Building an outdoor hospitality property is one thing. Operating it for two years and discovering what guests will actually pay for is another.
On the Radical Hospitality Show, Zeke Freeman returned to Lost Fork Base Camp in Colorado for a walkthrough with Skyler Moore. Instead of looking at the project through architectural plans and development assumptions, they examined it with something much more valuable: operating experience.
The result is a useful case study for developers, investors, architects, and hospitality operators interested in glamping resort development and experiential hospitality.
Some original ideas worked. Others did not.
Cabins outperformed RV sites. Traditional camping was removed. Hot tubs proved expensive, but became one of the property's biggest booking drivers. Community areas helped turn a place to sleep into a place where guests actually wanted to spend time.
And perhaps the biggest lesson was simple:
Let the market tell you what the property should become.
From Development Concept to Real Hospitality Operation
Lost Fork Base Camp entered its second summer of meaningful operations with strong demand during Colorado's warmer months. Skyler Moore said June through October can reach occupancy above 90%, with fall leaf-peeping contributing to demand.
But the property guests experience today is not exactly the property originally envisioned.
The initial mix included nine cabins, nine RV sites, and camping. Over time, the team learned that these products did not perform equally.
Camping, in particular, created a mismatch.
Guests choosing traditional camping were looking for a different experience than guests paying for comfortable cabins and elevated amenities. Fire restrictions created another operational issue because campers still wanted campfires, despite rules against them. The property ultimately moved away from traditional camping.
That decision illustrates an important principle in outdoor hospitality:
More accommodation types do not automatically create a better resort.
The right question is whether those accommodations serve a coherent guest and brand experience.
The Market Chose Comfort Over Traditional Camping
One of the clearest signals from Lost Fork was demand for nature without giving up comfort.
Guests wanted the outdoors, but they also wanted:
- Comfortable beds
- Hot tubs
- Saunas
- Privacy
- Reliable Wi-Fi
- Heat
- Easy check-in
- Access to showers
- Spaces to gather
That prompted the property to lean further into cabins and A-frame accommodations instead of conventional camping.
The A-frames provide a particularly interesting example. Existing RV utilities, including electrical, water, and sewer connections, could be incorporated into the new accommodation concept.
Instead of treating underperforming infrastructure as sunk cost, the team found a different hospitality product that could make use of it.
For developers, that is an important lesson:
When one product underperforms, the answer does not always have to be starting over. Existing infrastructure may be repositioned around a product guests value more.
The Best Hospitality Amenities Give Guests a Reason to Stay
One concern during Lost Fork's development was what guests would actually do once they arrived.
Would hiking and the surrounding Colorado landscape be enough?
In practice, the property discovered something interesting. Guests often simply wanted to stay there.
Investment in landscaping, river access and outdoor gathering areas created an environment where people could sit near the water, use a hammock or hot tub, gather around the fire, and spend time together without needing a packed itinerary.
This changes the role of resort amenities.
An amenity does not need to be complicated to be valuable. It needs to reinforce the reason people came.
At Lost Fork, several amenities emerged as particularly important.
Hot Tubs
Hot tubs are the property's largest expense according to Skyler Moore, but they are also one of the leading reasons guests book.
That is precisely the kind of tradeoff hospitality developers need to understand.
The cheapest amenity to operate is not necessarily the most profitable amenity to eliminate.
If an amenity contributes meaningfully to bookings or rate, its operating expense needs to be evaluated against the demand it creates.
Saunas
Community saunas strengthened the property's wellness and outdoor positioning, particularly during colder seasons. The design lets guests experience the creek and surrounding landscape while using the sauna.
The Community Fire Pit
Rather than allowing individual fires across the property, Lost Fork created a centralized propane fire pit.
It became what Skyler Moore described as a community magnet, with families and guests congregating around it in the evenings.
This is experiential hospitality at its most practical.
One thoughtfully designed gathering point can create social energy without programming an elaborate guest experience.
Community Grills
The same lesson emerged from the communal grill area. Rather than putting grills at every unit, the resort created a common grilling space.
That reduced some operational complexity while also giving guests another natural opportunity to interact.
In Remote Hospitality, Fast Wi-Fi Is Infrastructure
There is an assumption that guests traveling into nature want to disconnect completely.
Lost Fork's operating experience suggests that assumption can be costly.
The property uses Starlink with repeaters to provide coverage across the site and has increased capacity because guests expect reliable connectivity. Some guests work remotely during weekday stays, while others simply want to stream shows or sporting events.
The lesson is straightforward:
Guests can want nature and connectivity at the same time.
Outdoor hospitality developers should increasingly treat broadband in the same category as water, power, heating and other essential infrastructure.
Design for Durability, Not Just Opening-Day Photography
Hospitality design needs to survive guests, weather and repeated turnovers.
That is particularly true in the Rocky Mountains.
Lost Fork's cabins use practical material choices such as concrete floors and quartz countertops, while higher-quality windows and strong insulation help the buildings handle harsh mountain conditions. The property can experience winds in the 80 to 90 mph range, making the building envelope more than an aesthetic consideration.
There were also smaller lessons.
Digital thermostats initially seemed like a smart upgrade but proved frustrating when guests inadvertently programmed them. The property ultimately favored simpler analog controls.
For a hospitality developer, that is a valuable reminder:
Technology only improves the guest experience when it makes the experience simpler.
Guest Feedback Should Become Development Data
One of Lost Fork's strongest operating practices is listening to what guests actually say after using the property.
For example, privacy around hot tubs became a guest concern. Fully enclosing them would compromise the views, one of the reasons guests wanted the hot tubs in the first place.
The solution was not an all-or-nothing response. Skyler Moore discussed modifying part of the enclosure to create additional privacy while preserving views.
That is a useful model for hospitality operators.
Feedback should not simply be categorized as positive or negative. It should become information that influences design.
At the time of the conversation, Skyler Moore reported roughly 111 to 115 Google reviews with a 4.9 rating, plus around 240 reviews on another platform at approximately 4.89.
Automation Works Best When Hospitality Is Still Close By
Lost Fork also demonstrates an increasingly relevant operational model for boutique hospitality.
Guests do not necessarily want a traditional hotel front desk.
The property automates check-in and uses Guesty, while third-party management handles bookings, reservations and many routine guest inquiries. At the same time, on-site managers remain available when a guest needs immediate assistance.
That creates a useful combination:
Automate predictable interactions. Keep humans close for high-value interactions.
For a remote resort, that can provide convenience without making hospitality feel inaccessible.
Weddings Can Turn Lodging Into a Destination Business
Lost Fork's evolution is also moving beyond individual leisure stays.
The property created an outdoor wedding ceremony area adjacent to the river using logs milled on site. Skyler Moore estimated the setting could handle roughly 100 to 150 guests.
A full wedding weekend was discussed in the $25,000 to $30,000 range at the property's existing scale. With planned expansion, that could move closer to $50,000 while providing lodging for roughly 75 people.
That represents a fundamentally different revenue opportunity from selling cabins one night at a time.
Events can combine:
- Accommodation
- Venue revenue
- Multi-night stays
- Food and beverage opportunities
- Group experiences
- Property buyouts
Lost Fork has also hosted concerts and has explored retreat-style uses, including songwriter gatherings.
It is a good example of how an outdoor lodging development can gradually become a broader destination platform.
Expansion Should Follow Proven Demand
Perhaps the most important development lesson comes from Lost Fork's phased approach.
The property did not try to build every possible amenity and accommodation before understanding its guests.
Instead, operations informed the next phase.
Skyler Moore described plans to acquire an adjacent nine acres, bringing the site to just under 20 acres, while adding another 13 A-frames and a venue space supporting weddings, reunions and other events.
The property would ultimately have approximately a quarter-mile of river frontage as part of the expanded footprint.
This is phased hospitality development at its best:
- Build the core product.
- Open it.
- Observe guest behavior.
- Identify what drives bookings and experience.
- Remove or rethink weak concepts.
- Invest more heavily in proven demand.
As Skyler Moore put it during the walkthrough, operators need to let the market talk to them because they are unlikely to get everything right the first time.
The Bigger Lesson for Hospitality Developers
The story of Lost Fork Base Camp is not really about cabins, A-frames or hot tubs.
It is about iteration.
Hospitality developments often begin with spreadsheets, site plans, renderings and assumptions about how future guests will behave.
Then the doors open.
Real guests reveal what matters.
At Lost Fork, those signals pushed the property toward comfortable nature-based lodging, strong amenity experiences, communal gathering spaces, reliable connectivity, events and expansion.
The strongest hospitality projects are not necessarily the ones that begin with a perfect concept.
They are the ones whose owners keep paying attention after opening.
The market will tell you what it values. Great operators listen.
Listen to the Radical Hospitality Show
For more conversations about hospitality development, entrepreneurship, investment, design and operations, follow the Radical Hospitality Show, hosted by Zeke Freeman.