Autocamp Hospitality Group will launch its new Field Station hotel concept in early spring 2023.
Autocamp's glamping sites with Airstream-trailer-based hotel rooms became wildly popular during COVID-19.
Now its converting existing motels and lodges into Field Station hotels to expand its hospitality portfolio.
Autocamp — the hospitality company behind a popular chain of luxury campgrounds using Airstream trailers as hotel rooms — is growing out of its "silver bullet" shell and into the hotel business.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Autocamp Hospitality Group will soon launch Field Station, a collection of hotels targeting travelers who want to vacation outdoors.
Field Station
And its first location in Moab, Utah will be ready to go in early spring of 2023 starting at almost $160 per room.
Field Station
Shifting from Airstream trailer-based lodging to a traditional hotel concept may come as a surprise to fans of Autocamp. But this concept has been years in the making.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Over the last few years, the company has passed on opening Autocamp sites in certain markets due to timeline issues or "land restrictions," which has pushed it to consider more traditional lodging accommodations, Julie Saunders, the CMO of Autocamp and Field Station, told Insider.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But just because Field Station is more of a traditional hotel than a glamping site doesn't mean the brand is losing sight of its love for the outdoors.
Brittany Chang/Insider
Like the Autocamp locations, many of these Field Stations will be in areas with outdoor recreation opportunities, whether it be national parks, skiing destinations, or water sports hotspots.
Field Station
The lodges will also have outdoor equipment rentals, guides, and "educational programming" to keep its guests interested in the great outdoors …
Field Station
… along with cafes, pools, and beer gardens, which are already mainstays at Autocamp sites.
Autocamp Yosemite's pool and clubhouse.
Brittany Chang/Insider
"Autocamp is more 'adventure light,'" Saunders said. "With Field Station, we have a retail and rental component in our lobby so that we're getting people outside to recreate."
Brittany Chang/Insider
And the turnaround time on these Field Station hotels will be quick.
Field Station
To save both time and money, instead of building new properties from the ground up, Field Station is taking a page out of Margaritaville's real estate playbook by converting and renovating existing motels and lodges.
Before Autocamp stepped in, this upcoming Utah property was a Super 8 motel, Saunders told Insider. Now, it's a clean and "utilitarian industrial" Field Station hotel ready to welcome guests in just a few months.
Field Station
According to Saunders, it only takes the team about a year from the date of the property's purchase to renovate the existing lodge into a new Field Station, although this Utah site took about 18 months to fully convert due to COVID-19-related construction issues.
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To compare, a traditional Autocamp could take up to two years to build.
Brittany Chang/Insider
"Glamping" — a concept that saw insatiable popularity during COVID-19 — has always been Autocamp's bread and butter.
Brittany Chang/Insider
But these new Field Stations are saying goodbye to the Airstream trailer hotel rooms, outfitted luxury canvas tents, and tiny cabins …
Autocamp Yosemite's cabins.
Brittany Chang/Insider
… and instead saying hello to a variety of hotel room options.
Field Station
But it wouldn't be a true Autocamp Hospitality Group concept without some kitschy sleeping options: Some rooms will have suspended sleeping systems more often used by rock climbers for sleeping on the side of a cliff.
Field Station
In true Autocamp fashion, if a traveler plans on stopping at a Field Station during a RV road trip, they might not need to book a hotel room. The property will have a handful of hookups and slots for camper vans and RVs.
Wes and Michelle Schroeder-Gardner lives in an RV for years to cut costs and travel while working remotely.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner
This Moab Field Station, located right on the main street, is just next to the entrance to Arches National Park.
Colin D. Young/Shutterstock
And looking ahead to next year, the hospitality company plans to open two more Field Stations in California's Lake Tahoe and Joshua Tree. The latter is already the home of a successful Autocamp site.
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