With a little more than a month to go until the Terramor Outdoor Resort “glampground” opens in Bar Harbor, general manager Gretchen Chauncey is betting on a strong debut season.
“We are very confident,” she told Mainebiz in a phone interview, saying there has been a lot of interest already in Kampgrounds of America Inc.’s newest brand. “We have very healthy reservations on our books.”
The Billings, Mont.-based chain claims to be the world’s largest system of campgrounds open to the public, with more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada.
Located on about 60 acres on the west side of Mount Desert Island near Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor’s Terramor Outdoor Resort will be the first of its kind for KOA. Chauncey said she’s excited about the opportunity to “set the standard.”
“We are so thrilled that we are in such a beautiful location with such a special setting,” she said. “I think we are well-positioned to really provide everything that was imagined for the upscale glamping experience. Everything is in place to provide a truly memorable and luxurious outdoor experience, which is truly the mission of Terramor.”
The opening, announced in October, comes amid a pandemic-fueled surge in camping and other outdoor activities nationwide, and a business boom for many startups in Maine’s $3 billion outdoor recreation industry.
The site will include 64 tents and a central lodge with a bar and restaurant, store and equipment rentals, as well as a nature-inspired pool and outdoor recreation areas.
Chauncey said that prices range between $280 a night for a two-person tent to $400 for a birch tent that houses a family of five, and noted that one-night stays are possible during the week.
There will also be an on-site local guide and concierge to help guests plan adventures, but Chauncey said the accommodations are more akin to an four-star hotel than a traditional campground.
The resort, which said in October that it plans to open with about 25 staff members, has current listed openings for positions in grounds and maintenance, housekeeping and overnight security.
Chauncey, a hospitality-management industry veteran who moved from Boston to Swan’s Island a few years ago for a change of lifestyle, said the resort has hired several Peace Corps volunteers who were called back from their host countries because of the pandemic.
“That was a surprising resource,” she said, adding that the staff will include several year-round local residents. “We want our local community to be here. They certainly are a major part of the attraction.”
While Chauncey will manage day-to-day operations of the resort, Maine native Dakota Hatton will serve as executive chef with plans to source ingredients from within a 100-mile radius. The menu will celebrate New England cuisine with a fine dining twist, according to a press release.
Chauncey said the 2020 season will run through mid-October, and that next year’s plan is to open in mid-May.
