MISSING In Action! Missing Hotel opened in August of this year, to great acclaim. Owners Sam and Stephen Hopkins have taken a very hands-on approach in setting up their glamping resort and learned a lot in the process. They share their key findings with our Editor Will Rusbridge. It will be tough… Nobody expects it to be easy to set up a dream business but Sam and Stephen might not have anticipated it would be as tough as it turned out to be. “This was definitely a passion project for us,” says Stephen, “It took us three years to find
a property that met all of our criteria, then we had one hell of a year getting it ready to share! We worked 12-14 hour days, seven days a week to take a beautiful, but overgrown raw parcel and turn it into something luxurious and fun to explore. We were extremely hands-on through the process and built most everything ourselves with an exceptional team of six people.” “We could give others setting up around 100 pages of advice, but the key takeaway is that it will be tough. There will be far more telling you can’t or shouldn’t do something than you should, but this isn’t a reason you shouldn’t!” he adds.
think. Plan accordingly, both financially and in your timetable. This is a unique space of construction that not many general contractors or trades fully understand. Bringing a carpenter or electrician into an Airstream and you’ll soon find out! Focus as much on the lay of the land and site plan as you do inside. Be prepared to do much of the work yourself. The closer you are to the project, the better you’ll be able to make it what you want. For us, that meant clearing the land and sitting on a machine for four months. Don’t be afraid to do something, just because you haven’t done it before. Get your hands dirty and work.”
It will cost more and take longer than you expect…
Under-promise and over-deliver…
“Given our hands-on approach to construction, our advice may trend this way. The only constants are it will cost more and take longer than you
MISSING has been a dream for both Sam and Stephen for around a decade, “We love traveling and have been fortunate to have visited over fifty countries. Along the way, we’ve taken note
g l a m p i n g s h o w. u s | G l a m p i n g B u s i n e s s A m e r i c a s | 5 1
