Gather Campground Opens in Belton, Texas

Our guest on this episode of Campground Confidential is Garrett Weber-Gale who describes himself as a husband, father, athlete, and entrepreneur. He is perhaps most well-known as an athlete, having won two Olympic gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in swimming, and for having broken eight American Records and Four World records, one of which still stands today that he set in Beijing along with Michael Phelps, Jason Lezak, and Cullen Jones in their epic 400 freestyle relay that beat the highly favored French team. 

Garrett started his first business at the age of twelve and went on to run a sports nutrition business. He continues to grow his outdoor adventure business Discover Term, was a partner and COO at Campground Booking that he helped sell to Camping World in 2021, and is now building a new hospitality brand called Gather Campgrounds. 

The first Gather Campground recently opened in Belton, Texas about 45 minutes north of Austin. The property contains 141 sites just across the street from Bell County Expo Center, which hosts over 400 events per year ranging from rodeos, dog shows, and monster trucks and the event center is certainly a significant part of the campground strategy.  

In this episode Garrett tells the story of opening Gather Campground. He is clearly passionate about providing an elevated guest experience, and shares specific examples of how they go above and beyond for their guests, such as helping a cutomer secure a hard-to-find replacement part for a necessary RV repair. 

Garrett also discusses the challenges and lessons learned from building the campground and shares his plans for future expansion. He touches on the topics of dynamic pricing, promotional pricing, and the trend of people working from the road. Overall, the conversation highlights the dedication and passion required to be a successful campground owner.

Key Takeaways

1. Providing a great guest experience is crucial for the success of a campground.
2. Investing in high-quality amenities, such as showers and common areas, can greatly enhance the guest experience.
3. Choosing the right location and understanding the target market are key factors in the success of a campground.
4. Building a campground requires careful planning, attention to detail, and the ability to adapt to challenges.
5. The trend of people working from the road is not going away, and campgrounds should consider providing amenities and services to cater to this demographic, including high-speed, reliable WiFi.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Opening of Gather Campground

01:07 Description of Gather Campground

04:25 Major Amenities at Gather Campground

06:21 A Playground for Adults

07:19 Origin Story of Gather Campground

09:08 Location Selection for Gather Campground

10:24 Competitive Landscape and Target Market

11:33 Guests Working from the Road

15:49 Importance of Great Showers and Amenities

18:13 Guest Experience at Gather Campground

23:36 Lessons Learned from Building the Campground

28:21 Future Plans for Building More Campgrounds

29:01 Dynamic Pricing and Promotional Pricing

30:02 Camping for Fun

30:36 Biggest Mistake in Building the Campground

31:52 Building Another Campground

32:23 Misconceptions about Being a Campground Owner