validated that while traditional RV bookings might be soft, the luxury glamping sector remains highly resilient, with properties easily commanding premium rates.

The overarching consensus of the episode was the absolute necessity of versatility. Whether it is Tyler advising owners to plan their finances five years out, Wendy leveraging hotel-style hospitality training, Mike embracing AI technology, or Sandy and Brian advocating for diverse accommodation types, the operators who deeply understand their market and remain adaptable will thrive in the shifting economic landscape.

Transcripts

Brian Searl:

Welcome everybody to another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

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My name is Brian Searl with Insider

Perks and Modern Campground.

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Hopefully we're actually live guys.

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If not we'll just have to like

premiere this as an episode later.

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I hit the go live and it was like, I

don't know if I want to go live and

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just sat there so I pushed it again

and it said stop and then we started.

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So I don't know if everything's in

chaos now, but either way we'll have

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a good episode and we'll premiere

it live if we need to later on the

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different various social media networks.

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So how's everybody doing today?

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We're excited to be back for our

third week episode of July already.

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Can you guys believe summer

is almost over already?

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Wendy Heineke: Crazy.

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Brian Searl: Like yeah, I feel like time

is just going crazy in:

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Exciting year.

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So let's just go around and

briefly introduce ourselves.

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We have a couple of current guests.

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We have Mike Harrison from CRR.

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We have Sandy Ellingson who may or may

not be able to talk, she's driving down

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the road which feels extremely unsafe.

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Uh, I wanna just sign a disclaimer

of liability with her to absolve my

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trail of all issues should she get

distracted on the road or something.

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But, uh, and then we have a couple

special guests, so let's just go around

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the ribbon, introduce ourselves, and

briefly tell us about yourselves.

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You want to start Mike?

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Mike Harrison: Sure.

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There's no way Sandy is driving.

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Look how she's sitting in the chair.

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Like if she's driving in that current

seated position, I I like I don't

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know, she got her feet up or what.

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But uh yes, good afternoon.

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Happy summer.

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Uh happy mid summer I guess.

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I mean we're almost exactly at the

halfway point through the year.

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My name is Mike Harrison, uh Chief

Operating Officer of CRR Hospitality.

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We own and manage uh beautiful

luxury RV resorts, uh manufactured

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home neighborhoods, storages, car

wash, a lot of different type of

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uh assets and hospitality assets.

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And we also do third party management

and consulting uh for many uh

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clients in the industry as well.

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Brian Searl: Thanks for being here Mike.

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Love your background.

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Sandy, can you introduce yourself?

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Sandy Ellingson: Yes I am on

the road but I am not driving.

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So Mark is driving and Morgan is

sitting beside of me which is why I have

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to sit sideways.

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Uh

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but I am Sandy Ellingson.

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I'm an industry advocate.

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I go and advocate for my campgrounds

and my campers with the industry.

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And to make sure that they understand how

important we are and how they need to work

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with us and all those kinds of things.

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And I love it.

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Brian Searl: Okay, I

think I figured it out.

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I think her camera is reversed.

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That's why we thought she was driving.

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Okay.

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It's a mirror image, like right?

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Unless you're in Europe driving,

that doesn't make sense.

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Wendy Heineke: Has to be.

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Brian Searl: Okay, now

I got it figured out.

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Sorry.

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Wendy, go ahead.

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Wendy Heineke: Wendy Heineke, I'm

with Hospitality Across America.

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Thank you for having me.

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It's exciting to, this is my first time.

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Anyways, um I actually simply put,

I assist outdoor uh hospitality

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owners to figure out where the

money's leaking and how to fix it.

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Um I've got about 30 years of

hospitality experience, all hands

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on and I'm a chameleon by design.

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Um everything, anything that

a uh property owner or manager

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needs, I'm there to help them.

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And um I'm an RVer myself, so I I

love seeing Sandy traveling right now.

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And I see the places where the guests

want to go and that's where I get to go.

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Brian Searl: Awesome.

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Thanks for being here Wendy.

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Excited to learn more

about Hospitality America.

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You and I have crossed paths I

think once or twice before, but

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excited to see all the new things

that you're into since then.

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Wendy Heineke: Yes.

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Brian Searl: I'm sure you guys

are evolving and changing.

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Uh, Tyler?

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Tyler Otto: Yes, Tyler Otto

with Specialized Accounting.

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We're outsource accounting services

for the hospitality industry.

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So started this firm after my career

uh with places like Vail Ski Resorts,

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Montage Hotels, um independent

lodging company that didn't do so

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well during the pandemic, hence why

I was a free agent to start a firm.

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Uh yeah, 2020 wasn't great for hotels.

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Who knew?

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Uh and we serve, our team

of 18 serves primarily just

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hospitality clients across the US.

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A lot of hotels, marinas,

campgrounds, RV resorts.

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That's where we live,

that's where we specialize.

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And we have a lot of fun doing everything

from the monthly accounting, tax

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strategy, planning, filing, advisory,

and everything that comes with

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what you want out of an accountant.

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And Corben, our customer

success manager is here.

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I mean he's the one

that talks to everyone.

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Corben, what did I miss?

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Corben Tannahill: That's the main point.

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Yep.

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So we love working with those folks.

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Um if you reach out to us, I'll be just

the front guy at the gate and then pass

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you off to the real brains of the outfit

like Tyler and the rest of our team.

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Brian Searl: All right, my

opening question is for Tyler.

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Tyler, with the new big beautiful tax

bill that we got from Donald Trump,

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how can a campground not pay any taxes?

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Tyler Otto: That's always

the question, right?

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Brian Searl: Do they need to do

research and development on their

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property, or what needs to happen?

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That's what I wanna question.

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Tyler Otto: Well I mean there's

there's the easy answer.

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You don't want to pay anything

in taxes, don't make a profit.

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Like there's the easy answer.

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Solved.

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Brian Searl: Slightly problematic.

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Tyler Otto: Yeah I know.

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So then beyond that it's always

the games of what are you know

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what are the long term goals?

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Because you're not going

to avoid taxes forever.

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It's well when are you

going to have income?

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What are you doing in the future?

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Do we want to take depreciation now?

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Like the the if people's goal is

just to mitigate taxes this year,

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they're they're forfeiting the entire

strategy of what are they doing later

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in life and when do you really want

your bracket to come down or not.

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And that's a lot of the things

we're advising clients on.

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But yeah with the big one big beautiful

bill uh you know the easiest things

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is bonus depreciation is back.

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So we do a lot of cost segregation

studies and speeding up what we can

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just depreciate to get a loss on

paper but money in your bank account.

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Brian Searl: Well and I joke about the

one big beautiful bill because that's the

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one thing everybody's paid attention to.

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Obviously there's lots of nuance between

everything else that goes into accounting.

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I know it intimately well having a US

company and a Canadian company and a

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personal LLC in the US and all kinds of

other stuff that I'm operating, right?

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But but talk briefly like I think

this is important for people to hear

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because we've heard about the narrative

I think in the media from whatever

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network you listen to about what the

big beautiful bill is, that it has

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massive tax deductions, things like that.

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But there's two things in there, at

least the one you were just talking

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about, that are really important I

think for campground owners to really

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wrap their heads around, right?

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Tyler Otto: Yeah, I mean, the

depreciation side is huge.

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With bonus depreciation back,

for those of you that don't

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know, you used to be limited.

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We still have one other tool in our

pocket called Section 179, and I don't

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want to put you guys to sleep, so I'm not

going to go through all the specifics.

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But you were limited on, hey, if you,

you know, bought a $20,000 RV unit to

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put on site, you were limited on how

much you could depreciate in that year

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and offset against your active income.

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Bonus depreciation brought that back

in a big way where you can take the

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benefit right now, which is super cool.

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Um but with that, you know, it

the one big beautiful bill was

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touted as a lot more opportunities.

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And there are several things that

just, you know, for the average small

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investor, we're not seeing it materialize

as much as well as just solid tax

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planning strategy in your personal life.

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You know, we see people doing

things like S corp elections, paying

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their kids out of the business,

doing solo 401k contributions.

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And those are still moving the needle a

lot more than spending time with some of

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the updates in the one big beautiful bill.

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At least with what we're seeing

with the average small, you

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know, one to two property owner.

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Brian Searl: Is there a way to take

advantage of, and maybe this is a

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forward thinking, you know, question that

nobody's really thinking about right now.

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But like for me, I'm digging into

like AI and so on, taking advantage

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of a lot of the research and

development tax credits that actually

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reduce my tax bill significantly.

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Um and so I'm curious, is there

anything like that that would

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ever apply to campgrounds?

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Like can you research camper behavior?

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Can you research new amenities?

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Can you do any of that might apply?

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Tyler Otto: So there are R&D tax

credits where yes, like you can

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say, hey, if you're developing a

new service and a new or a new tool

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that's coming into the market, there

are R&D tax credits you can get.

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Um you know, the hard part is, is the

juice going to be worth the squeeze?

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Because if you're just playing around,

like, are you really going to go

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through all the work to file those

extra forms and pay an accountant to

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get a credit, you know, but you're

going to spend a couple thousand

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bucks in getting the credit on paper.

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Is it going to offset your costs?

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And the hardest part is it can't

be, you know, labor expenses or

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regular expenses that you're using

for just everyday operations.

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So a lot of times it's hard for people

to justify, hey, I'm the owner, now

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part of my salary is going to this R&D.

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Like there's a lot of documentation.

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But the thing is the R&D tax credit isn't

really new to the one big beautiful bill.

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Like they've been doing this, this

has been around for a long while.

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It's just a lot more prominent right now.

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Uh but I mean, you'd have to come up

with something novel and if you're going

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for it, like there's a lot of hoops

to jump through because we all know

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the IRS likes to come back and smack

people with penalties and interest.

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That's how they make their dough.

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Brian Searl: Yeah, but that's what we

have AI for to come up with novel things.

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Anyway, sorry.

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Um but so what else, what

else is on your radar?

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Like while we finish up an

accounting conversation, right?

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Like I want to talk about your

business and things like that.

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But what else is on your radar that you

think campground owners should know for

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2026 to take advantage of whatever's

happening in the accounting landscape?

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Because it's different, it's different

having a custom service for your, like

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someone who knows the industry, right?

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Tyler Otto: Oh absolutely.

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I think you know the biggest thing is

running your campground and the tax

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benefits doesn't happen in a vacuum.

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Everything in the world of taxes unless

you did a roll over business startup

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in a C corporation and for some reason

are holding your entity somewhere

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else in a C corp, all the taxes flow

through into your personal life.

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And so a lot of people don't really

think about what are my long term goals?

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What am I putting away to retirement?

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Am I trying to self direct my investments

into new properties I'm investing in?

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Um you know again we get back to

paying kids, entity structure.

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You know we had one client we just

brought on this last month that we

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found for the last 15 years under

their old accountant they were paying

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around an extra 45,000 a year in self

employment tax they didn't need to.

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And that's not even new to you know 2026.

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This is just doing the fundamentals and

the basics of good entity structure as

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well as protecting their assets, right?

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Like CYA man, uh just

assets instead at the end.

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But making sure that your entity

structure doesn't leave you open for

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liability or if someone wants to sue you.

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So really just looking at

your tax structure and setup

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to optimize for savings.

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Um and looking at what's going

on in your personal life.

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Again you know I look at

retirement wise, you know when do

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you want to start taking money?

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Well okay do we want to pay more taxes now

at a lower rate when our business isn't

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doing well because we know our retirement

funds are going to be worth a lot more and

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we're going to have higher taxes later?

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I think that's the big thing is

everyone and every tax advisor is so

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stoked to tell you save money this

year, but that's not always the best

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choice if it's going to cost you

more in a couple years down the line.

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Brian Searl: If you were Sandy's

accountant, could you deduct

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all of her RV travel for her?

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Is that a business

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expense?

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Tyler Otto: You know it's funny.

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Sandy, you have a home base right?

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You have a separate home?

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Sandy Ellingson: No.

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Tyler Otto: No?

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Oh see Sandy that's a bummer.

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If you can show that you have a brick

and mortar home and that the RV is

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not your primary residence, we can

actually do a lot to deduct almost

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all the travel, everything else

saying it's for business expenses.

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And we have quite a few

clients we do this with.

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Mike Harrison: I've heard

that you live in Arizona.

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Sandy Ellingson: Yeah technically

I I do have a a really good CPA.

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My dad was a CPA so he taught me

how to set myself up and how to run.

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So when I say no I don't have a home

base, yes I do but I am renting a

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space that actually is commercial.

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But we use it to go back and

forth and as a home base.

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Tyler Otto: There you go.

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Brian Searl: You're a

little bit low Sandy.

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We caught everything you said

but it's just a little bit low.

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Just so you can if you want to move

closer to the mic or something or

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you can turn it up in your settings.

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We could hear you but

it was just kind of low.

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Uh so you do have a home base and we

heard that you you may or may not have

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a home base and you may or may not

be deceiving the IRS in your taxes.

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But we're not going to

say any of that publicly.

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Sandy Ellingson: No I am I am literally

following all the laws but there are

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because of what I do and I work in

all aspects of the industry, there's

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some very creative ways that I can

do what I need to do and still have

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maximum you know uh deductions.

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So you know because I

serve on the industry side.

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So nine times out of ten I'm the first

one to get a unit when it rolls off.

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So I am doing R&D.

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And so all the expenses are

for R&D for that company.

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So it kind of works out.

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I have a really good way

to feed my addiction.

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Tyler Otto: And

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that's the thing, there's

strategies for everything.

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If you go onto TikTok, there's going

to be so many advisors that say, it's

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easy, you can just claim this credit.

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There is always, there is always the

legalese and boxes to check that you

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got to make sure you're doing right or

it's going to come back to bite you.

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And what most people don't get is

they're like, well, I was able to

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submit a tax return that had, you

know, a reasonable compensation of

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10,000 a year, so it must be allowed.

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I can submit whatever I want on a tax

return and get it filed to the IRS.

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It's if it gets audited,

will it pass the audit?

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And if they take it to tax court, do you

have a lawyer that's willing to fight it?

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Not a CPA, because the CPA in

tax court can't represent you.

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You have to have a tax attorney.

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Do they have a defensible stance?

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So that's where it's like, some

people are like, well, my, my current

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CPA is able to file this for me.

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And it's like, well, make sure your

bases are covered because I mean, I see

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one article a week of a firm getting

indicted because of certain practices.

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So we can submit whatever we want.

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It's does it pass the muster test?

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Brian Searl: Yeah, I think that's-

You just need to protect yourself

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by having like a shell campground in

the Bahamas or something like that.

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Tyler Otto: Yeah.

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Yeah.

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That's what works for you.

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Brian Searl: I don't know if it works.

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I'm I don't want to I'm not

brave enough to own a campground

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at all period to begin with.

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So uh Mike what's going on in your world?

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Anything new that you want that you

think we should talk about since we've

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been uh last together in a month?

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I forgot to ask that question

of my current guests.

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Sandy you too Sandy if you got something.

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Mike Harrison: Uh well

Sandy can go if she wants.

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She's always got something new and

interesting, some special data project

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that she can't tell anybody about.

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Sandy Ellingson: Well hey listen I

am actually out from under every non

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disclosure that I had signed right

now so I can just talk all afternoon.

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Um but we've been actually on

the road for two solid months.

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And so what what I have seen and

what's been so encouraging to me is

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we've been out in the the Northwest.

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And the number of campgrounds that

we've been in that are my favorite,

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they're kind of like my mom and pops,

you know, they're not all glamping.

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Their occupancy is not bad.

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They are doing all the right things.

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Their infrastructure is not falling apart.

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You know, it's not the, you

know, people parking in the mud.

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And so seeing this whole group of people

that are, they're totally positive and

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they totally don't understand some of

the language that they're hearing out of

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some of the East Coast campgrounds, uh,

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which is kind of funny.

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So I really enjoyed it.

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And I've been actually validating some

of the research that Scott Bahr did,

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uh, and took some of the things that

he stated and then I look for those

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things when I go into campgrounds.

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And it's interesting how many of the

things he said were very accurate.

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Um, sadly, you know, I go into a

lot of the campgrounds and I would

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say that 90% of the units are at

least 10 years older or older.

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Um, which validates a lot of the

conversation about people aren't

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buying new rigs and it's not about

the interest rates, it's not about

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gas prices, it's about quality.

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Um, but, but that doesn't mean

they're not camping, right?

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They're just camping in older

rigs and they're renting rigs.

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So I am seeing a lot of Gen Zers.

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I've seen a return to tent camping.

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I've seen parks allowing car camping.

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I mean, all of the things that, you know,

we've been on the circuit talking about

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and saying that we all need to think about

new things to create these runways, right?

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I'm seeing it.

344

:

I don't see it as much on the

East Coast, but boy have I

345

:

seen it Midwest and West Coast.

346

:

Brian Searl: Well, I think

I, I think I agree with you.

347

:

Like, I, I was tell- I was saying

this maybe on the podcast with Scott

348

:

Bahr last week on Outwired, is we were

talking about how the, our industry

349

:

does not have a demand problem.

350

:

There are tons and tons of people

from all generations who wanna get

351

:

outside and wanna enjoy nature,

whether it's outdoor recreation or

352

:

camping or whatever it may be, right?

353

:

I think the problem is, is that we

currently, perhaps not in every facet

354

:

of the economy, but we have a little

bit of an affordability problem

355

:

specific to maybe even RV sites that

require a large entry into the market.

356

:

But I've talked to a couple association

owners, including one in Canada here,

357

:

uh a couple days ago, maybe it was

yesterday, who was telling me like

358

:

they've they've convinced a couple

people on like Vancouver Island to

359

:

change their campground into like

tent only, a lot of the sites.

360

:

And maybe the margin is a little bit less,

but you can make just as much money if

361

:

your RV sites were only 40 to 50% full.

362

:

And so this guy switched to tent

sites and he has to turn people away.

363

:

He's got a waiting list now because

there's millions of people sitting in

364

:

Vancouver that don't own an RV, but will

come across that ferry and go tenting.

365

:

And then there's all kinds of

opportunities to, what do you take

366

:

that, what do you take that tenting

experience to the next level?

367

:

How do you make it luxury?

368

:

Do you have something set up to

make Gen Z or somebody who hasn't

369

:

been in the outdoors much more

comfortable with the outdoors?

370

:

And then can you get

$125, $150 a night for it?

371

:

Bet you can.

372

:

So I think it's interesting just to

think outside the box, but I don't

373

:

think we, I don't think we have

a demand problem at all, period.

374

:

And yes, for sure there are down, like

I've talked about this a lot, right?

375

:

On a macro level, there are

some issues with occupancy

376

:

and camper nights this year.

377

:

But that's not a demand problem.

378

:

I think that's a product not matching

the ability of the consumer problem.

379

:

What do you think?

380

:

Sandy Ellingson: I totally agree

Brian and I want you to go back and

381

:

slice this because the fact that

you said you agreed with me and I

382

:

said I agreed with you, that's got

to mean Jesus is coming back soon.

383

:

Brian Searl: Maybe maybe.

384

:

Sandy Ellingson: And we love each other.

385

:

Brian Searl: I agree with

a lot of what you say.

386

:

Sandy Ellingson: But

387

:

that's okay.

388

:

Brian Searl: I agree with

a lot of what you say.

389

:

Uh Mike you have anything?

390

:

Mike Harrison: Um well I think you know

I I find the discussion very interesting.

391

:

You know I have been saying for

a while obviously the change

392

:

in the industry is change.

393

:

And you know what it was just 10 years

ago versus what it was just six years ago

394

:

during COVID, which is a pivotable and

forever change point in our industry, uh

395

:

and now what it was two years ago, right?

396

:

And and so it it's continuously

evolving, changing, you know, good

397

:

and bad, but mostly for the good.

398

:

And you know, I don't think we

necessarily have a demand problem,

399

:

but I do think that demand is down.

400

:

I think it's a supply problem.

401

:

You know, I think as many people

have heard me say, you know, the

402

:

boom of COVID, you know, basically

falsely trained excited investors

403

:

if you build it, they will come.

404

:

And there was a, you know, glut

of overbuilding and developments

405

:

that happened in 21, 22, 23

that opened in 24, 25, 26.

406

:

Unfortunately, with lack of data, there's

not a lot of good resource to track

407

:

how many of these properties opened.

408

:

But I can tell you in a market

like, you know, uh Verde Valley

409

:

in Arizona, there's been 30% new

supply over the last three years.

410

:

And for a small market of, you know,

2,000, 2,500 sites of which maybe

411

:

our property is 30% of the market,

that's a considerable addition.

412

:

Considerable, right?

413

:

And so it might look like demand

is down, it might be demand is the

414

:

same, but it is now spread, right?

415

:

So you look at, you know, the metrics,

you know, for individual properties,

416

:

um, you know, but if you, since

there's not necessarily market metrics,

417

:

it's a little bit of false data.

418

:

Um, so I I think that's, you know, two

things can be true at the same time.

419

:

One can be demand is down and

mostly transient, not long-term.

420

:

Um, but I also think

there's been an oversupply.

421

:

So with anything like the hotel industry,

multiple cycles, we are now in a cycle.

422

:

Uh, you know, I believe we have to, you

know, weather the next year, year and a

423

:

half as some of this transient demand,

you know, rights itself, but also as the

424

:

new supply absorbs, um, and stabilizes.

425

:

So, uh, that's just an answer to the

general what you guys are talking about.

426

:

You know, what's new in CRR's world?

427

:

Um, you know, we continue to be excited

with, you know, the evolution of the

428

:

industry as, you know, of course you know,

Brian, we continue to partner with you on

429

:

new technologies and innovations and AI.

430

:

Um, you know, the AI voice Rigby, which

was, you know, partnered with Insider

431

:

Perks, the first of its kind to be rolled

out, you know, is now in, uh, is probably

432

:

in high school in his level of training.

433

:

He started out in nursery school.

434

:

Um, and in another two, three

months, he'll probably graduate from

435

:

college and then get his master's.

436

:

Um, you know, so he's taking reservations,

he's learning, um, he's absolutely

437

:

helped us reduce missed call volume

and help with the customer experience.

438

:

Um, you know, but we continue to see,

you know, what opportunities are there

439

:

from a customer experience with AI, uh,

and also from an efficiency standpoint.

440

:

Um, again, many folks have heard me

say, you know, AI does not replace

441

:

hospitality, it enhances hospitality.

442

:

And so we're continuing to focus on,

you know, how we can do that and help

443

:

evolve the industry to the modern world.

444

:

Um, we continue to really focus on, you

know, sourcing new third-party management

445

:

contracts and, and consulting engagements.

446

:

We believe there's an opportunity for us

to really help provide owners, whether

447

:

they're existing management companies

or independent ownership that just

448

:

don't want to do it anymore.

449

:

Um, uh, but you know, we've been

exploring in a lot of different markets.

450

:

I just came back from Montana and spent,

uh, you know, several days in Yellowstone,

451

:

uh, and it's just glorious and just

reminds us why we do what we do, uh,

452

:

and where we do it and how fortunate we

are to do what we do, where we do it.

453

:

Uh, it was just an awesome,

awesome experience.

454

:

Um, so, uh, that's kind

of what's new with us.

455

:

Uh, I am now a whitewater rafting

expert and didn't die, so happy to say.

456

:

Wendy Heineke: Nice.

457

:

Brian Searl: I don't know if

you guys can still hear me.

458

:

I'm trying to fix my camera.

459

:

My phone said it was overheating,

so I had to turn everything off.

460

:

Uh but hopefully you can hear me.

461

:

Mike Harrison: That's what

you get for being outside.

462

:

That would happen to me if I was outside.

463

:

Brian Searl: I know, I know.

464

:

I should have had a nice green office.

465

:

I'm not, I can't afford the office stuff.

466

:

I don't make enough money yet.

467

:

I'm waiting on it.

468

:

Uh well I get my camera back

and figure all this stuff out.

469

:

Uh Wendy, you've been kind of quiet

because we haven't asked you any

470

:

questions up there, but what for

the people who don't know you,

471

:

what is Hospitality Across America?

472

:

Wendy Heineke: Well I came from

the hotel industry um and I said 30

473

:

plus years in the hotel industry.

474

:

And um finished my um career

with a real estate investment

475

:

trust and decided to retire.

476

:

So I actually retired for three years

and bought a rig and went on um the

477

:

excursion of a lifetime going all the way

across the country in a big huge coach.

478

:

So I'm I'm loving Sandy what

she's doing and we we saw the

479

:

goods and the bads and the uglies.

480

:

And actually um I my first when we

landed in Alabama we bought a um RV

481

:

site with a casita and that was our

that was our home with the RV and we

482

:

just had a great time but I got bored.

483

:

So I decided to call the Margaritaville

guys up um that I worked with them in

484

:

the hotel industry and uh started my

career with uh Camp Margaritaville.

485

:

And that's pretty much how I started

the career doing just doing all kinds

486

:

of consulting with them, did their

SOPs, did their QA um because they knew

487

:

hotels but they didn't know campgrounds.

488

:

Well I really started to know campgrounds.

489

:

Um so I helped them with their resorts

that they had five at the time.

490

:

So fast forward many years later

and um I am pretty much as I

491

:

mentioned before I'm a chameleon.

492

:

I will do pretty much anything.

493

:

Mike, Mike and I work together

a lot, and Mike will call up,

494

:

call me up and say, "Hey, I need

some revenue management support.

495

:

Can you work for a couple of months

and do some revenue management?

496

:

Can you do HR?"

497

:

Um, "Hey, can you look at

our operations efficiency?"

498

:

So really what I do is, is I will go

in and I'm, I'm very boutique because

499

:

I want the long-term with my clients.

500

:

So like I work for Mike and then for a

month and then I disappear for about three

501

:

months and then he calls me up again.

502

:

So really mine is a long term and

I'll I'll work with like right now

503

:

I'm working with a city park in Texas.

504

:

And small park um I'm not a I'm not a

huge expensive consultant and I'm just

505

:

charging them on an hourly basis and

just helping them um get through some of

506

:

their efficiencies, some social media,

some marketing, um teaching them what AI

507

:

is, but it's the city so it's you know

you got to be careful with what they do.

508

:

So um then you know I'm working

with a RV a large RV resort here in

509

:

Alabama and it's a very different.

510

:

So I'm working all the revenue management,

I'm doing Campspot which thank God with

511

:

Mike because I learned everything I

needed to do with Campspot through Mike.

512

:

Um so I'm I'm actually now working

with Campspot and they're sending me

513

:

to clients that need extra support.

514

:

So again I'm a chameleon.

515

:

Um you know I was a GM

in in the hotel industry.

516

:

I have run campgrounds, I have run

hotels, I've done revenue management.

517

:

So whatever the client needs I'll work

with them to see if I can help them.

518

:

But I will never say hey uh

you're um you know I can't work

519

:

for you or I can work with you.

520

:

It really just depends on what they need.

521

:

Um and it's really interesting

Sandy was talking about the tents.

522

:

I was just up in Wisconsin visiting

some campgrounds and one there was

523

:

like seven days and it was a little

city park up in Wisconsin and seven

524

:

days they were full and it was

Fourth of July weekend with tents.

525

:

They had 60 sites and

37 of them were tents.

526

:

And cars, and I was surprised about the

cars, but now I'm glad to hear from you

527

:

guys on that because I couldn't believe

how many cars were, like six or seven

528

:

cars that people just sleeping in.

529

:

Mike Harrison: Oh my gosh, don't

don't get Sandy going on car camping.

530

:

We'll be here for like four hours.

531

:

Wendy Heineke: I loved it.

532

:

Um and it's revenue.

533

:

Mike Harrison: Yeah.

534

:

You know I'd like to just advocate

for the folks on this call.

535

:

You know as Sandy meant or I'm sorry

Wendy mentioned she's a chameleon.

536

:

I actually call her a

Swiss Army knife, right?

537

:

She's got a lot of different

functions that she could do.

538

:

Um and as I look at the call, I

mean I haven't had a chance yet to

539

:

work with Specialized Accounting,

but I think I've paid everybody on

540

:

this call, but nobody has paid me.

541

:

Like like Brian where I

need someone to pay me.

542

:

Um but I think you know it's interesting.

543

:

Brian Searl: What are you talking about?

544

:

You've been paid in

revenue management advice.

545

:

You've been paid in everything.

546

:

You've been paid in marketing.

547

:

You've been paid in…

548

:

Mike Harrison: I need a violin.

549

:

Um but you know what I think is

really true, you know Wendy had

550

:

mentioned about the little property.

551

:

What I think kind of you know is

indicative of especially of Sandy

552

:

and Brian and and Wendy and I don't

mean to leave you know Specialized

553

:

guys out but you know service.

554

:

I I think you know even if you

don't get paid, you know Wendy,

555

:

Sandy, Brian, you guys can't help

yourself but helping people, right?

556

:

And like you said you unretired.

557

:

And I I just think that's

a hallmark of what we do.

558

:

And you know the folks on this call just a

shout out to those that are listening, you

559

:

know we've got some tremendous advocates

for our industry and leaders in our

560

:

industry that are that are right here.

561

:

For folks that sometimes will not even

take a penny or refuse to take a penny

562

:

because they just want to help and they'll

answer a question or they'll provide you

563

:

a link or they'll give you a resource.

564

:

And so I I think that's a

message for us as we you know

565

:

go forward in this industry.

566

:

And why I love it so much,

it's a little bit different

567

:

than the hospitality industry.

568

:

It's just the advocacy and the partnership

of you know rising tide raises all ships.

569

:

Even though we have competitors like

like you know Roff is a competitor

570

:

for us at Blue Water but yeah we talk

regularly and and help each other.

571

:

And it's just an important

component of what we do.

572

:

So that's just a little bit of an

esoteric soliloquy if you will um but I

573

:

think that's important for us to know.

574

:

And good job for you guys.

575

:

Brian Searl: As much as that

was beautiful, I want to go back

576

:

to car camping for a second.

577

:

Mike Harrison: No.

578

:

Brian Searl: No, no, no, let me

explain because I don't want to get

579

:

into the whole long conversation

with Sandy about it, right?

580

:

Uh but what I want to what interests

me though is just the original

581

:

conversation that we had about Mike

you're saying there's not a demand issue.

582

:

I don't necessarily disagree with you.

583

:

I question whether the demand is,

no that's wrong because I don't

584

:

think there's a demand issue at all.

585

:

Either whether it's an RV or in

tent or in glamping or whatever,

586

:

I think it's an affordability

587

:

issue.

588

:

Can I afford to put gas in the rig?

589

:

Can I afford to go a thousand miles

versus 200 and staying closer to my home?

590

:

Can I afford the premium full hookup

site or can I afford to stay at

591

:

a state park instead this year?

592

:

Mike Harrison: That still

translates to demand though Brian.

593

:

I understand what you're saying.

594

:

It doesn't mean that

there's not a desire, right?

595

:

You know I desire to go to Europe

this year, but I also desire to

596

:

go on more trips this year, right?

597

:

Brian Searl: And that's what I'm

equating demand with, to be clear.

598

:

It's desire.

599

:

I'm speaking about it right now on this

podcast, I'm saying demand is desire.

600

:

Mike Harrison: There's a difference.

601

:

That's intent, right?

602

:

And intent does not

necessarily mean demand.

603

:

I mean you can intend to do

something all day long, but you know

604

:

unless you put that in the bank,

it doesn't translate to demand.

605

:

So I hear you.

606

:

I don't disagree that there's

an affordability issue and as

607

:

all the KOA statistics have

shown, frequency is down, right?

608

:

Um and that's obviously

directly dependent upon market.

609

:

Um, but, but I … They're,

they're different.

610

:

Go ahead.

611

:

I'm sorry.

612

:

Brian Searl: No, no, no.

613

:

I agree with you, but

that's only part one, right?

614

:

So then part two is, is if there is

still demand, like not desire, but there

615

:

is still … If your desire is to stay

in the full hookup pull-through, but,

616

:

or just to go camping, then you still

have, you're still demanding a site.

617

:

You're just not demanding

the same type of site or

618

:

accommodation that you were before.

619

:

So is there a point where, just like

this campground that converted in

620

:

Vancouver Island, or the one that Wendy

said was full of tents and full of

621

:

car camping, is there a point in time

where owners step back and look at,

622

:

okay, well, demand- Demand, desire,

whatever you wanna call it, right?

623

:

Both, in some cases, uh, has

changed or is down or is up or has

624

:

fluctuated or spread out into new

inventory or whatever it is, right?

625

:

Is there a way that I can meet that

demand/desire by offering a differentiated

626

:

kind of product at my property?

627

:

Mike Harrison: It's a good question, but

I would be careful if I'm extrapolating

628

:

what you're saying is, are you downgrading

to make it more affordable, and does

629

:

that mean that you still have demand?

630

:

But I would be careful with that

because the numbers don't say that.

631

:

In both the hotel industry and the

camping industry, if you look at

632

:

CoStar's report in the hotel industry,

hotel industry is also struggling

633

:

except in the luxury segment.

634

:

Luxury segment is up.

635

:

All of the numbers when on the data

dicks say the exact same thing, right?

636

:

The luxury properties, the larger

full-service properties are

637

:

performing and outperforming the

smaller ones with a lower ADR.

638

:

So while I understand what you're

saying is maybe there's an opportunity

639

:

to say that there's desire, so

instead of taking, spending the $100

640

:

on the large site, they'll spend 50.

641

:

I, I don't think that's-- the

numbers don't say that that's true.

642

:

Um-

643

:

All right

644

:

Wendy Heineke: So, so Mike, I

have a question though, because

645

:

you've got, you've got RV resorts,

you've got campgrounds, you know,

646

:

then you've got glamping, right?

647

:

So, so RV resorts, yes, that's a luxury

in our world, in the hotel world.

648

:

But then you also have campgrounds

where they have sites that they

649

:

can say, you know, that I c- I

will accept more tents and put more

650

:

tents in inventory, tent sites in

inventory to sell those tent sites.

651

:

I don't think, like, uh, y- like

your resorts are spectacular.

652

:

They're gorgeous-

653

:

Mike Harrison: I'm not just

saying my properties as-

654

:

Wendy Heineke: Yeah.

655

:

But, yeah, look at

656

:

Mike Harrison: ca- I'm not talking about,

I'm not talking about my properties.

657

:

I'm talking about the industry.

658

:

Yeah.

659

:

Again, KOA, which has a diversity of

sites, including tents, is not saying

660

:

that the, the tent market is up, right?

661

:

And so I, I think it's

gotta be some data digging.

662

:

Wendy Heineke: But that's…

663

:

Yes, it does, 'cause that's…

664

:

Sandy Ellingson: Well,

665

:

Wendy Heineke: go ahead, Sandy.

666

:

Go ahead.

667

:

Sandy Ellingson: Well I was going

to say I think you're all right.

668

:

And what's interesting is it's

not about everything being a tent

669

:

or everything not being a tent.

670

:

What what research has shown us

and we've now just started a new

671

:

thing where we're actually working

with statisticians to calculate out

672

:

where the industry is going to

be based on current statistics.

673

:

And one of the things that it identified

is that over the last 10 years

674

:

we've lost the onboarding process.

675

:

And tent camping, that's what it was.

676

:

I always called it the

gateway drug, right?

677

:

Young people couldn't afford to buy

an RV, would get a tent and they'd

678

:

start out camping in their backyard.

679

:

And then they moved up to hey I'm

going to camp in a campground.

680

:

And then they moved up to oh my

gosh look at the rain and that guy

681

:

over there, I want one of those.

682

:

So tents were the best sales

tool the RV industry ever had.

683

:

But somehow we managed to close

them out and come up with this

684

:

idea that we couldn't have tent

campers in our campgrounds anymore

685

:

because we were an RV park.

686

:

And so what we're seeing is

we've got to find more onboarding

687

:

processes for younger people.

688

:

So we don't want to offer necessarily

all of our sites, but we do need to

689

:

have a certain percentage of them to

start bringing these younger people

690

:

in who can't afford the RV yet.

691

:

Otherwise we're going to end

up running out of runway.

692

:

Brian Searl: Yeah I agree with that.

693

:

I think I think we're both like

Sandy said I think we're all right.

694

:

And I think that's part of the

reason that it's so hard to diagnose.

695

:

You're right Mike there

is a K shaped economy.

696

:

The luxury people are still spending.

697

:

There's no question about that.

698

:

At the same time there seems to be a

small increase in demand in regular let's

699

:

call it regular traditional tent camping.

700

:

But I think there's also a market

for the luxury tent camping market.

701

:

Like the thoughtfully curated kind of

state park clone that like Jeremy Johnson

702

:

has done way better up in Michigan, right?

703

:

I think there's opportunities for like

I think we've been so focused for the

704

:

last 40 to 60 years and I'm speaking

on a macro level, there are certainly

705

:

people who do this well and there are

exceptions to what I'm about to say.

706

:

But we've been focused on like what

Sandy said, making an RV park only for

707

:

RVs and hanging the entire hat of the

industry on the RV industry period.

708

:

And I think if we do that, I'm not

saying go away from RVs, but if we do

709

:

that and we also diversify with rentals

and glamping and maybe tent camping, but

710

:

maybe a more of a luxury product if you

need to do that at a place like Verde

711

:

Ranch or something like that, right?

712

:

Maybe you can just put some

more different type of thought

713

:

into the process, then there's

opportunities to expand your revenue.

714

:

I want to give that back

to Wendy to tackle that.

715

:

And then Tyler I want to hear your

thoughts from the accounting aspect.

716

:

Wendy Heineke: Well

it's really interesting.

717

:

I did a blog a couple weeks

ago on RV bookings are soft.

718

:

No doubt about it.

719

:

But your glamping is not.

720

:

So I've got four clients

that are just glamping um and

721

:

luxury um glamping resorts.

722

:

And one's up in Charlemont, Massachusetts

and they are doing, they just opened

723

:

in October and they're running 80%

occupancy and they're running a $400 rate.

724

:

And you know why?

725

:

Because they're pulling it from Boston.

726

:

They're pulling it from New York.

727

:

And so you do have the luxury side,

but glamping is not down as much.

728

:

Yeah of course a little bit, but people

still want to spend that money and go

729

:

for a two night or three night stay.

730

:

Mike Harrison: Glamping

is not down at all.

731

:

Glamping continues to be up double digits.

732

:

Wendy Heineke: So the question

is when you look at the RV

733

:

side, do you put those tents in?

734

:

Like Verde is a perfect example

of a glamping, it's an RV

735

:

resort but it's also glamping.

736

:

And do you you know does the

industry start focusing a little

737

:

bit more, cabins yeah, but you know

the safari tents, the you know the

738

:

tents, the and even smaller tents.

739

:

And one of the things I was recommending

to the city park that I was doing

740

:

is buy some tents and rent them out.

741

:

You know because you know and that's a

big thing is that again we're trying to

742

:

just get heads in beds or heads in sites

and let's get you know be able to rent the

743

:

tents out for $30 and the site for $10,

you know again they're a lower cost and

744

:

that may be the way that some of us do it.

745

:

You know we just got to be creative.

746

:

Brian Searl: Sure but it doesn't

always have to be a downgrade

747

:

too is what I'm saying, right?

748

:

Right.

749

:

Let's just we're going to pick

on Verde for example, right?

750

:

And you know the revenue way better

than I ever do Wendy and Mike you guys

751

:

have worked on all that stuff, right?

752

:

But so nobody's I think nobody's arguing

that like Mike you should rent tent sites

753

:

for $30 at Verde Ranch or Verde River.

754

:

Wendy Heineke: Right.

755

:

Brian Searl: But perhaps perhaps there

is a space for a luxury curated tent

756

:

that you like maybe you buy like 15, 20

of these, you set them all up, they're

757

:

really nice tents, you curate the site,

you landscape it, you have it all ready

758

:

to go with sleeping bags, whatever else.

759

:

And then you sell that

product for $125, $150.

760

:

That's luxury to the luxury person

who's in Phoenix or in Sedona or

761

:

in somewhere else who wants to see

something different, then that doesn't

762

:

take away the aesthetic of your site.

763

:

It makes it still high end and it

gives you something to fill while the

764

:

RV sites are temporarily down because

of supply or whatever else, right?

765

:

Mike Harrison: Define luxury tent.

766

:

Now is that like a Coleman instant

tent that's nice or is it one of

767

:

the ones like a safari tent, etc.?

768

:

Brian Searl: I think it

depends on you and your resort.

769

:

Like it could be different either way.

770

:

I think you can make a really

nice Coleman tent look really good

771

:

on a site if you set it up well.

772

:

Mike Harrison: So and I think look I the

goal is not to poo poo what you're saying.

773

:

I completely agree with

your idea about glamping.

774

:

Tenting is a very different experience.

775

:

Tenting without a bathroom, without

electric, without facilities, you

776

:

know just kind of roughing it um is

a very very different experience.

777

:

Um but what you're describing is

again more in the glamping world

778

:

which isn't down and people continue

to do and I recommend that to

779

:

every property that we discuss.

780

:

Um because people do want to do that.

781

:

They do want to experience it,

but they want to experience

782

:

glamping, not necessarily tenting.

783

:

Tenting is its own world which is a great

a great world and we've had that you know

784

:

experience at a couple of our properties.

785

:

Um but it's a very

different um experience.

786

:

I'm not saying that that

couldn't work if you

787

:

curated a tent site that isn't glamping,

but I think you'd have a hard time

788

:

attracting the customer that's looking

for a you know a glamping experience.

789

:

Brian Searl: Well I agree with you, but

I think there's a whole another world of

790

:

people who aren't exposed to glamping or

don't have $200 or $300 a night to spend

791

:

on glamping that like you can buy, I'm

not talking about a $30 Coleman tent.

792

:

You can buy a

793

:

really nice $300, $400 Nemo tent

that are like really well designed

794

:

and ventilated and curated.

795

:

And yes it's a different type

of audience like you're talking

796

:

about, but it's an audience.

797

:

And if your occupancy is down, I'm

not saying yours is, I'm just saying

798

:

generally macro in the industry, right?

799

:

Then maybe that's something

you can look at, just different

800

:

types of ideas to figure that

801

:

stuff out.

802

:

What do you think of the numbers Tyler?

803

:

Do the numbers add up?

804

:

Can somebody can somebody…

805

:

Tyler Otto: I mean I'm happy

to weigh in as the nerd.

806

:

I mean because here's the hard part

is like all the rest of you guys,

807

:

you're in you're involved at the guest

level of curating that experience

808

:

where we're we're after the fact.

809

:

We're picking up the pieces seeing

what came out on the other end.

810

:

Now what I will say is you know like

accounting is a service so maybe it

811

:

is we are skewed because we see people

that are charging higher rates and can

812

:

afford to outsource services whether it's

social media, accounting, operations.

813

:

Usually you have a higher average

daily rate to be able to support that.

814

:

So my data set might be

skewed in that alone.

815

:

Knowing that, we are seeing a lot of

people that you know they've had the

816

:

traditional campsites but they're

trying to set themselves apart whether

817

:

it's glamping, cabins, RV resorts,

they're trying to set themselves apart

818

:

and get more customers in by adding

more amenities whether it's stand

819

:

up paddle boarding or you know some

sort of bar component you know drinks

820

:

around the campfire with a cash bar.

821

:

But like as you add those more amenities

there's usually a staff component.

822

:

And if we start looking at the to use a

hospitality term even though it doesn't

823

:

apply to tents, cost per occupied room,

you do not see the returns by getting

824

:

more tent sites at $30 a night especially

because those people at $30 a night seeing

825

:

those amenities, they want parts of it.

826

:

And unless you're truly generating cash,

usually a lot of our owners are seeing

827

:

a lot more benefits of picking sites and

upgrading them to either support you know

828

:

full hookup RV or start putting in you

know the geodesic domes, putting in the

829

:

safari tents, the teepees with you know

bedding and heated and all that wonderful.

830

:

Like we see a lot more of that shift

right now for our clients that are

831

:

continuing to be very successful.

832

:

And as they upgrade and upskill um we're

seeing their occupancy either stay flat or

833

:

grow but the ADR is definitely increasing.

834

:

Brian Searl: Makes

835

:

sense.

836

:

Corben, you've been quiet.

837

:

Like you can talk too at the same time.

838

:

Like I just am defaulting to

asking Tyler questions, sorry.

839

:

Anything to add Corben?

840

:

Corben Tannahill: Yeah for me it's

just been really exciting to see

841

:

folks that we've been working with.

842

:

You all see the decisions they're

making, but like Tyler said

843

:

we see what comes out of it.

844

:

And so when they're able to outsource

something whether it's you know a

845

:

marketing piece to you all or other

different components, we see that they get

846

:

their lives back and they get to go spend

time with their kids, their grandkids.

847

:

And I assume you guys see that as

well with the different owners, when

848

:

they get their life back, it's so so

exciting to help them out in that way.

849

:

So that's been neat for

me to see in the industry.

850

:

I agree.

851

:

I think a lot of folks are

transitioning to new seasons and

852

:

so getting to see it's been neat.

853

:

Brian Searl: Anybody else have

anything to add on that topic?

854

:

Do we have any general, I don't know how

we, as always every week, I don't know how

855

:

we end down the rabbit holes that we do.

856

:

It's quite interesting

sometimes, but here we go.

857

:

I am curious though Mike, is there

ever a world where you add luxury

858

:

tenting to Verde or consider it?

859

:

Mike Harrison: Well again when

you say luxury tenting, we

860

:

already have luxury tenting there.

861

:

You know we have glamping

tents and covered wagons.

862

:

And that's why I was saying is

a clear definition of when you

863

:

say luxury, what does that mean?

864

:

Um, uh, you know, luxury tenting, like

what I think what you were describing is

865

:

like what you said, a $300 or $400 tent.

866

:

That is not a glamping experience if

there aren't facilities, you know power,

867

:

water, um um facilities in the tent.

868

:

Um, and so maybe, you, you know,

it's typically not, you know,

869

:

the customer in our properties.

870

:

Um, and you know, the campground

isn't necessarily set up for that.

871

:

Um, but you know, we're in that

mode now of exploring every

872

:

type of revenue opportunity.

873

:

So, you know, it's certainly

something we could look at.

874

:

Brian Searl: Yeah I mean I'm

talking about like you're right.

875

:

Like I'm talking about whatever

that middle market is between

876

:

glamping and the ability to afford

an RV and like basic tenting.

877

:

I think there's a mid market there

that there's a whole lot of people

878

:

around a whole lot of properties in

the United States that I'm not saying

879

:

that's the answer for everybody.

880

:

I'm saying that's one thing out of

dozens that Wendy could consult on

881

:

or Sandy could consult on, right?

882

:

Or or you could consult on Mike from

a third party management perspective

883

:

that just are options for you to be

flexible in whatever today's world is,

884

:

whether that continues next year, gets

worse, gets better, whatever we're in.

885

:

It's always good to be flexible.

886

:

Sandy, you unmuted.

887

:

You got something?

888

:

Sandy Ellingson: Well I think

it's all about first of all

889

:

being true to your brand.

890

:

And so for Mike to go to some

891

:

of his parks and

892

:

put in tents would kill the brand.

893

:

It doesn't match, right?

894

:

When I'm talking about just true tenting.

895

:

At

896

:

the same time as an industry as a

whole, we need parks who are allowing

897

:

tent campers because we need that

onboarding of younger people who can't

898

:

afford to come in, but we want them to

come in and fall in love with camping.

899

:

One of the things I advise, you

know retail has always had what

900

:

they call the loss leader.

901

:

And I will go into Sam's or Costco

all day long to get the $5 chicken.

902

:

Now they are losing money on

903

:

that $5 chicken, but when I

go in there I'm also buying

904

:

a whole lot of other things.

905

:

So it really is about being not

just putting up a tent site,

906

:

but being strategic like Tyler

was saying and what else can

907

:

we engage them to do?

908

:

Because maybe in their tent, which

makes them more apt to rent the

909

:

kayak and rent the boat or go to

have a beer around the cocktail bar,

910

:

right?

911

:

They couldn't do that in an RV,

but they can do it in a tent.

912

:

And the other thing too is we just left

a park and the guy was there in a Tesla

913

:

and his tent setup cost him $30,000.

914

:

And it literally was a tent.

915

:

Okay.

916

:

So this isn't just something

we're talking about that you

917

:

know poor people need, right?

918

:

Or

919

:

young people need.

920

:

These are all

921

:

there's so many variations of

it that I think Mike what you're

922

:

saying is you can't you can't put

a blanket coverage on it either.

923

:

Brian Searl: I want I want to have

Wendy weigh in on ancillary revenue in

924

:

a second because I think you're right.

925

:

Like I remember looking at like grocery

prices, totally unrelated, right?

926

:

Like a week and a half ago, there

was an article about how Walmart

927

:

was lowering prices, but they were

lowering prices on like 10 specific

928

:

goods, like beef or something to get

people in the door to save on the beef.

929

:

And what would end up happening is they

would spend 40 bucks more than they

930

:

would have with the higher expensive

beef because they would come into the

931

:

store to get the beef and then fill

up their carts with everything else.

932

:

So to your point about ancillary

revenue, it's an excellent one.

933

:

Mike, you sounded like

you had something to say.

934

:

Mike Harrison: Yeah well I think you

know I was going to comment you know

935

:

Sandy had used the term loss leader and

I think that's a great way to put it.

936

:

It's you know we're doing the same

things of trying to attract people to

937

:

our campgrounds and resorts of you know

whether it is you throw in a golf cart

938

:

for free you know or you know what are

the different ideas and promotions you

939

:

know so that you attract and bring people

in so that there's any kind of spend.

940

:

And then my second part was going to

be you had said it about flexibility.

941

:

I'll just re term that to versatility.

942

:

I think you know how do you explore

alternative revenue sources for your

943

:

property that you haven't done before?

944

:

Like you know for initially you know

we had didn't you know we didn't accept

945

:

you know like uh rooftop tents or camper

vans um you know six years ago, right?

946

:

A little bit elitist if you will.

947

:

Um but yeah we adapted over the years

as we understood you know how the

948

:

industry has changed and that the

industry did change and what those

949

:

camper vans have become and you know

some of those other you know experiences.

950

:

So I think versatility and being

able to you know be a Swiss Army

951

:

knife in your property and and try

different things is is super important.

952

:

So I I think you know what you

said is is absolutely true Brian.

953

:

Brian Searl: But also you don't want

to be the Swiss Army knife to be clear.

954

:

That's Wendy.

955

:

Wendy Heineke: Yes.

956

:

Mike Harrison: There's only

one Swiss Army knife, yes.

957

:

Wendy Heineke: Yes it is.

958

:

Mike Harrison: She's a Coleman.

959

:

Brian Searl: What do you think of the

ancillary revenue loss leader stuff Wendy

960

:

from a revenue management perspective?

961

:

Wendy Heineke: Well yeah no

it's it's really important.

962

:

What I've seen with a lot of the

resorts out there and campgrounds um

963

:

and as I said I work a lot with um

Campspot, the add ons is so important

964

:

to to have for the ancillary revenue.

965

:

So you know selling the firewood,

selling the golf carts, everything

966

:

when you're making a reservation to

be able to show what is out there

967

:

that you have and that you offer.

968

:

Um and Mike's team has been fantastic

in trying to create and Verde is a

969

:

perfect example, we keep going back

to that, but create also experiences.

970

:

So they have you know add ons

that will create experiences.

971

:

So there's there's one and like I

think it's a whitewater rafting, but

972

:

I can go in, I don't buy it, but I

can see that I can find out about it.

973

:

And that will help me you know when I go

and check out, I may not abandon my cart.

974

:

I'm like oh wow they

offer this kind of stuff.

975

:

I want to find out more about it.

976

:

And so it gives them more

and that's bringing the

977

:

experiences into the customer.

978

:

So it's not just about the

add ons, but the experiences.

979

:

The food, you know we do

a lot of like food trucks.

980

:

And if we don't have food and beverage

in our campground or resort, we partner

981

:

with food trucks and bringing events in.

982

:

And you know that's what will

help bring that revenue in,

983

:

that ancillary revenue in.

984

:

Tyler Otto: Honestly that's true of

all of our best clients is they've got

985

:

something else besides the heads in

beds or you know campgrounds or tents

986

:

on site that is driving the revenue.

987

:

It's a killer F&B operation, you know one

of our clients they just have a boat dock

988

:

on a major river and they're a campground

there but man they print money at the bar

989

:

at this you know restaurant on the water.

990

:

Or you know they're a huge wedding

venue site and they chose a route

991

:

to get rid of the tents but make it

really easy for people to get trailers

992

:

and other stuff in to do weddings.

993

:

And so it's like finding that

ancillary that your your hospitality,

994

:

your lodging side facilitates your

real revenue generating business.

995

:

And I don't think there's

a standard playbook.

996

:

It's your location, it's your site,

it's what you can uniquely do.

997

:

If you're on a river in a party

town then absolutely run with it.

998

:

That won't work for you probably

on some small lake in Minnesota.

999

:

So you know definitely finding

what is that going to be that

:

00:50:33,387 --> 00:50:34,867

ancillary that really sets you apart.

:

00:50:34,897 --> 00:50:36,477

Our best clients seem to always have that.

:

00:50:37,417 --> 00:50:38,707

Brian Searl: Wait, are you

saying people on a lake in

:

00:50:38,707 --> 00:50:39,877

Minnesota don't like to have fun?

:

00:50:39,967 --> 00:50:40,947

Is that what you're saying?

:

00:50:40,947 --> 00:50:43,217

Tyler Otto: I'm saying there's

probably is not as many transients.

:

00:50:45,267 --> 00:50:46,187

Brian Searl: You gotta bring them there.

:

00:50:46,187 --> 00:50:47,817

You gotta build the

resort and they will come.

:

00:50:48,437 --> 00:50:50,757

Tyler Otto: Yeah you know if you're

on a river people will just boat up

:

00:50:50,757 --> 00:50:53,487

for an hour to come drink and float

down, you know you're confined to

:

00:50:53,487 --> 00:50:55,187

that that little lake in Minnesota.

:

00:50:57,097 --> 00:50:57,397

Brian Searl: Fair.

:

00:50:57,707 --> 00:50:57,937

True.

:

00:51:01,177 --> 00:51:03,797

Uh let's spend the last 10 minutes,

let's ask each other some questions

:

00:51:03,797 --> 00:51:05,837

here and see what uh anybody else

wants to think of each other.

:

00:51:06,027 --> 00:51:09,039

Tyler what we normally do is we'll go

around uh we'll just ask like do you have

:

00:51:09,039 --> 00:51:13,897

a question for Wendy or Sandy or Mike or I

don't know I feel like you could ask it to

:

00:51:13,897 --> 00:51:17,387

Corben if you really want to but maybe you

guys talk to each other more regularly.

:

00:51:18,127 --> 00:51:19,647

Do you have a question that

you'd like answered from

:

00:51:19,647 --> 00:51:20,757

either of those three people?

:

00:51:21,777 --> 00:51:24,007

Tyler Otto: I mean I would love

to ask Wendy just because you and

:

00:51:24,007 --> 00:51:24,987

I have the similar background.

:

00:51:24,997 --> 00:51:27,977

We started in hospitality and

then how it translates here.

:

00:51:28,257 --> 00:51:31,967

And I'm curious like before you

got into this, I assume you did not

:

00:51:31,967 --> 00:51:35,427

realize how many crossovers there

are from luxury hotels all of a

:

00:51:35,427 --> 00:51:36,847

sudden into campgrounds and RVs.

:

00:51:37,087 --> 00:51:39,527

What do you feel like the average

owner doesn't realize they could

:

00:51:39,527 --> 00:51:44,797

steal knowledge, resource, best

practice wise from traditional hotel

:

00:51:44,797 --> 00:51:48,897

hospitality that really translates

into glamping and RV resorts?

:

00:51:49,617 --> 00:51:50,647

Wendy Heineke: Um hiring.

:

00:51:51,067 --> 00:51:51,787

Believe it or not.

:

00:51:51,917 --> 00:51:53,617

Hiring hospitality instinct.

:

00:51:54,177 --> 00:52:00,527

Um a lot of people will hire for technical

and not hire for that hospitality.

:

00:52:00,907 --> 00:52:04,647

And you know this is a big issue

in this industry right now is oh my

:

00:52:04,647 --> 00:52:06,307

god I can't find the right people.

:

00:52:06,337 --> 00:52:08,637

I can't you know I can't

hire the right people.

:

00:52:08,637 --> 00:52:10,277

You know look in the right spot.

:

00:52:10,637 --> 00:52:13,797

You know I go back to Mike

because I love Mike but he hires

:

00:52:13,817 --> 00:52:15,367

people from the hotel industry.

:

00:52:15,367 --> 00:52:17,867

And his GMs are from the hotel industry.

:

00:52:18,137 --> 00:52:23,037

That's what people are missing is that

you got to hire for that hospitable

:

00:52:23,037 --> 00:52:24,687

because we have that personality.

:

00:52:24,687 --> 00:52:27,257

We love that hospitality feel.

:

00:52:27,657 --> 00:52:28,767

And we get it.

:

00:52:29,427 --> 00:52:34,117

But in you know the the moms

and pops out there are awesome.

:

00:52:34,117 --> 00:52:37,657

They're they that's what they want to

do but they've never been in it before.

:

00:52:38,037 --> 00:52:44,327

So they they don't understand how

to hire into that hospitality.

:

00:52:47,117 --> 00:52:47,467

Tyler Otto: I like it.

:

00:52:47,467 --> 00:52:48,017

That's what I got.

:

00:52:50,177 --> 00:52:51,137

Brian Searl: All right Wendy your turn.

:

00:52:51,187 --> 00:52:51,727

Got a question?

:

00:52:54,187 --> 00:52:54,737

Wendy Heineke: Sandy.

:

00:52:55,357 --> 00:52:58,847

So when you go into a

property, tell me what you do.

:

00:52:58,847 --> 00:53:02,177

Because I'm so I'd love

to hear what you do.

:

00:53:02,587 --> 00:53:03,897

Mike Harrison: Gosh,

let me get comfortable.

:

00:53:04,167 --> 00:53:09,607

Sandy Ellingson: My background

is technology so I see everything

:

00:53:14,937 --> 00:53:15,797

through the lens of technology.

:

00:53:15,797 --> 00:53:19,227

But my heart is an RVer.

:

00:53:19,227 --> 00:53:19,957

So I go in and look at

:

00:53:22,057 --> 00:53:22,397

it like I'm an RVer, but from a

business standpoint, I look at where

:

00:53:22,397 --> 00:53:25,107

are they losing in that they're not

embracing technology the right way.

:

00:53:25,707 --> 00:53:30,707

I spent a lot of time working

with nonprofits and the thing

:

00:53:30,707 --> 00:53:31,967

with the nonprofits was they

were oversold technology and then

:

00:53:32,077 --> 00:53:34,412

under trained on how to use it.

:

00:53:34,412 --> 00:53:38,317

And that is so often uh you know in the

in the campground industry, especially

:

00:53:38,317 --> 00:53:38,467

when you look at, it doesn't matter

if you're looking at a big one or

:

00:53:42,727 --> 00:53:46,097

a small one or a big group,

they flip property management

:

00:53:46,397 --> 00:53:47,807

softwares fast as I change clothes.

:

00:53:48,697 --> 00:53:51,987

Uh because no one is ever giving

them exactly what they want.

:

00:53:52,067 --> 00:53:56,107

And that is such a waste of

time and energy and every time

:

00:53:56,267 --> 00:53:57,197

they change, they lose data.

:

00:53:57,197 --> 00:53:59,062

So anyway, it's just, uh, I like to

go in and help them learn how to do it

:

00:53:59,062 --> 00:53:59,587

right and to step into the technology.

:

00:53:59,587 --> 00:53:59,597

Uh,

:

00:54:04,247 --> 00:54:04,487

and

:

00:54:07,427 --> 00:54:08,407

then also I, I'm a geek, I'm a total

data geek, and so I want to see what

:

00:54:08,407 --> 00:54:10,107

the data is telling them, not what they

:

00:54:13,717 --> 00:54:14,177

think, but what…

:

00:54:16,107 --> 00:54:16,617

I feel like

:

00:54:20,877 --> 00:54:22,357

the truth is that the data alway

:

00:54:22,357 --> 00:54:22,641

Wendy Heineke: Brilliant.

:

00:54:22,641 --> 00:54:23,493

I love it.

:

00:54:23,493 --> 00:54:24,737

Brian Searl: All right

Sandy you got a question?

:

00:54:26,287 --> 00:54:27,577

Sandy Ellingson: Uh yes.

:

00:54:27,667 --> 00:54:29,387

Okay Tyler, controversial.

:

00:54:30,207 --> 00:54:30,547

Tyler Otto: Hit me.

:

00:54:31,377 --> 00:54:33,377

Sandy Ellingson: I want to know of

all the different property management

:

00:54:33,377 --> 00:54:35,307

softwares that you work with, we're

looking with clients, which one

:

00:54:35,307 --> 00:54:36,027

is the easiest to get a monthly uh

:

00:54:45,757 --> 00:54:47,337

true ledger from?

:

00:54:47,337 --> 00:54:50,917

Tyler Otto: Oh man, this is such a

loaded question because I so first of

:

00:54:50,917 --> 00:54:54,577

all like six or seven of the players in

the space, I actually worked with them

:

00:54:54,577 --> 00:54:56,097

to build their QuickBooks integration.

:

00:54:56,097 --> 00:54:59,197

So like I know the back ends

and I know their issues.

:

00:54:59,697 --> 00:55:00,487

Um

:

00:55:01,547 --> 00:55:04,027

Brian Searl: Which makes the answer

even more interesting, doesn't it?

:

00:55:04,477 --> 00:55:06,817

Yeah have you already

casted for all six here?

:

00:55:06,947 --> 00:55:07,587

Just make sure.

:

00:55:07,587 --> 00:55:13,477

Sandy Ellingson: First company

that Intuit allowed to write

:

00:55:13,477 --> 00:55:14,953

an SDK into their software.

:

00:55:14,953 --> 00:55:18,377

So I go way back to when they bought it

:

00:55:18,377 --> 00:55:19,247

Tyler Otto: Okay, okay.

:

00:55:19,327 --> 00:55:23,717

I mean the cleanest journal entries

and the reason I want to give them

:

00:55:23,717 --> 00:55:28,467

the award is because not only are the

journal entries clean, they reconcile and

:

00:55:28,467 --> 00:55:32,667

everything's perfect, but they have a good

night audit function that locks out prior

:

00:55:32,667 --> 00:55:36,617

periods so your employees can't go change

historical numbers that don't sync over.

:

00:55:37,497 --> 00:55:39,897

I'm going to give the

award to ThinkReservations.

:

00:55:40,367 --> 00:55:42,287

There's a lot of other

good ones out there.

:

00:55:43,557 --> 00:55:47,547

And you know their back end side is

not nearly wow that's going to sound

:

00:55:47,557 --> 00:55:51,397

bad but their back end user is not as

sexy looking as some other softwares.

:

00:55:52,337 --> 00:55:55,797

But the accounting always reconciles,

always checks out and you never have a

:

00:55:55,797 --> 00:56:00,077

guest ledger advanced deposit, city ledger

that all of a sudden doesn't tie out.

:

00:56:00,097 --> 00:56:03,647

We've never had an issue on a

single one of their you know the 20

:

00:56:03,647 --> 00:56:05,317

accounts we work with that use Think.

:

00:56:05,317 --> 00:56:06,877

So I'm going to give them the award.

:

00:56:06,877 --> 00:56:10,477

A lot of other people do good stuff as

well, but they all have at least one or

:

00:56:10,477 --> 00:56:12,297

two minor bugs that I could point out.

:

00:56:13,087 --> 00:56:14,757

Brian Searl: I don't know if

I've heard of ThinkReservations.

:

00:56:14,757 --> 00:56:14,847

Have you?

:

00:56:14,977 --> 00:56:15,657

Wendy Heineke: I haven't.

:

00:56:16,777 --> 00:56:17,187

No.

:

00:56:17,557 --> 00:56:18,087

Brian Searl: Are they in campgrounds?

:

00:56:18,087 --> 00:56:20,837

Tyler Otto: They're they're still

relatively new and they do a lot

:

00:56:20,837 --> 00:56:26,217

more in the smaller end boutique

hotels, but we've seen several glamp

:

00:56:26,247 --> 00:56:29,137

grounds starting to use them, you know

but it's our glamping clients that

:

00:56:29,137 --> 00:56:31,857

are doing three, $400 a night ADR.

:

00:56:31,857 --> 00:56:34,707

Other than that like

ResNexus always ties out.

:

00:56:34,727 --> 00:56:37,537

They just don't understand how to

do house Airbnb accounts and you

:

00:56:37,537 --> 00:56:39,977

have to do a little workaround to

close them out, otherwise you have

:

00:56:39,977 --> 00:56:42,597

this perpetually growing weirdness.

:

00:56:42,987 --> 00:56:45,607

Um you know I mean

everyone's got their quirks.

:

00:56:46,977 --> 00:56:50,107

Sandy Ellingson: And I do think one of

the things you said is that they have

:

00:56:50,687 --> 00:56:51,687

a night audit function closing things

out so you can't go back and edit it.

:

00:56:51,687 --> 00:56:51,867

Because nine times out of ten

when I have to go to war with one

:

00:56:58,157 --> 00:57:01,627

of my friends out to property management

software for a campground, it's

:

00:57:01,637 --> 00:57:06,470

the fact that it's not locked down

and as soon as you figure out what

:

00:57:06,470 --> 00:57:08,381

caused the change, it's all a switch.

:

00:57:08,381 --> 00:57:08,654

Tyler Otto: Yep.

:

00:57:08,654 --> 00:57:11,337

And there's other softwares where

they have a night audit function,

:

00:57:11,337 --> 00:57:15,157

but it doesn't permanently lock

anything out like in ROAD or you know

:

00:57:15,167 --> 00:57:17,157

ResNexus you used to have that issue.

:

00:57:17,587 --> 00:57:20,297

Um you know Campspot it

still has that issue.

:

00:57:20,597 --> 00:57:24,157

So that's where I just if

everything always ties out for me,

:

00:57:24,167 --> 00:57:25,667

ThinkReservations gets the award.

:

00:57:28,097 --> 00:57:28,587

Brian Searl: All right.

:

00:57:28,807 --> 00:57:29,747

Mike, you have any questions?

:

00:57:29,757 --> 00:57:32,017

Mike Harrison: I don't.

:

00:57:33,327 --> 00:57:33,357

Brian Searl: Okay.

:

00:57:33,857 --> 00:57:34,237

You don't?

:

00:57:34,737 --> 00:57:37,087

Mike Harrison: Nope, mainly because

I have to hop off in like 30 seconds.

:

00:57:38,207 --> 00:57:40,477

Brian Searl: Well you could have just

asked a question and left us all hanging.

:

00:57:40,487 --> 00:57:41,767

Like ask a really hard question.

:

00:57:43,437 --> 00:57:44,407

But okay, all right.

:

00:57:48,187 --> 00:57:50,867

I think that's a pretty good discussion.

:

00:57:51,337 --> 00:57:54,397

Like I think we talked uh I think we

had a pretty good conversation about the

:

00:57:54,397 --> 00:57:59,207

differences and nuances and how to adapt

and be adaptable and uh or flexible or

:

00:57:59,207 --> 00:58:00,557

whatever you know we want to call it.

:

00:58:01,117 --> 00:58:04,067

Uh but just look at your I think it goes

back to the same thing that we've that

:

00:58:04,067 --> 00:58:07,557

we talked about on the show many times

before with many different guests is

:

00:58:07,587 --> 00:58:08,997

you need to understand your property.

:

00:58:08,997 --> 00:58:11,667

You need to do you know in the

beginning or even if you've never

:

00:58:11,667 --> 00:58:14,967

done it before, feasibility studies,

understand your market, understand

:

00:58:14,967 --> 00:58:15,967

your niche, understand your audience.

:

00:58:15,967 --> 00:58:16,607

Who's coming to you?

:

00:58:16,607 --> 00:58:17,497

Who are you nearby?

:

00:58:18,017 --> 00:58:19,057

Uh why are they coming?

:

00:58:19,057 --> 00:58:19,977

How long are they staying?

:

00:58:19,977 --> 00:58:22,127

And then and then regularly

like does that change?

:

00:58:22,517 --> 00:58:25,737

Because I think for some

people that's changed in:

:

00:58:26,837 --> 00:58:29,107

I think the economy has made it change.

:

00:58:29,117 --> 00:58:32,567

Now whether that reverses back

in:

:

00:58:33,117 --> 00:58:36,607

Whether the temporary lowering of

gas prices, which are about to go

:

00:58:36,607 --> 00:58:41,157

up in a couple days again, uh um

is is a is a thing that's driving

:

00:58:41,157 --> 00:58:42,667

behavior, we don't know yet.

:

00:58:42,687 --> 00:58:45,757

Scott Bahr seems to think lower gas prices

help our industry up to a certain point

:

00:58:46,567 --> 00:58:47,987

and the data is there that shows that too.

:

00:58:48,457 --> 00:58:51,977

But I think the point is just understand

your audience as deeply as you can,

:

00:58:52,307 --> 00:58:55,997

look at your numbers as deeply as

you can, hire a Swiss Army knife

:

00:58:55,997 --> 00:58:57,977

if you need to, if he's available.

:

00:58:58,467 --> 00:59:01,667

Uh you know have a good

accountant, have good teams, right?

:

00:59:01,667 --> 00:59:03,767

Whether it's internal,

external, whatever else.

:

00:59:04,137 --> 00:59:05,977

Obviously talk to Corben

too, he's been quiet.

:

00:59:06,437 --> 00:59:11,087

Uh and and just overall just be

ready to pivot, move, and adapt

:

00:59:11,117 --> 00:59:15,117

because this industry and the world

kind of is seemingly changing a

:

00:59:15,117 --> 00:59:19,127

little bit faster than it ever has

in the history of let's call it

:

00:59:19,127 --> 00:59:20,837

camping or really the world before.

:

00:59:21,607 --> 00:59:24,267

Uh and so if you're prepared for that

by understanding who you have and where

:

00:59:24,267 --> 00:59:27,327

you can go and how you can move, then I

think you're all the better off for it.

:

00:59:28,177 --> 00:59:30,997

So final thoughts Tyler, where can

they find out uh final thoughts about

:

00:59:30,997 --> 00:59:33,157

the show and then where can they find

out more about your accounting firm?

:

00:59:34,147 --> 00:59:34,967

Tyler Otto: Uh sure.

:

00:59:34,977 --> 00:59:36,377

Final thoughts about the show.

:

00:59:36,747 --> 00:59:40,047

Um know what you want to do for the next

five years, whether you're going to sell,

:

00:59:40,047 --> 00:59:43,437

whether you're going to own, whether you

want to mitigate taxes or you plan to

:

00:59:43,437 --> 00:59:48,317

grow, because making a single financial

accounting tax decision just with this

:

00:59:48,317 --> 00:59:50,167

year in mind is a really bad idea.

:

00:59:50,607 --> 00:59:52,417

So know what you want to

do, have that laid out.

:

00:59:52,417 --> 00:59:56,227

If you guys want to connect with us more,

want to talk to uh me or you know the

:

00:59:56,227 --> 01:00:02,137

handsome man down below, Corben, uh just

reach out to [email protected].

:

01:00:02,137 --> 01:00:03,317

We're Specialized Accounting.

:

01:00:03,597 --> 01:00:06,887

You can find us online and yeah,

we love nerding out on hotels

:

01:00:06,887 --> 01:00:08,487

and campgrounds, so hit us up.

:

01:00:09,857 --> 01:00:10,767

Brian Searl: Thanks for being here Tyler.

:

01:00:10,767 --> 01:00:11,677

Corben, same to you.

:

01:00:11,997 --> 01:00:12,147

Final thoughts?

:

01:00:12,157 --> 01:00:12,427

Corben Tannahill: Likewise.

:

01:00:12,567 --> 01:00:13,667

Yeah, excited to meet you guys.

:

01:00:15,857 --> 01:00:16,507

Brian Searl: Thanks for being here.

:

01:00:16,507 --> 01:00:17,257

I appreciate you Corben.

:

01:00:17,267 --> 01:00:18,647

Sorry we didn't get to

talk to you too much.

:

01:00:18,647 --> 01:00:20,577

It's I'm not used to having

two people from the same place.

:

01:00:21,977 --> 01:00:23,917

Wendy, final thoughts and where

can they find out more about

:

01:00:23,917 --> 01:00:25,217

Hospitality America, Across America?

:

01:00:25,937 --> 01:00:26,647

Wendy Heineke: This is great.

:

01:00:26,657 --> 01:00:27,117

Thank you.

:

01:00:27,117 --> 01:00:29,717

I think it's um I love the the banter.

:

01:00:29,717 --> 01:00:32,417

This is my first time on here and

I love the banter back and forth.

:

01:00:32,417 --> 01:00:34,927

Um you know Mike always

makes it usually fun.

:

01:00:36,087 --> 01:00:40,167

But uh you can find me at

hospitalityacrossamerica.com

:

01:00:40,177 --> 01:00:43,467

or um [email protected].

:

01:00:43,657 --> 01:00:44,857

We're also on LinkedIn.

:

01:00:44,857 --> 01:00:46,067

So I do a lot on LinkedIn.

:

01:00:46,607 --> 01:00:49,007

Uh do a lot of blogs and

post every other week.

:

01:00:49,007 --> 01:00:51,847

So uh usually where I'm most active.

:

01:00:52,957 --> 01:00:53,287

Brian Searl: Awesome.

:

01:00:53,297 --> 01:00:54,207

Well thank you all for being here.

:

01:00:54,207 --> 01:00:54,637

I appreciate it.

:

01:00:54,667 --> 01:00:56,772

We don't have another Outwired show

today, so you guys won't be able

:

01:00:56,772 --> 01:00:58,317

to see more of me and Scott Bahr.

:

01:00:58,317 --> 01:00:58,867

We're taking the week off.

:

01:00:59,367 --> 01:01:02,357

Uh but we'll see you next week on

another episode of MC Fireside Chats.

:

01:01:02,357 --> 01:01:03,227

Thanks for being here guys.

:

01:01:04,057 --> 01:01:04,287

See ya.

:

01:01:04,287 --> 01:01:04,477

Wendy Heineke: Thank you.

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