🌟 EXPERIENTIAL HOSPITALITY EXPERTS🌟 Mike Harrison: Weaving Experiential Hospitality with RV Resort Innovation

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to Talk About TV, where we talk about all things experiential hospitality. Today's conversation is part of a series with the members of the Experiential Experts Alliance, and this alliance is made up of a group of individuals who had decades upon decades of experience in hospitality RVs, marinas, lenders, everything in the spectrum that covers experiential hospitality. I know that you are going to gain a lot of insight and information from these remarkable individuals and I welcome you to this entire series of the Experiential Experts Alliance. Well, I'm excited to be here today with Mike Harrison, and he is COO of CRR, and CRR is a lifestyle company. What does CRR actually stand for?

Speaker 2: 1:03

Does it matter? It doesn't matter. I mean, there is history behind it. It used to be contemporary resorts and residences when we just did manufactured home neighborhoods and resorts. But as we evolved our portfolio it didn't necessarily apply and was a mouthful. So we changed it to CRR, a lifestyle company, and the management company a CRR hospitality, which is a bit more resonant.

Speaker 1: 1:26

Yes, well, it is really lovely to be here with you today. I appreciate you taking the time to do this. Could you share just a little bit about the company, to start, and then I'd love to hear more about how you wound up in this industry.

Speaker 2: 1:44

Sure. So the company was formed about four or five years ago. The parent company has been around, you know, much longer than that 30 years or so but we are owners and managers of our own assets various hospitality, outdoor hospitality assets, upscale, our view resorts, manufactured home neighborhoods, rv storage, self storage, car wash and some various other properties and so we felt that there was an opportunity in the space to do it a little bit differently, which is why we formed our own management company to manage on behalf of ourselves that we could deliver experiential hospitality. Our entire management team is all from the hospitality industry, all lodging and restaurant backgrounds. We thought we could bring that same approach and style to the RV industry, the resort industry, manufactured home industry, car wash, storage, et cetera. So that's where a lifestyle company was formed is.

Speaker 2: 2:44

You know, we wanted to be a little bit different, you know, provide unique experiences at our properties that was outside the norm evolve the industry to the modern world. We felt there's an opportunity to leverage technology and do some of the things that the hotel industry has been doing for years, but bring it to the outdoor hospitality industry. And that's kind of how the company was formed and what we're about from a 30,000 foot view. Myself personally, I grew up in the food and beverage industry, started working at various restaurants when I was 15, worked my way through college you know, doing that and delivering pizzas and being a waiter and a bartender and, you know, fell into the hospitality industry. Before it was called the hospitality industry it was hotel, restaurant and travel administration.

Speaker 1: 3:32

Right.

Speaker 2: 3:35

And club management and.

Speaker 2: 3:37

Club management yes, Spent some time at Disney World, spent some time at a hospitality school in Switzerland and then got in with several of the large hotel management companies in the country, spent, you know, 30 years or so in the hospitality industry and then transitioned to the outdoor hospitality industry about three, almost three years ago at this point. So have a love for the outdoors, passion for nature and activity and adventure, and that really fit this same kind of lifestyle. So my personal passion married my work passion and it's really been quite an experience.

Speaker 1: 4:16

Oh, mike, it's perfect. It's everything that you love, you know. It did jump out at me when I was reading your bio that you went to school in Switzerland, so I'm curious how that came about. And so, first of all, how did that come about? How did you wind up going to Switzerland?

Speaker 2: 4:35

Well, I took a plane, so that was one way and I love chocolate, so that was the second way.

Speaker 2: 4:43

But, you know, 30 years ago, obviously you know the legend of Swiss hospitality.

Speaker 2: 4:49

So when I was in school I had an opportunity, you know, to look at different exchange programs and so I looked at the one in Switzerland and decided to, you know, take a shot on that.

Speaker 2: 5:00

So I spent, you know, nearly six months there and obviously traveled all around. You know Europe extensively, but what really gave me interesting perspective was it was a complete melting pot of European and Asian students, with some Americans sprinkled in, but it really gave good perspective just on, you know, not just hospitality but culture around the world and helped, you know, open my eyes to just a little bit of a different, you know, piece of what hospitality could be and you know how evolved the world was and a little bit you know how behind America was and some of the design and architectural features, you know, versus the rest of the you know design, some in Asian, some in Europe. But it was quite quite an experience. You know I've encouraged both my children to take advantage of it. My daughter is somewhere in Nathans or Corfu or somewhere around there right now and my son, you know, is trying to go to Greenland with a summer.

Speaker 1: 5:56

So remarkable yeah.

Speaker 2: 5:59

If any, any student can take advantage of that. You know why. Have no obligations and your dad's paying for health insurance and you know your mom's paying for auto insurance, and then they should. They should try and do that.

Speaker 1: 6:10

Yes, I wholeheartedly agree, and it's true. Even today we have so many innovative. I don't know if it's so much the technology, but it's like the way the Europeans. There's a creative element and innovation that is just uniquely. It stands out from what we do. So we are always looking for what, what's happening in Europe. Where did this product?

Speaker 1: 6:39

come from it's European, no surprise. So, yeah, I'm sure that informed the way that you have have developed this management company as well. So talk a little bit about what you are doing. That's unique in the management end of this. I know that this is brand new in a way. Formally it's brand new, but you've been managing your own properties all over the place and I stayed at one and personally had the opportunity to experience that, so I'll pitch in a little bit of my my thoughts on that but I'd love to hear from you first.

Speaker 2: 7:20

Sure, I think you know our approach is we wanted to provide elevated hospitality or you know we call it accessible luxury. Inaccessible means both locationally, but also that people can afford it, and we want to provide our customer with fulfillment. And fulfillment can mean many different things and all of our properties, whether you're at a resort and you're at a dream vacation, or you're at a hotel, you know a manufactured home neighborhood and you bought your first house or retirement house. You know whether you're at storage and you're putting your dream RV. You know we're taking care of your, your prized possession, and so I think we approach it with that same hospitality experience that you know a hotel would. And so what we're doing differently, I think you know we're, we like to be on the forefront of technology. You know some of the things that we're doing now the hotel industry has been doing for, you know, a couple of years.

Speaker 2: 8:07

The industry was obviously slow to adopt, you know, and I think, as you see more and more of you know, infusion of large capital money, whether it's from institutional or private equity, some of the larger corporations. It's going to continue. The industry is going to continue to push to evolve and you're seeing a lot of that with the multiple third party. And so you know we have companies or OTA's that are out there. But you know we just rolled out a new AI chat bot, you know, with our partners and insider perks. We like to think it's the first of its kind in the industry, leveraging the new AI. You know features and you know we're breaking it. You know we're teaching it right now Not yet but it's learning and you know we believe it's great for the customer experience can also save our you know, associates time and efficiency so they can spend more time with the customer and booking business. And we have multiple other you know technology pieces that we're leveraging. You know great example that is you know there's a grant in the state of Arizona for, you know, tourism 360. And with Mark with campground views, you know we're going to be one of the first properties in the entire state to take advantage of that. And so you know we like to be on the forefront and challenge you know the status quo, so to speak.

Speaker 2: 9:28

You know how the industry has always done things. We always want to approach a little bit different. Like you know, one of our core values is curiosity. So say, well, why? Well, why is it done that way or how can we do it differently or have we thought about this? And so I think that's you know, one of our hallmarks is approaching it differently and we also, you know, really want to approach you know the experience, you know of the RV resort as something unique and different and you know how we deliver our DNA or our vibe at our properties. That's unique to the location, so it's locationally driven. You know whether it's at the river and camp Verde or, you know, at the golf course and Coachella. You know how do you leverage those local experiences so that they're more unique for the customer and that drives, obviously, our reputation management, which of course, drives revenue. So you know we're top of the market and all of our reputation management scores and clearly that's you know way to approach it.

Speaker 2: 10:23

And I think you know. Thirdly, in sales and marketing and digital, you know we're applying a lot of the hospitality principles to revenue management. I remember several years ago when we were trying seasonal pricing it was before it was a thing really in the RV industry and we were getting a lot of pushback from both our property management and the RV. Guess, well, that's not how the RV industry does it. You know, print your thing once a year and you roll it out. And we said, well, you know, can't we, you know, try a little bit of different revenue management techniques here and drive some incremental revenue? And you know, have worked with our partner camp spot and and helping with leveraging revenue opportunities as well.

Speaker 1: 11:00

Yeah, I love everything that you're sharing. I mean, I think I think the timing in the industry is so exciting because people are really open to new experiences, they are craving them and when you're well funded and you can deliver properly, it's a whole different thing than if you're. You know you're trying to force someone into what what they are perceiving as a new box. I don't like that. Like at your camp Verde property, everything starts the minute you enter that property, right. So that property was such a surprise, just physically. I remember coming down the hill and thinking, okay, from the highway you can't tell it, doesn't really look like anything.

Speaker 1: 11:48

And then you come down like, wow, it's just so big and there's so much variety in it, so of course it's new and clean and all of that really matters, right. But from every touch point and when you stop in, and that was the first thing that I noticed, that I wasn't treated like. I mean, it's not like I've been going to a lot of different RV resorts but I wasn't treated like the RV resorts I've been to. I was greeted with a hotel greeting.

Speaker 1: 12:22

So you just know, it's always about hospitality, is always about how you feel when you go somewhere, right, and I felt welcomed, I felt special, I felt seen all the things people want to feel, and then from there, that property is, it's perfect, like there is nothing missing on that property. From you see all the kids happy and the family's happy and there's a variety of ways to engage there. So I think you guys really know what you're doing and I didn't have an opportunity to really experience what you're doing with the technology so much there. I was only there for like one night. But I do like what you're saying about AI, because people can also get lost in the system or the tool rather than allowing the tool to facilitate the delivery of hospitality, and what you're saying is it is a tool and it frees up your people to have more face-to-face time with the guests.

Speaker 2: 13:32

So that's what we're doing again yeah. Thank you, appreciate the feedback.

Speaker 1: 13:38

Yeah, it was fun. You guys are doing a great job, so you're focused. I mean, you do have a Y portfolio, but our RV resorts, would you say. That's the focus of what the interest is.

Speaker 2: 13:55

Yeah, I would say our RV resorts and storage, and RV storage is really where we're continuing to move, both in a development standpoint but also a third-party management standpoint. We're starting to dabble in hotels as well, since we have such a diverse hotel background from our leadership team. But really from a ground up standpoint it is resort and storage and then same thing for third-party management. We really like that space, it's fun, it's got good returns and it's a great environment to be in.

Speaker 1: 14:27

Are you managing storage facilities as well, or the?

Speaker 2: 14:32

RV yeah. Rv storage and self-storage facilities yes.

Speaker 1: 14:37

Yeah, yes, the RV storage is unreal. What's available?

Speaker 2: 14:44

Yeah, it's booming yeah.

Speaker 1: 14:45

Yes and okay.

Speaker 2: 14:47

One of the most stable. Self-storage is one of the most stable industries If you look at the last 25 years in terms of returns and, with the disruption of different economic conditions and markets, it has one of the most stable cap rate returns in the last 25 years. So it's a pretty good industry to be in.

Speaker 1: 15:04

Yeah, I don't think that's going to change, because more and more people may be buying RVs, but where are they putting all their stuff? A lot of people want to scale down, but there are still things. Even if you don't want a house for a while, it's a fascinating time that we live in honestly.

Speaker 1: 15:23

It's not about age so much as the demographic, as just everybody seems to want to scale down and have experiences and feel free. So really great time to be in all of these industries. So if you want to share, you want to talk about yeah.

Speaker 2: 15:48

I think it's. I think our approach to the hospitality space, whether it's ownership or third party, is a great opportunity for you know someone to take a look and if they're looking for a provider that you know, if they're an owner and they're looking for someone to help develop their land, or if they have an existing resort or storage and they're you know someone to help elevate their experience, you know, which obviously elevates your NOI then they should take a look at us. So that's our own sales plug, if you will. We're excited. And to the third party space, and think we can offer the industry something new.

Speaker 1: 16:26

Yeah, well, clearly you can, and you know really the people that we're we've been talking with. Everyone who's doing management does it a little bit differently and a great job, and you guys have proven through your own properties what you're capable of doing. So anyone who is interested can go look at what they've already done. It's pretty obvious. They know what they're doing and they're really good at it. And you can reach out to Mike. I'm sure you'd be happy to speak with anyone personally, I'm guess Absolutely.

Speaker 2: 17:00

Take a look at CRR hospitality calm or CRR lifestyle calm, and there's more information there. Folks want to take a look.

Speaker 1: 17:07

Yeah, that sounds great. Okay, well, thank you so much. I love your background and thank you. Beautiful sunset over the wagons.

Speaker 2: 17:17

I appreciate that that's a Kimberley.

Speaker 1: 17:19

Yeah, yeah.

Speaker 2: 17:21

I appreciate it, michelle. Thank you so much.

Speaker 1: 17:24

Thank you so much, and we'll be talking soon.