Luxury camping specialist AutoCamp is plotting further
expansion, recently unveiling that its third outpost will be near California's
Yosemite National Park. The company also has added four executives to its board
of advisers.
AutoCamp's new advisers include Chip Conley (Joie de Vivre Hospitality
founder and former Airbnb head of global hospitality and strategy) and Mike
DePatie (managing partner of hotel real estate private equity firm KHP Capital
Partners and former Kimpton president and CEO).
Former Deckers Outdoor Corp.
CEO and chairman Angel Martinez and hotelier Eric Prevette also have been named advisers. Prevette co-founded Karas Lifestyle Hotels in 2015 and has been in the business of luxury hotel investment and management for more than three decades.
Launched in 2013, AutoCamp customizes Airstream trailers and
turns them into upscale accommodations that are outfitted with high-end
finishes, memory foam mattresses and spa-inspired bathrooms. An AutoCamp site
also typically has luxury tent accommodations as well as a clubhouse with
reception desk, grab-and-go food and beverage options, and lounge space.
The company's Yosemite camp is slated to open just outside
Mariposa, California, in early 2019 with 80 Airstream trailers, 15 luxury
tents, a 4,000-square-foot clubhouse, a heated pool and a freshwater pond.
AutoCamp currently has California locations in Santa Barbara
and the Russian River Valley. The
Yosemite location will give AutoCamp a total of roughly 150 accommodations
across all three sites.
Pricing at the Yosemite site will range from $265 to $450
per night for an Airstream suite and $240 to $325 per night for a luxury tent.
The company pays travel agents 10% commission.
AutoCamp chief marketing officer Ryan Miller said additional
locations are in the works, including plans for its first East Coast site.
"We're partnered with Airstream for the continued
development of our brand, and we're currently planning for a national
expansion," said Miller, adding that AutoCamp has hundreds of custom
Airstream trailers on order. "We are primarily focusing on iconic outdoor
and vacation destinations, and that could certainly include additional
expansion into areas like national parks."