On February 27th, Hilton announced that they are “Partners with AutoCamp to Offer Elevated Outdoor Lodging Experiences in Iconic Natural Settings.”
This is, of course, exciting for Hilton and AutoCamp and will bring exclusive RV experiences to many of Hilton’s Rewards Members.
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But did you know that they aren’t the first?
Here’s a hint:
That’s right, the orange roof folks themselves got into the campground business in 1973, with three facilities: Kissimmee, FL, Williamsburg, VA, and Tolland, CT. Part of the company’s economy lodging division, the plan was to have three kinds of campgrounds (see if this sounds familiar): one for campers en route to a destination, another for resort areas, and an in-between level that was a combination of both. (KOA’s Journey, Holiday, and Resort, anyone?)
Sadly it was not to be. 1973 brought about the OPEC oil embargo, which threw a wrench into American’s travel habits. As a result, only two of the parks opened (Williamsburg and Kissimmee) and were sold by the end of the decade. Interestingly, the two are still RV resorts. Kissimmee is called Sherwood Forest, an Equity Lifestyle property, and Williamsburg is a Thousand Trails/Outdoor World resort. The proposed resort in Tolland never materialized. According to property records, the owner, Ken Parsons, owned the property until the 1990s, when it was subdivided for residential homes.
Interestingly, according to Rich Kummerlowe of highwayhost.org, HoJo’s wasn’t the first chain to jump into campgrounds. Holiday Inn, Days Inn, and Stuckey’s were among others who had been marketing campgrounds.
On the pillars of the researcher’s entrance to the National Archives in Washington, DC, are the words “What Is Past Is Prologue” and “Study The Past.” Truer words were never spoken.
Here we go again! Oh, I reached out to Stephanie Stuckey a few years ago about catering to RVers as part of her company’s renaissance, but she never responded. Well, I guess I know why. Stuckey’s
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