Franchise brand Choice Hotels International announced on September 30, 2026, that it will acquire Harvest Hosts, the largest private RV camping network in North America, for approximately $130 million in cash. The transaction, which closed on October 1, expands Choice Hotels beyond traditional hotel franchising into a membership-based outdoor hospitality model with more than 11,200 host locations across the continent.
Harvest Hosts operates on an annual membership model that grants RV travelers access to private overnight stays at wineries, farms, breweries, museums, and other independently operated destinations, with no nightly camping fees charged to members.
Beyond its flagship network, Harvest Hosts also owns Escapees RV Club, a long-established RV community organization, as well as Boondockers Welcome, CampScanner, and Brit Stops, a UK-focused version of the same model. The combined portfolio represents a diverse ecosystem of outdoor travel and RV membership services.
A $130 Million Bet on the Overlap Between Hotel and RV Travelers
The acquisition is funded through Choice Hotels’ existing cash and revolving credit facilities and is not expected to materially affect the company’s 2026 financial results or its previously announced share repurchase plans.
The strategic rationale centers on data indicating that Choice Privileges loyalty program members disproportionately engage in RV travel, creating a natural cross-selling opportunity between the hotel group’s existing audience and Harvest Hosts’ membership base. Harvest Hosts CEO Joel Holland will remain in place following the close, and the brand will operate as a standalone unit within Choice Hotels. All Harvest Hosts employees transitioned to Choice Hotels upon closing.
What This Means for Franchise Hospitality Models
The deal is notable in the broader franchise hospitality context because it brings a membership-based, asset-light outdoor travel network under the umbrella of one of the largest hotel franchise operators in the United States. Choice Hotels operates brands including Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Cambria Hotels, and Radisson in the US, representing thousands of franchised properties.
Harvest Hosts, by contrast, relies on a network of privately owned locations that pay no franchising fees and earn revenue from their own operations. The combined structure raises questions about how loyalty integration, cross-promotional partnerships, and bundled membership offers may evolve, though no specific joint product announcements have been made at this stage.
RV Travel as a Growing Segment of the US Hospitality Market
The acquisition reflects broader trends in US leisure travel. RV ownership in the United States has expanded consistently since 2020, driven by a segment of travelers seeking alternatives to traditional hotel stays and campgrounds. Membership-based camping networks, of which Harvest Hosts is one of the largest, have attracted attention from institutional investors as a scalable, low-capital-intensity model.
The outdoor hospitality sector does not operate under a traditional franchise structure, which means the regulatory and fee framework that governs hotel franchising does not directly apply to host locations within the Harvest Hosts network.
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