AutoCamp’s Neil Dipaola – who’s upped the ante in luxury camping – talks about what it takes to succeed outside the traditional hotel industry. This is the final profile in a series focusing on leaders around the world who are challenging the status quo. Read them all, including Legend, Sir Michael Kadoorie of Peninsula Hotels, and Groundbreaker, Cyril Aouizerate of Mob Hotels, in HOTELS’ April issue.
“We’re the Ace Hotels of KOA,” declares AutoCamp’s Neil Dipaola, a 32-year-old California-based developer who’s proving that even the “glamping” world craves a good boutique experience.
He’s referring to Kampgrounds of America, aka KOA, the Montana-based camping chain where “K’s” replace “C’s” in words like “camping” and “cabin.” Though KOA’s kitsch may be amped up, their prices for an Airstream trailer rental (around $200 per night) are actually comparable to those of AutoCamp – a relatively new luxury camping experience.
Though prices may be comparable, that’s about all the crossover that exists between the two companies.
“We’ve solved some of their problems – like a brand that’s out of date, easy online booking, comfort,” says Dipaola. “We’re using all the modern hotel tools, like demand pricing and unique technology, and applying those to the camping model.”
Sustainability drives Dipaola’s personal philosophy and his business standards. In 2007, he founded Mesa Lane Partners, a California-based real estate development, management and hospitality group. It was out of a 2013 Mesa Lane experiment – the installation of five airstream trailers in front of a Santa Barbara mobile-home park – that AutoCamp was born.
At the time, the group was praised for pulling this off without evicting any existing tenants, many of whom were elderly and on fixed incomes.
“That’s the goal of our company: not be evil and try to improve the world,” says Dipaola.
Less is more
His evil-battling instincts partly come from a background in environmental studies (Dipaola’s college major) and partly from a family upbringing that emphasized respect.
“Conventionally when I think about real estate development, I think of the Mr. Burns character, like this indifferent old man at the top of the tower bulldozing strawberry fields,” Dipaola continues, laughing. “So I thought, what if I could be in that position but instead turn the paradigm upside down?”
AutoCamp has since launched a second, larger site in Russian River, an area north of San Francisco complete with 24 Airstream trailers, 10 luxury canvas tents, and a midcentury modern clubhouse from Dan Weber Architecture.
Additionally Dipaola says he’s planning three to five new locations over the next two years, mostly along the west coast. He’s also betting on Asia, which, with its hunger for American brands, he says he sees as a solid fit for the brand.
Though it doesn’t have the brick and mortar of a traditional hotel, AutoCamp’s model still is solidly rooted in old school hotelier values. (Data collection and high quality product offerings are both huge). But the company has gone out of its way to invest in new technologies, like software that allows AutoCamp to track occupancy at each site and then transport individual trailers to meet demand.
In terms of luxury, AutoCamp doesn’t skimp: Sites come decked out with pillow-top mattresses, bath products by New York-based Malin+Goetz, and spa-inspired bathrooms. At Russian River’s clubhouse, guests are encouraged to sit around a communal fire, roasting gourmet s’mores and tipping back local wine.
But “less is more,” Dipaola advises traditional hoteliers. Though AutoCamp provides high-end comforts, guests end up gravitating to less tangible offerings like hiking, which 94% rated as their top AutoCamp amenity.
“It’s a great idea whose time has come,” says Mike Depatie, former CEO of Kimpton Hotels. “Travelers these days are looking for unique and authentic experiences and AutoCamp provides exactly that. It’s clear that their understanding of their target market and attention to detail gives them an edge in the outdoor hospitality space.”
“Neil’s passion for AutoCamp and the greater outdoors are very clear,” Depatie says. “His focus and unrelenting drive make him a natural leader.”
Though current AutoCamp stays skew pricey, Dipaola, a proponent of affordable housing, says customers will also soon have cheaper “walk-in” options for the site’s tents and potentially for its RVs.
“We think there’s a need between what KOA offers and what we currently offer to provide all types of outdoor experiences,” Dipaola says. “We want to let people have their own adventure and if that’s the adventure they want, we want to make it the best it can be.”