Outdoor Hospitality & Glamping in 2026

Five years ago, "RV park" and "glamping resort" were two different industries with two different customers. In 2026, they're converging into a single outdoor hospitality category—and the operators capturing the most value are the ones layering multiple lodging products on a single piece of land.

What "Outdoor Hospitality" Actually Means Now

The modern outdoor hospitality property typically includes some mix of: full-hookup RV sites, premium pull-throughs with patios, park-model cabins, safari tents, A-frame and dome glamping units, and increasingly, a small number of higher-end boutique cabins or tiny homes. The amenity package looks more like a resort than a campground: pools, pickleball, dog parks, communal fire pits, fitness facilities, on-site food and beverage, and event lawns.

The customer follows the product. An RV-only park largely serves traveling RV owners. An outdoor hospitality resort serves RV owners, weekend glampers, multi-gen families, corporate retreats, weddings, and even occasional remote workers. That diversification of demand is the real underwriting story.

The ADR Stack

• Standard 30-amp back-in RV site: $45-$75 nightly in most markets
• Premium 50-amp big-rig pull-through: $75-$140
• Park-model cabin (1-2 bedroom): $140-$275
• Safari tent / glamping unit: $200-$450
• Premium dome or A-frame with hot tub: $350-$650
• Boutique cabin (2-3 BR): $400-$900+ depending on market

On a per-acre basis, the higher-end lodging stack often produces 3-5x the revenue of a standard RV site. The capital cost is materially higher and the operating intensity is meaningfully different, but for the right property and the right market, the math works.

Who's Coming?

The glamping/cabin guest is meaningfully different from the traditional RV guest. They skew younger (millennial and Gen Z heavy), more urban, more affluent, and they're booking outdoor stays the way a previous generation booked boutique hotels. They expect fast WiFi, design-forward interiors, locally-sourced food and beverage, and Instagram-worthy moments. They also book through OTAs (Airbnb, Vrbo, Hipcamp, Glampinghub) much more than the traditional RV traveler, who books direct or through campground-specific platforms.

What the Best Operators Are Doing

• Adding lodging in phases—starting with 4-8 premium cabins or units on existing acreage to test demand before committing to a full master plan expansion.
• Differentiating by design—the "commodity cabin" rate is compressing; the "memorable, photographable, story-worthy" cabin is not.
• Building food & beverage thoughtfully—a great coffee shop, a simple grill-and-bar concept, or a weekly food-truck rotation creates an enormous lift in guest experience and review scores.
• Investing in event infrastructure—weddings, corporate offsites, and group retreats are the highest-RevPAR weekends an outdoor resort can produce.
• Layering revenue streams—e-bike rentals, kayak rentals, guided experiences, and pet services all add high-margin ancillary revenue.

Implications for Investors

The acquisition target profile is expanding. Traditional RV parks with excess developable acreage in scenic markets are increasingly being underwritten with a phased glamping/cabin expansion in the value-add case. We expect this convergence trend to continue through the rest of the decade, with the line between "campground," "glamping resort," and "rural boutique hotel" continuing to blur.