A wildly popular RV-rental company is pivoting to luxury 'glamping' — see inside its new $350-a-night tents in the Texas Hill Country

In 2023, the campground giant Kampgrounds of America, or KOA, called the industry an "aggressive growth segment," with four in 10 campers expressing interest in glamping that year.

Niche luxury operators such as Getaway House and AutoCamp have capitalized on this boom by quickly expanding across the US.

Traditional hospitality giants have done the same: In 2022, Four Seasons opened its first adults-only luxury-camping resort.

But its CEO believes this is a reasonable evolution.

People go to Outdoorsy to rent RVs. And those RVs need a destination and a place to park at night — preferably not a Walmart parking lot.

So, why not create that for its guests?

In late 2022 and early 2023, Outdoorsy acquired and modernized two existing RV parks — one near Yosemite National Park in California and another in Bayfield — with amenities such as glamping accommodations, taking a page from Camp Margaritaville's RV-park playbook.

Both sites, now outfitted with a mix of RV hookups, cabins, and luxury tents, began welcoming guests in May 2023. So far, the investment is paying off: This year, Cavins said he expects both sites to be completely booked from spring through fall.

The new addition marks Outdoorsy's first foray into the ultra-luxe glamping market.

Its CEO said the company built the 32-acre Hill Country retreat "from scratch" and outfitted it with 22 high-end, all-season canvas tents.

Ironically, RVs — or any non-golf-cart vehicles — aren't welcomed: "You don't want to headlights shining in your glamping tent," Cavins said.

To compare, the cheapest accommodations at Outdoorsy's first Yosemite and Bayfield locations, not including the bring-your-own-RV options, start at $42 and $110 a night, respectively. The $42 is for a traditional on-the-ground tent.

No more sleeping on dirt floors: The climate-controlled tents have enough beds to sleep two or four people.

Instead of "going outside," guests can use the en-suite bathrooms. And instead of slow-cooking hot dogs over a measly fire, they can prepare meals at the kitchenette and grill or eat at the luxury campground's café and bar.

After all, what tech bro wouldn't salivate at the idea of a high-end vacation, sunrise yoga, and afternoon winery hopping?

"This is very much your Tesla kind of crowd," Cavins told BI.

But armed with Hill Country as its prototype, Cavins said Outdoorsy's ready to move full-steam ahead with its luxury-camping business.

Outdoorsy plans to launch three more sites in 2025 in destinations such as Zion National Park in Utah and Yellowstone National Park in the Western US. The goal is to have 15 to 20 properties in its portfolio in the next three years.

AutoCamp, founded in 2013, uses Airstream trailers and tiny homes as its "hotel rooms."

The popular brand has seven locations around the US, including one in Yosemite National Park in California and another opening in Hill Country next year. (Sound familiar?)

Summer rates for AutoCamp Yosemite are about $270 a night — about $20 more expensive than Outdoorsy's property an hour away.

He told BI that Outdoorsy plans to spend over $700 million building more than 50 locations over five years. "Income-producing real estate in highly strategic locations is considered a safe haven for investors."

The work that comes with opening one of these properties "isn't easy," Cavins said. Outdoorsy had to build all of the infrastructure at Hill Country, including roads, septic tanks, and water tanks.

But once these properties are up and running, "guests just keep returning … at a very high price point."