Published on November 1, 2024
AutoCamp’s new Chief Marketing Officer, Bryan Terzi, shared the current views of AutoCamp’s roadmap for the near future. In a video interview with CoStar, a “comprehensive platform for commercial real estate information, analytics and news,” Terzi addressed some hot topics that shed much light on future of AutoCamp. Terzi took the position of Chief Marketing Officer just one month before this interview.
Future of AutoCamp: Expansion of Properties
The topic we were chomping at the bit for was – when will there be more AutoCamp locations, and where will they be?
Bryan Terzi, Chief Marketing Officer at AutoCamp, said:
“We have a bunch in the pipeline right now that we’re considering. We have four locations in California right now, and we’re continuing to look along the coast.” Terzi said. “We’re also considering Mexico as a destination that we’d like to possibly pursue in the near future. In addition to that, there’s opportunities that come across all the time due to the concept of the brand that we’re able to put forward. So it’s really just picking that sweet spot of right location within a two-hour drive from a major city center, whether it’s close to a national park or just an iconic outdoor destination.”
This very much fits into what AutoCamp has always said about locations – a half day’s drive from major cities, just like Postcard Cabins. We recently shared articles about two properties AutoCamp is buying and going through the permitting process for. These properties would become AutoCamp Napa and AutoCamp Saugatuck. Mexico comes as a great surprise. Our bias: we’d be disappointed. There are so many absolutely wonderful locations in the US that we personally want to travel to …and stay at AutoCamp!
Future of AutoCamp: Formula for Development Process – Community Buy In
It’s interesting that the first item that Terzi addressed was local pushback to properties AutoCamp attempts to purchase and develop. We have covered how local citizens near both Grand Canyon and Sedona created so much pushback that AutoCamp gave up attempts to purchase or develop those properties. Likewise, AutoCamp is now facing significant community feedback in their attempt to develop a property in Napa, CA.
Terzi understands that community buy-in is critical to having an AutoCamp location to begin with. He addressed this issue:
People in these secondary, tertiary markets are really, really precious with what’s going to go on in their backyard, and we really want to make sure that the brand and the hospitality product we’re bringing into these places is thoughtfully, locally sourced and sustainable.”
It’s clear Terzi, new to the job, realizes that he’s not just marketing to potential customers, but also to the local residents near the AutoCamp properties.
Terzi very tellingly brings up a super sensitive topic: waste and waste management. Clearly, these were not just hot topics but very painful problems for AutoCamp at AutoCamp Cape Cod. Additionally, residents near AutoCamp Asheville had deep concerns, as well, about septic treatment near the French Broad River.
Keep in mind this interview was from August 29, 2024, One month later – September 28 – AutoCamp Asheville suffered exactly what Terzi described on August 29.
With the outdoor hospitality concept…something we could never really plan for is just simply weather. Having a hurricane roll through and wipe out our entire campsite or construction site takes a lot more to recover from something like that than it would a traditional tower or hotel product.
I’m not sure what his point is in talking about hurricane destruction with regards to community buy-in, but it is beyond striking that he did talk about it one month before it did happen.
We have received numerous private messages and comments from the residents of Asheville who have been vehemently opposed to the AutoCamp Asheville location. Perhaps Terzi’s point was just what these people were making – the French Broad River was too delicate of a location for a glamping location. Terzi seemed to be making a point that AutoCamp was sensitive to these concerns. How incredibly unfortunate that this exact tragedy played out exactly as he described it.
Future of AutoCamp: Demographics of AutoCamp Guests
To date, group business meetings and corporate retreats are a big part of the current AutoCamp clientele. We have certainly witnessed that at every AutoCamp stay we have made. AutoCamp has dedicated event space at each location, which is mostly used for business meetings, weddings, and similar events.
Terzi says, “Baby Boomers are a generational mix that we really want to get through the door.” They are going to actively market to Baby Boomers with specific marketing campaigns. The focus will be that AutoCamp is safe, accessible, and at an approachable price point.
As we have experienced, we’ve met plenty of Baby Boomers at every AutoCamp location. As Boomers ourselves, we can attest that AutoCamp is incredibly attractive to us because we love nature, but we insist upon luxury! It’s a perfect mix. It’s not just about the awesome lodgings, but the clubhouse and all the entertainment, services, and opportunities that AutoCamp offers at every location.
CoStar reports that at the Hotel Data Conference, Rachel Humphrey — founder of the Women in Hospitality Leadership Alliance — said there are 77 million baby boomers, and they make up 50% of U.S. travelers and 70% of the country’s disposable income.
Scott van Hartesvelt, founder of GCommerce addressed the other big demographic Terzi is also talking about, Gen Z. Hartesvelt says, GenZ likes to “dig into short-term content to find long-term content. It is difficult to get their attention, and if you want to, you must have deep editorial.”
AutoCamp has found that “Gen Z” has found AutoCamp in an “organic way.” They are looking to “put down the screens and get back into nature.” We think Terzi is off base here.
While Baby Boomers like Facebook, and 80% of their search is on Google, Gen Z follows social media influencers and considers word of mouth essential for their travel decisions. AutoCamp is very popular on both Instagram and TikTok. Many of the postings are staged for ideal location and lighting. It’s not much about “putting down screens” on social media. Gen Z is very focused on content creation for their social media profiles.
Future of AutoCamp: Making Prices Attractive
What a nice way to say it’s too expensive for many! Terzi was asked, “How is AutoCamp applying its marketing strategy to attract travelers looking for inexpensive trips.”
Terzi discussed the Fall 2024 marketing campaign, Stay Affordably, Adventure Accordingly. He says they understand that taking a vacation shouldn’t “break the bank,” so they wanted to lower prices across “a lot” of their destinations so that “end of summer travel is approachable and it doesn’t need to take a full year of savings to plan for that trip.” This campaign expires December 31. We’re sure there will be new campaigns, periodically. We do think AutoCamp is feeling the pressure to make sure their prices are competitive as the glamping market continues to grow.
Future of AutoCamp: Training Staff
Terzi points out that the employees reside where they work, and therefore, they are enthusiastic to share local knowledge with guests. We have experienced this at almost every location we have visited. We’ve compared notes on hiking trails, got recommendations for great breweries, chatted about hiking gear, and swapped restaurant recommendations.
Future of AutoCamp: Hilton Partnership
We have been covering the AutoCamp/Hilton partnership from the beginning. At this point, you can find some of the AutoCamp properties available for booking on the Hilton site and apps, but it’s not possible to use points on AutoCamp stays. Still, Terzi said AutoCamp’s partnership with Hilton has yielded more awareness and bookings for AutoCamp.
“Aligning with a partner like Hilton strategically was a really good decision, especially moving into 2025 we’re really excited about the exposure that it’s bringing the brand, and then also something that it’s really offering the Hilton Honors guest is really differentiated within their existing portfolio,” he said.
Conclusion: The Future of AutoCamp
We are liking what we’re hearing from Bryan Terzi. We’re watching the promotions very carefully to see what comes next. We’re deeply upset about the AutoCamp Asheville property, and we do question if it will impact AutoCamp’s decision to move forward with AutoCamp Napa, which also sits right on a creek that is flood prone. AutoCamp already has AutoCamp Zion on the Virgin River and AutoCamp Russian River very near the Russian River. We wonder if AutoCamp’s approach to purchasing properties will change, given the awful devastation of the French Broad River in Asheville.
As always, we’re keeping an eye on the news, and we’ll share what we learn as we learn it.
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