Harvest Hosts acquisition: Choice’s huge, bold $130M RV bet
Choice Hotels International announced Sept. 30 that it will buy Harvest Hosts, an RV membership club for travelers, in an all-cash deal valued at about $130 million, the company said. The Harvest Hosts acquisition is the hotel franchisor’s first deal under CEO Dominic “Dom” Dragisich and its first step beyond hotels and into outdoor travel, Skift reported.
Choice is buying 100 percent of Harvest Hosts from growth equity firm Stripes and other shareholders. It plans to pay with cash on hand and money drawn from its existing revolving credit facility. The company said the purchase won’t have a material effect on its 2026 results and doesn’t change its 2026 share buyback plans. Choice expected the deal to close Oct. 1, subject to customary closing conditions.
What the Harvest Hosts acquisition means for members
The Harvest Hosts acquisition doesn’t change anything for members right away. Harvest Hosts will keep its brand and run as a stand-alone business, and owner and CEO Joel Holland will keep leading it with his current management team. Its employees will join Choice once the deal closes, according to the release.
The club has more than 500,000 members, Skift reported. They pay $99 to $179 a year for the right to park their RVs overnight at about 11,200 host sites, from wineries and farms to breweries and museums, without paying a camping fee. Since 2010, members have spent more than $200 million at those host businesses, according to Skift.
Harvest Hosts also owns several other road-travel businesses, which come along in the deal. They include the Escapees RV Club, one of the oldest RV organizations; Boondockers Welcome, a network of RVers who let fellow travelers stay on their property for free; CampScanner, which alerts users when spots open at sold-out campgrounds; and Brit Stops, a similar overnight-stay membership for motorhome travelers in the U.K. and Ireland.
“The heart and soul of Harvest Hosts is the unique connections we have built between our members, hosts and employees,” Holland said in the release. “Joining forces with Choice Hotels gives us an incredible opportunity to bring that experience to more people.”
Why Choice Hotels made the move
The deal is about loyalty and reach. Choice says its research shows members of its Choice Privileges rewards program are more likely than other travelers to take RV trips, and the Harvest Hosts acquisition gives the company a direct line to hundreds of thousands of potential hotel guests.
“Choice Hotels has a long history of delivering quality travel experiences for value-minded consumers, and our acquisition of Harvest Hosts extends that reach into an attractive segment of the outdoor travel market,” Dragisich said. He also praised the club’s “asset-light model,” meaning Harvest Hosts doesn’t own the land its members stay on.
The Harvest Hosts acquisition price is steep compared with the club’s last sale. Stripes bought Harvest Hosts for $37 million in 2021, according to Skift, which puts Choice’s price at about 3.5 times that.
Choice already operates on a large scale, with more than 7,500 hotels and 650,000 rooms in 49 countries and territories across 22 brands, according to the company.
The outdoor lodging race
Choice is late to outdoor lodging. Hilton owns AutoCamp, Hyatt runs Under Canvas and Marriott groups Postcard Cabins and Trailborn under its Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy. Skift notes that Choice is the last of the four biggest U.S. hotel franchisors to make a move in the space.
The bet still has to pay off. Dragisich, who had been interim CEO since May, was named permanent president and CEO on Aug. 31, Hospitality Net reported. He made driving net rooms growth his top priority. To stay on that course, Skift noted, he’ll need to show that the RV club’s members turn into hotel stays.
Reporting from Skift and Choice Hotels contributed to this story.