American travel habits have totally changed since the beginning of the COVID pandemic two years ago.
Containment efforts led to travel restrictions, crew shortages, and international borders shutting down. Domestic flights plummeted by 58% in April 2020, and many feared planning air travel as surges and variants led to increased social distancing.
As frustrated Americans sought an escape from their homes, RVs and campsites seemed like safer bets. They let people explore the great outdoors without having to go through flight uncertainties, contaminated hotels, and encounters with potentially infected people.
Sun Outdoors, the top RV campsite and outdoor hospitality company in the U.S., is standing out as the leader of this trend.
The company owns and operates more than 175 resorts and campgrounds across North America, providing a variety of experiences like camping, glamping, long and short-term stays.
During a chat with Fortune, the SVP of Operations, Nick DiBella said that the company’s first reaction to the virus was “how do we keep the team and guests safe?”
The team moved quickly, developing a Covid Response Plan in which each guest was given a safety kit equipped with masks and sanitizers along with a contactless check-in process. Effective technology for remote work was also ensured for the safety of the employees.
“Having a culture of preparedness is something we always pride ourselves on,” says DiBella.
What also set them apart from their competitors was their ability to provide quality amenities – the most important being their premium WiFi, which allowed their guests to stay connected in a time when remote schooling, work from home, and “bleisure” were becoming the new normal.
Sun Outdoors’ ability to pivot paid off and eventually led to over 140,000 new guests on their roster.
“It was clear that outdoor vacationing was becoming a safe haven for vacationers,” adds DiBella.
Though reservations had exponentially grown due to the pandemic, Nick believes that outdoor vacationing will continue to rise even after the virus settles down. “People love to be outdoors and the pandemic has helped people rediscover this. We definitely believe that our new customers are here to stay and that the RV industry will continue to boom once we reach herd immunity.”
To capitalize on the surge in outdoor travel, Sun Outdoors has created four sub-brand divisions that allow vacationers to choose an experience that suits their specific needs.
For example, Sun Outdoors and Sun Retreats offer travelers short-term and long-term stays respectively while Sun Uncharted is designed for travelers interested in glamping. Sun Resorts & Residences is specifically for people above 55 years.
Sun Outdoors’ ultimate goal is to continue cultivating memorable and unique experiences for all types of travelers which is why they invest in expansions every year. The most recent additions to their portfolio are properties in the Florida Keys area and 123 new sites at the Carolina Pines location in South Carolina.
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