I just got back from a three-day trip to Promised Land.
The plan was simple: check on our properties, review the winter setup, and get back home. What I didn’t plan for was the first snowstorm of the season.
Eight inches of fresh powder dropped on Tuesday. Promised Land turned into a winter postcard. Normally that would tap into the kid in me, but because I was there for work, all I felt was stress.
Winter is unforgiving in outdoor hospitality.
Pipes freeze.
Power goes out.
Guests get cold.
Reviews get harsh.
There’s real risk in every flake that hits the ground.
This year is also our first time trying limited winter operations at Ferncrest Promised Land. We kept six dome tents open along with the new bathhouse, game room, and camp store. Honestly, my head was full of logistical “what ifs.”
But on the day of the storm, two of those six tents were booked — which already surprised me for a random Tuesday in December.
What surprised me more was what I walked into that afternoon.
Everyone was outside playing in the snow.
Kids. Parents. A young couple.
Every single person I expected to be hunkered down inside the domes was instead out there having the time of their lives.
One family with preschool-age kids told me it was their first real snow day. They were beaming. The couple in the other tent was just soaking in the magic of it all.
And it was magic.
The sauna was buried in fluffy snow.
The pine trees we planted this fall turned into a Christmas card.
The entire property felt like something you would intentionally vacation to — not endure.
That moment flipped a switch for me.
If the guests were enjoying this storm, maybe winter wasn’t a liability…
Maybe it was an opportunity.
And the numbers backed that up.
November posted an astonishing 2025 high ADR of $248.50.
That was higher than peak summer.
It happened in a month that most campgrounds shut down completely.
December currently sits at a comfortable $200 ADR.
Lower than peak summer.
But higher than spring.
And still far stronger than what most operators expect from winter.
The reason is simple: with fewer units open, I’m not relying on aggressive dynamic pricing to fill 24 sites. Filling six tents is easy, even in winter. That keeps our prices intact, our margins high, and our team active.
And we’re full this weekend — which now means a legitimately strong, profitable weekend in December.
Yes, costs are higher. The plow bill for this storm was $250. But increased camp store spend plus stable ADR more than covers it.
The real value is strategic: we stay active in the market instead of shutting down for four or five months.
Therefore…
We stay top of mind.
We keep collecting reviews.
We roll into summer already moving instead of ramping back up.
In a business where momentum compounds, this matters.
This year Ferncrest grew revenue over 30 percent. I want to do it again next year. The only way you do that is by staying in the arena year round.
The snowstorm reminded me of something simple that I forgot in the stress of operations:
People don’t come to glampgrounds to avoid nature.
They come to immerse themselves in it.
And because of that, winter might turn out to be one of our strongest levers for growth.
Happy Glamping!
Brian Linton
