The Hospitality Startup That Wants to Make a Business Out of Luxury Pop-Up Hotels

When Peter Mack was working as vice president of product design and innovation in 2014 for Tough Mudder, the notoriously challenging obstacle course/mud run, he had an epiphany in the middle of one of the races. The former Starwood Hotels & Resorts veteran of 10 years realized that because these mud runs often take place in rural, remote locations, many participants had to stay in less-than-ideal lodgings: Ones that were often far from the course, and overly expensive because the hotels knew they could charge more when the Tough Mudder was in town. "We do all of our registration in tents," Mack said. "We do all of our medical in tents. Why can't we do a hotel right here in tents and make it a much better experience on property?" That realization led to Mack's departure from Tough Mudder in 2014 and since then, he's been working to develop Collective Retreats, specializing in mobile accommodations. Mack, the co-founder and CEO, initially self-funded the company and opened its first location in Vail, Colorado on the side of a mountain. The first property involved a set-up of four luxury tents and Mack served as the inaugural general manager. In the glamping vein, the tents aren't your average tents, either. They come with 1,500-thread-count sheets, chandeliers, coffee service, an en-suite bathroom, and housekeeping services. There's Wi-Fi, but no TVs, and there's an on-site restaurant and the ability to book in-tent spa experiences. "We have the reliability of a five-star hotel, but the local, authentic, indigenous nature of what you'd find from something more like Airbnb," Mack said. Makarand Mody, assistant professor of hospitality marketing at the Boston University School of Hospitality Administration, said he thinks this combination of attributes has the potential for staying power. "They've taken the idea of glamping and added their own touches to it to try and tap into what the modern traveler is seeking out in terms of a travel experience -- the various dimensions of the travel experience such as novelty/surprise, localness, community, escapism, aesthetics, and entertainment," Mody  said. "I feel like the concept probably is and will continue to have some initial traction. However, it's keeping up the momentum in terms of the scalability of the concept both from a supply and demand perspective that is going to be a challenge." Following Vail, Collective Retreats expanded to Yellowstone (technically in Big Sky, Montana)