Harvest Hosts
 | |
| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Travel |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Don Greene Kim Greene |
Number of locations | 9,695+[1] (2026) |
| Members | 260,000+[2] (2024) |
| Website | www |
Harvest Hosts is an American travel company. Founded in 2009, it offers a membership that allows users to stay on host locations in its network for free, encouraging guests to support small businesses.
History
Harvest Hosts was founded by couple Don and Kim Greene in 2009 as a passion project.[3] When they were RVing in France, they learned about the France Passion[4] agritourism networks[5] in Europe and wanted to bring it over to the United States. The Greenes, beginning with locations in California, Oregon, and Washington, expanded the amount of hosts into nearly six hundred, including multiple ones in Canada and Mexico.[1]
Joel Holland, founder of stock footage company Storyblocks, bought Harvest Hosts from the Greenes in May 2018. He had been burnt out from his previous enterprise and stepped down as Storyblocks' CEO in 2016. Holland initially fell in love with the concept of agritourism after visiting an alpaca farm in Kansas run by nuns. He initially thought of starting such a company from scratch, but decided to use Harvest Hosts' initial network as a base to build from. After taking over the company, Holland hired more employees and spent money on advertising[3] on Google and Facebook, spending nearly $1 million monthly on the latter.[6] Later in the year, Holland purchased RV Golf Club and absorbed its locations into Harvest Hosts.[1]
During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, the company's membership base doubled in size in six months, leading to a $37 million investment from Stripes. Its membership had previously multiplied tenfold in the period from 2018 to 2020.[7] In July 2024, Harvest Hosts acquired Escapees RV Club's membership, events, and education operations. Escapees' mail forwarding service, its company-owned RV parks, and its 11 member-owned SKP co-op parks were explicitly excluded from the deal and remained under existing ownership and management.[8][9][10]
Organization
Harvest Hosts offers a membership that connects campers with off-the-beaten-path overnight accommodations for free.[11] While hosts do not get commission from the company, guests are encouraged to spend money at each hosts' location to support them. They are also required to bring self-contained vehicles, meaning that they must have a bathroom and place to sleep inside.[12]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Leash, Sam (November 29, 2019). "History of Harvest Hosts". Harvest Hosts. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ Longwell, Ali (August 16, 2024). "How a Vail resident turned a passion for RVs into a burgeoning business". Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- 1 2 Morse, Brit (June 24, 2021). "Meet the Startup Helping Farmers Make Money Off Their Land (but Not in the Way You Think)". Inc.com. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ "France Passion: Great stopovers with your motorhome in France". France Passion. Archived from the original on July 9, 2026.
- ↑ White, Angela (March 24, 2015). "Vineyard Camping With Harvest Hosts". Truck Camper Magazine. Archived from the original on May 10, 2026.
- ↑ Breen, Amanda (May 1, 2023). "One Founder's Super-Sized Side Hustle Is Helping Small Businesses — and It's On Track to Generate More Than $50 Million This Year". Entrepreneur. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ Chang, Brittany (March 20, 2021). "An RV subscription company just raised $37 million. Here's how it plans to grow ahead of the expected summer travel boom". Business Insider. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Escapees RV Club Transitions Management to Harvest Hosts – RV PRO". July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Harvest Hosts Announces Acquisition of Escapees RV Club - Modern Campground". moderncampground.com/. July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ↑ "Escapees RV Club Surpasses 100,000 Members – RV PRO". April 9, 2026. Retrieved July 11, 2026.
- ↑ Brown, Genevieve Shaw (July 18, 2018). "RV your way to the coolest, most off-the-beaten-path spots in America". ABC News. Retrieved May 11, 2026.
- ↑ Wiley, Melissa (August 26, 2020). "You can park your RV at wineries, breweries, farms, and museums across the US for free with an $80-a-year membership program called Harvest Hosts". Business Insider. Retrieved May 11, 2026.