From Van Life to Resort Life: Building Montana's Most Authentic Airstream Experience
In this inspiring episode of The Inn Crowd, host Jamie Mattingly sits down with Brittain and Josh, the adventurous owners and operators of Flathead Lake Resort in Montana, who transformed their full-time RV lifestyle into a thriving boutique hospitality business. From restoring vintage Airstreams to creating authentic community experiences just 45 minutes from Glacier National Park, this dynamic duo shares their "raw goods" philosophy for building businesses without massive debt, their seasonal revenue strategies, and how they've honored a 1948 property's heritage while serving modern adventure travelers.
Tune in for an authentic conversation about van life, vintage glamping, community integration, and what it really takes to build a hospitality business that puts people and place over profit.
🎧 What Listeners Will Learn:
How to leverage "raw goods" partnerships to build hospitality businesses without taking on massive debt or loans
The reality of managing a seasonal resort business (3-4 months) and creative strategies for year-round revenue
Authentic vintage branding techniques: maintaining original Airstream character while creating Instagram-worthy experiences
Community integration strategies that turn guests into locals: paddle-boarding to margarita nights and building restaurant partnerships
Transparent communication tactics for managing guest expectations and turning potential negatives into authentic selling points
The transition from corporate event marketing to hands-on resort ownership and operation
How to create workforce housing solutions that support local communities while generating additional revenue streams
Practical approaches to eco-friendly hospitality through intentional brand partnerships and sustainable practices
🔗 Links Mentioned in This Episode:
👤 Guests – Britton and Josh | Flathead Lake Resort
Website: https://www.flatheadlakeresort.com
Instagram: @flatheadlakeresort
Office Dropouts Podcast & Daily Dropout Email: Available through flatheadlakeresort.com
🎙️ Host – Jamie Mattingly | Duval Street Media
Podcast Website: DuvalStreetMedia.com
Instagram: @duvalstreetmedia
🏔️ Planning Your Montana Adventure:
Flathead Lake Resort: 45 minutes from Glacier National Park in Big Fork, Montana
Vintage Airstreams available from 1955-1988 for authentic glamping experiences
Stargazing, sunset experiences, and community campfires offered nightly
Riverside recording platform: Recommended podcasting tool mentioned in episode
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Edited Transcript- Flat Head Lake
Jamie Mattingly (00:07)
Welcome to The Inn Crowd, where we explore the stories and strategies shaping the future of hospitality and travel. I'm your host, Jamie Mattingly, and today we're speaking with two amazing entrepreneurs who have turned their love of adventure into a thriving boutique resort experience. Joining me today are Britton and Josh, owners and operators of Flathead Lake Resort in beautiful Montana. Britton and Josh, welcome to the show.
Josh Schukman (00:29)
Hello, Jamie. Thank you so much for having us. Hi, Jamie. Thanks for bringing us on.
Jamie Mattingly (00:34)
Yes, it's absolutely my pleasure. I was so excited that you guys agreed to be on the website, your socials, the visuals that you guys have from your property. It's a vibe. So I'm so excited to dig in today. Before we dive into Flathead Lake Resort, can you tell us a little bit about your journey and how your love for travel and adventure led you to where you are today? And then why Flathead? How did you guys end up there?
Josh Schukman (00:58)
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Well, we got to go back to, don't remember the year. I guess it would have been 2015 to a little art. Well, not so little RV show in Kansas city. was like the RV show in Kansas city. And we decided to just go to the show and check it out and check out some RVs. And that was really exciting to us. And that planted the seed to the idea of getting out on the road full time.
don't remember all the exact what's in house, but I just know that's what happened. Britton and I were engaged at the time and thinking about our lives and how we're going to start it off. And we were like, Hey, our job, it's a hundred percent travel anyway. Why not get out on the road and go full time? And of course there were enough blogs and things like that are people doing that at that time. So that got us really excited about the idea. And then from there, we ended up getting a vintage Airstream that we restored and we took off on the road in 2016. That was actually our first home together too. It was our first home together. Yeah.
Yeah. So our very first home was a home on wheels, 88 Airstream that we lovingly restored and named Lucy. And we took to the road and wound up on the road for about four years. And that whole time we had wanted to go to Montana because that's what you do in a camper. But, our, our work, which was an event marketing was really heavy in the summer. So we just always let work get in the way of getting up to Montana and then COVID hits and shuts down all big events. we're like, okay, summer 2020, no excuses.
We're going to Montana. We don't make it to Montana now. We're never going to. Yeah. So we passed through Montana and we eventually made it up to the Northwest corner checking out Glacier. Hit here in August of 2020. Literally had campgrounds booked in Washington of September of 2020. Hit our little area, Big Fork, Montana, Flathead Lake where we live now and just absolutely fell in love with it. And we like to tell people.
We still haven't been to Washington. We still haven't been west of Washington. So this little patch of dirt in Montana stopped us in our tracks and we've been here ever since. And when you're on the road, people are always asking, what's your favorite place you've ever been to? And he always referred to our time in Northwest Georgia. But I always said, I love the whole state of Utah. It's amazing. But I always followed that up by saying, but we haven't been to Montana yet.
Jamie Mattingly (03:08)
He just knew there was something about it.
Josh Schukman (03:08)
And so I guess I kind of teed it up without
knowing.
Jamie Mattingly (03:12)
I love that. And so you guys said you were in event marketing and that both of your jobs are travel. Is that how you were able to be on the road? you tell me about that?
Josh Schukman (03:19)
Yeah, absolutely. So we worked in event marketing together and I always say I married into this world because I had no idea about it. Brit was in it before me, but we worked with a lot of brands, but our main one was with Chevrolet. And what we would do is primarily working at NASCAR races, not in the track, but just outside in the fan zone. We'd work a lot of big rodeos, state fairs, with Chevrolet and a lot of the other automakers, they have a big presence and they want to create an experience for fans.
So we were product specialists trained on the vehicles. And a lot of times at NASCAR races, you're just talking towing and camping and things like that with people coming through. So that fit our lifestyle, but ultimately just creating that experience. We'd give away free t-shirts. The cars weren't directly sold there. So just creating a fun time. And that's what kept us on the road.
Jamie Mattingly (04:03)
So you guys have experience with creating good experiences, it sounds like. So it's like everything has led you to this point. And when you said that you restored it, can you tell me a little bit about that? Was that a huge process? Was it like a junker that you pulled out of the woods or was it like, we're gonna make it, we're gonna customize it and make it ours?
Josh Schukman (04:06)
Yes, ironic how these things come together.
Yeah
my god.
Yeah, so that was our first one. honestly, like, so it had amazing bones to begin with. It was really move in and live in ready straight out of 88. I mean, we had the the Rose mauve pink from the 80s and like the dark oak wood from the 80s. So was but it was very strong bones. And so really, we what we did was add some paint and some color to take us out of the dark 80s.
Jamie Mattingly (04:48)
Yes.
Josh Schukman (04:48)
and some
new fabric on the furniture, but she's solid. to this day, think most of everything about her is original except the bed. Yeah, so we do. Well, it was twin beds. Two twin beds. two twins. And so we did put a single queen in there. But we really try to look for things that are
Jamie Mattingly (05:01)
That's good upgrade, that's fair.
Josh Schukman (05:10)
authentic from their era and have and so we've not been brave enough, honestly, let's just say let's say that it's it's a chore to completely gut and renovate one of these things. And so we've not been brave enough to do that. I don't know that we ever will. And so we find
Jamie Mattingly (05:25)
Well, I feel like the
original look matches the aesthetic that we're going to get into, right?
Josh Schukman (05:28)
Exactly. that's
really, that's really what we want to go for is that authenticity of the era from whichever decade those campers were built in. And there's a lot of truth to the saying, they don't build them like they used to. Airstreams especially, when you go back into, you know, the nineties and before even probably the early two thousands, but definitely the nineties and before the quality of their build and the way they use space with basically never having slide outs is just phenomenal. And so we didn't want to lose that. We wanted to work with that.
Jamie Mattingly (05:38)
Yeah.
Josh Schukman (05:56)
and just refresh that into a little bit less mauve pink and stuff like that.
Jamie Mattingly (06:03)
I that. have a couple of friends in Miami who their parents had, or one of their parents had an, I don't know if it was an 88, but it was an Airstream around the year that I think you guys are talking about, completely submerged in weeds. know, all kinds of issues. It's taken them five years, but they're now on the road with it. And I can attest to what you're saying about the bones. It's solid. Like it is a great, the silver bullet, right?
Josh Schukman (06:18)
huh.
Good for them. Yes.
Absolutely.
Jamie Mattingly (06:32)
So your journey alone is inspiring, but I wanna zoom out a little bit and talk about how that traveler mindset has shaped the way that you two show up as hosts. So let's talk about the transition from van life or RV life to resort life. You've spent years traveling full time. How did that lifestyle shape your approach to guest experience and hospitality?
Josh Schukman (06:55)
Yeah. So there's an underlying story here that we have to mention. So before we had gotten out on the road, Britt had had a dream that even predated me meeting her of creating Kansas City's first hostel that had been on her heart for a long time. And as we were dating and just to think a little bit of the time before we got engaged, she actually started a micro hostel in Kansas City with a space that she already owned.
And so that started, we grew that as we were engaged and started just in our first months of being married, continued to grow that. And then we got out on the road and had somebody else living there managing it. Now, when I say micro, I mean micro, we're talking a five bed hostel, but we wanted to test and confirm that, you know, Kansas City would really want that. And it was doing really well with our little five beds. mean, we had folks from tons of different countries all over the US, like great connection.
Jamie Mattingly (07:48)
That's it.
Josh Schukman (07:49)
It was awesome. We absolutely loved it. But our vision with that was to test this micro model of a model of a hostile to, you know, make sure that it made sense to expand into a bigger version of that. Well, about the time that we realized that, absolutely. This business could make, we had been on the road for a year or so and we had fallen in love with that lifestyle. So it's like, okay, how do we, you know, expanding that's going to going to bring us back and tie us down. How do we expand this adventurous Airstream lifestyle with hospitality?
And that was when we, I mean, I say we got the idea, but there were other examples out there of campgrounds that were doing air streams as glamping. So they would leave them stationary, restore them and rent them out as, know, Airbnb's or cabins. That was a really becoming a really popular trend. That was really inspiring to us. And so when we looked at how can we capture this road life and what we're loving about the hostel in one place, that was when the two worlds came together. And we started testing an air stream as a glamping option in Kansas City.
We're actually on some, Britt's parents' family land. And then we moved to a partnership with a campground in Arizona where we started, you know, expanding the idea. And so when we landed in Montana and encountered Flathead Lake Resort, you know, all of those things were cooking and happening, you know, alongside this journey on the road. And so that's just really where all of those pieces, Montana and Flathead Lake Resort is where all of those pieces of our journey came together.
know, the travel, the love for adventure, the air streams, and a way to bring this hospitality to life all fit here. And tagging on a little bit to what you just mentioned, we talk a lot about raw goods. Raw goods has just kind of been a theme in our relationship, in our business. And I don't know if you maybe want to tap into a little bit more about what we mean by that. But the space that we had in Kansas, that I had in Kansas City, was my raw good to test the hustle. My parents' land was a raw good to test the glamping experience.
And then what we did, because it's so easy or maybe not so easy, but it's so common to go out and get astronomical loans, mortgages, buy land, buy campgrounds, buy buildings, convert them into hotels or properties. the dollars just can rack up so quickly. And so we wanted to kind of find a different way. And so what we did in Tucson,
was we partnered with somebody who also had a vintage property, an amazing mid-century vintage property down there. And so their raw good was the land, but they didn't have campers. so we came together and had a great relationship down there. So we brought our raw good to their raw good, and together we built something. And then that sort of happened up here in Montana as well before we bought this property. And so that's just been kind of a running theme and definitely something that we would advise people.
It's been good for us in our business is to see how we can use what we have and what others have and work together to build something great.
Jamie Mattingly (10:31)
I love that. you're finding someone that has the strength, you know, the opposite of what you guys have to offer. And you guys know what you have to offer. It sounds like a lot by the way, you guys sound very knowledgeable for, you know, for people who didn't maybe necessarily start out in hospitality. I am curious if that wasn't your background, what brought about that dream of the hostel? Were you always a traveler? Did you like to backpack? was it something deep inside?
Josh Schukman (10:40)
Thank
Yeah, I started traveling internationally when I was 12 or 13, of course, with family at first and then started to adventure out on my own in 2013. I did an around the world trip by myself. But just one of it is just budget. First of all, as a young 20 year old, you don't have 200 or 300 dollars to spend per night in a hotel. And so really, you know, is being able to experience the world on a budget, on a dime, I think the most
I have to this day and I know we don't stay in hostels as much right now, but to this day, the most I ever paid for a bed around the whole world was $38 per night. And I was, that was in Hawaii and I was three blocks away from the beach. And so I guess for me, like being able to provide that to other others, and in this case, it was Kansas City. So being able to provide a centrally located, safe, clean,
environment for people to experience Kansas City. The way I was able to experience the world was, I guess, kind of how that all came together.
Jamie Mattingly (12:02)
I love that. it's, you know, it comes from like, I had a feeling it came from the heart, but this is, it doesn't sound like you guys are like, Hey, what's the way we can make the most money. You guys are like, how can we give the same adventure and a feeling that I got to others in a way that is affordable and obtainable to others. Right? So you guys aren't trying to create something that's super high Lux crazy high dollar. But again, I want
Josh Schukman (12:11)
Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (12:30)
to remind all the listeners, please go to their website and look at the place. Cause you, you can say it's, it's more affordable, but it by no means makes it less amazing. It is still a beautiful property. And I, looking at your photos over Flathead Lake, I mean, they are just gorgeous. So I totally understand why you guys landed there and we're like, okay, no, we're not going, we're not going anywhere. We're not going to Washington. That makes sense. so yeah, I just want to dig into the, the aesthetic a little bit more.
Josh Schukman (12:48)
Thank
Jamie Mattingly (12:57)
it's really impressive how you guys have created a brand that speaks so clearly to your audience I think it's very important in your branding and in your storytelling to be authentic so that you no matter what can just speak because it's natural right it's Everything you guys do is rooted in in realness. It's not fake You guys don't have to like train each other to speak a certain way or talk like this or let's buy that modern Thing and you know, like I say like lux it up. You guys are very authentic. So
Let's shift to talk about how you built such a strong identity. I was gonna say without even a mass marketing machine behind you, but clearly you guys have mass marketing brains behind you. So you guys have, you guys struck a chord somehow. Can you talk about that?
Josh Schukman (13:39)
Sorry, Jamie, we might have to, I lost my train of thought on that one. Yep.
Jamie Mattingly (13:42)
No, it's okay. I'll start
right here from this question. So, Flathead Lake Resort has such a special nostalgic charm. What are the elements that were most important to you when you guys were designing the guest experience?
Josh Schukman (13:54)
Yeah, so this actually latches on to what we just talked about where Britt was talking about what inspired her around the hostel. So in terms of my background, I had a lot of the same international travel. actually lived in South America for a year, traveled around to hostels. And the reason I bring that up is because one of the biggest pieces of that for me was the community that was created along the way. And the connections that those places created, they're designed to cause people to connect with each other.
And that is a big thing that we've tried to carry through to the resort. Community around campfires, community around s'mores. I mean, you wanna get people together, light a fire, throw some s'mores in the mix, and you're gonna create some friendships. So that's been the backbone of what we do here and what we try to create is create those moments, those serendipitous collisions, as we used to call them in the startup world, where people are making connections and sharing adventures together. And one of our favorite things is when,
people who would have otherwise not met each other, get together here around a campfire, and then next thing we know, we hear about them going to Glacier together. Things like that, creating those moments for us is one of the biggest and most important things we've done because that connects so many other things together when you can do that and create those opportunities and create those places. We don't have TVs in our room, and we do that for any of our rooms. Well, there's one. Actually, I say that with the TV behind me. this one. That's my dad's fault. That's my dad's fault.
Jamie Mattingly (14:56)
Love that, yes.
anyone listening, there's not a television behind
them.
Josh Schukman (15:17)
Yeah.
yes. All right. There. Okay. Fair enough. have a tiny number of people. Yeah, there you go. There you go. We have very, very, very, very few because we want people to get out and take a
Jamie Mattingly (15:20)
Listen, every office needs at least one, okay?
Yeah, listen, I want to get out too, but every now and then, you know, on day three, I'm exhausted. I may want to watch a movie or something. So you don't gotta, you don't gotta sell me on the television. I appreciate why a lot of places don't, but I also appreciate why a lot of places do. ⁓ Are there any special touches or traditions you guys have created that guests have really raved about?
Josh Schukman (15:31)
Yeah. Right. ⁓
Right, right.
Um, oh goodness. Anything down by the lake. We might need to put fires down by the, you want to restart it? Okay. Go ahead.
Jamie Mattingly (15:55)
Okay, no, I'll go ahead and restart it. I'll ask it again. So, and I know sometimes I'm popping them in. Sometimes they're the follow up questions. So if I ever caught you guys off, I like how you guys are just like, hey, let's start that over. No problem. I'm gonna say it again. Are there any special touches or traditions you guys have created that guests are absolutely raving about?
Josh Schukman (16:11)
Did you have something? I thought you were going to go up. Sorry. my gosh.
Jamie Mattingly (16:16)
You guys are adorable, by the way.
Josh Schukman (16:18)
Thank you. So, you know, we are a small property and so the campfire is definitely a big one, but we also play into the traditions of our town. So we have, you know, we're a small town. not even incorporated, somewhere between 4,000 and 5,000 population, but we have a lot going on. And so we really want to encourage our guests as well to live the local.
small town vibe when they're not going to the lake or going to Glacier. so tapping into things like our Fourth of July parade is huge. We have people come from all over the state and even outside to come to the parade. And then we have an incredible theater, live performance theater in our downtown. And we bring talent from all over the country. And again, those are some, and then some other annual events, but we really encourage our guests to get out.
and explore the local life. And so that would be a way of how we're tapping into traditions that our town has created. I'm not sure if you have any others that come to mind or not. I would just add that we've carried the nostalgia of this place, not just through the air streams, but through the rooms as well. This property was established in 1948 and we've really tried to pay homage to the original owners and just that history and that background wherever we can.
in a fun and comfortable way that's still modern, you're still gonna have blazing wifi and those kinds of things, but it's gonna have a fun and unique and nostalgic feel as well. Yeah, and I think that there's some, I'm sorry, go ahead.
Jamie Mattingly (17:46)
No, no, I want you to finish your thought.
Josh Schukman (17:48)
Yeah, so playing into that, there's a couple things on my mind. Yes, each of our units, air streams or rooms has a different character, a different vibe. And Marion Martin, the original owners of this property who started it in 1948, we actually had the opportunity to meet some of their grandkids and great grandkids came and stayed with us a year and a half ago for a week. And that was just so beautiful. They had a couple years back before we ever got here, they had
made a photo album of their childhood at this property with their grandparents. And so we had that to reflect on those pictures are actually on our website telling the history, showing the history of this property. So I think really just sharing the nostalgia with people, the simplicity of how travel used to be. And then this may or may not fit in line, I guess, with this exact conversation. But as soon as you asked this question a few minutes ago, it came to mind. We try to be very, I think,
You know, this is another piece of advice I would I would give other hoteliers and property owners is to be very open with your communication. And if there's something that maybe could be looked at as a negative, how can it be spun to a positive? So we are located right off Highway 35. It's amazing. It's quick access to everywhere. However, there is road noise during the day.
And road noise might start around six o'clock in the morning. And so we communicate that to our guests because one of the things that we learned when we first got here was that we weren't communicating that well enough and there were reviews that said as such. Something else is that there are, you know, we're in a very kind of an older part of Montana. It's very authentic and real Montana we say, but there...
you know, might be a tractor that doesn't work anymore on our road that you'll experience on the walk to our beach. And so we kind of spend that as again, like you're living real life, authentic Montana. And so how can, how can something that might be taken as a negative spun to a positive and just sharing that communication with us.
Jamie Mattingly (19:46)
I think that's so, so smart. You have to get out ahead of certain things and it doesn't have to be a negative, right? You can always shift something. I had a client, I still have a client in the Bahamas that it's only accessible by boat. And when we first started working together on the website, it was like, it's only accessible by boat. And I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.
Josh Schukman (19:54)
Exactly.
Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (20:11)
I'm like, you
mean it's only accessible by boat. I'm like, you've got to change the tone that you're sharing that information with. That is really cool. How many places, how many hotels are you strolling up to on a boat? So I think it is, it's just perception and shifting it just a tad. Getting out ahead of things, you know, is, and I love that you say that because you guys were listening to your guests. You got a couple of reviews and instead of going like, know,
Josh Schukman (20:15)
Right.
LUL
Jamie Mattingly (20:37)
No, we're gonna get ahead of this. We're gonna start communicating with our guests and we're gonna cut that down. And I'm sure you guys probably haven't seen that complete since.
Josh Schukman (20:45)
Right,
no, it's been great. And that's been a learning for me is that at the end of the day, especially with Airbnb, as long as it's communicated, and I think this is real true no matter what platform you're using, as long as it's communicated upfront and communicated well, you have a lot of range. I we have some teardrop campers that are nothing more than a bed in the woods. People love them.
Jamie Mattingly (20:48)
I love it.
Josh Schukman (21:10)
They love the price point. love the experience. They love all of that. But if you didn't communicate what that is in an effective way and in a fun way, I don't think you'd have the same result. But as long as people know upfront and have that story upfront, they love it and have a great There's no electric or running water to those campers. So we actually provide them with body wipes is how they stay clean for a couple of days. And so making that communication upfront and they love it. We get a lot of repeats back in those woods.
Jamie Mattingly (21:30)
Love it, yes.
Yeah, the worst reviews you're ever gonna get are the photos don't match the experience, right? Because then anyone else who's thinking about booking is like, wait a minute. If you can't trust what you're seeing, you're gonna listen to the people who are reviewing, right? So I think it's super smart to do it the way you guys have done it. So you guys have really built this strong brand, vintage nostalgic type adventure travel, right? And it speaks...
Josh Schukman (21:43)
Right.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Jamie Mattingly (22:03)
to a certain kind of traveler as we've discussed. So what were your guiding principles when it came to your branding and your marketing, given your background, given the fact that you guys wanted to keep the resort and respect the history of the resort. So what were those guiding principles when it came to your branding and marketing?
Josh Schukman (22:22)
Yeah, that's a great question. So first of all, we got very lucky. We did come in and we were managing partners to begin before we purchased the business. And the previous owner did a very good job with SEO and naming the property, renaming the property at the time that she purchased it. And so we were able to really tap into the keywords of a Flathead Lake and the keywords of Glacier National Park.
And so we've been, I guess, really lucky and fortunate in that sense that we're able to just keep that ball rolling. But then as far as, again, like really a lot of our branding is just, I think kind of a theme here is authenticity. Our property was built nearly 70 years ago and our newest Airstream is a 1988. Our oldest is a 1955.
And so just being really authentic and sharing that with people and getting them excited about staying in something, know, vintage is like, vintage has been hot again for like 10 or 15 years now, you know? So I think a lot of that is just in the communication and getting people jazzed from the start. And a few other pieces that are important to us that have really resonated with folks are for one thing, we do our best to be as eco-friendly as possible and to have brands that have a really
cool story, know, just some small examples, small but mighty examples. We use Blue Land soap around here and that's a, you know, glass soap dispenser. So you're not reusing plastic all the time. And when stuff gets shipped, if it's already pre-mixed, the water adds a ton of weight and then, you know, just creates a lot of extra stuff that don't need to. So Blue Land, they send you these old tablets, you drop it in, you have soap. So we've tried to do a lot of biodegradable trash bags. I mean, these are simple touches, but people notice it and they comment on it and they associate it with us.
And so that's just some smaller things that make a big impact. Yeah. And I'm glad you said that because something else that we, know, personally we don't do because it's not our brand. what we do do is we provide locally made, it's made in Missoula, locally made coffee to every single room that checks in. And so we aren't going to the local big box store or Amazon and buying, again, buying whatever is cheap. Like bottom dollar does matter.
but experience matters as well. And so that is another thing that we do for our guests is provide locally made goods. But then again, what Josh was touching on is, a large part of that is just telling this because we're near Glacier National Park. I am so sorry. I tried working. I tried working through that, but it was just getting really raspy. Thank you. No, I do not. don't know why that even.
Jamie Mattingly (24:48)
No, it's okay, it's okay.
Listen, we're laid back here. just marked a little clip. Take your time. You need a drink of water?
Josh Schukman (25:00)
happened.
Jamie Mattingly (25:01)
You just let me know when you're ready. You can hop back in or if you want to restart, if you lost your place, you just let me know.
Josh Schukman (25:03)
Thank
I'm gonna
restart where I just started talking about the coffee. So you don't need some more? I don't think so. Okay. I have nothing. It's just started getting rusty. Yes, I'm really glad that you pointed on the brands that we use because again, well, so something that we do for our guests is we provide everyone with their own bag of locally made coffee. So we're not going to Amazon and we're not going to the nearest big box store or buying whatever.
Jamie Mattingly (25:09)
Alright.
Bye.
Josh Schukman (25:32)
random brand might be on sale. It's again, part of the experience and part of the quality of what we're trying to provide. Are these higher end products as well? Love my dirty labs, laundry detergent that we use. So we've had a lot of fun. We also try to look for brands who might be a B Corp brand, or also have like a social good or a mission behind them. how can we forget who gives a crap toilet paper? Yeah, I mean, I am so glad I discovered them a few years ago. Have you heard of who gives a crap?
Jamie Mattingly (25:58)
No, but you better believe I'm Googling it as soon as we're done here.
Josh Schukman (25:59)
Amazing brand.
mean, you might. I don't know if that fits into I mean, lot of actually properties use them because their brand, their branding is amazing, first of all. So I don't know future, you know, advertiser or podcast. I mean, they're their emails are hilarious. So shout out to them. But but really what drew me to them in the very beginning is that they build
Jamie Mattingly (26:12)
I love it. Thank you. Yeah, yeah, I'm definitely going to take that one down.
Josh Schukman (26:25)
I should know this better, but they build toilets in other countries where sanitation and access to that sort of thing is just not there yet. And so you're doing good by providing toilet paper. So our toilet paper is more expensive than I could get at Walmart or Costco, but there's a reason behind it. And that's part of our branding. And that's part of who we are kind of as a bigger picture as well.
Jamie Mattingly (26:45)
that it you know again it goes back to that authenticity right you guys you guys know who you are as a brand so these decisions it's not about the money it's about what's real what you know what's going to provide the best opportunity for our guests what's going to be the best thing for longevity for the planet like it's a beautiful investment that a lot of hoteliers are starting to make over again
trying to race to the top when it comes to revenue. I found a lot of boutique hotels are really respecting their guests and it's trending too, right? People want to stay, wellness is huge. People wanna stay where they can relax, where they can get out or where they can recharge, but they want it to be eco-friendly. And so the investment you guys are making, I hope for you is paying off on the other side with repeat visits, because people just fall in love with that dedication. When we're talking about storytelling,
I know that you guys have a daily email. I believe it's called the daily dropout. Can you guys tell me a little bit about that and how you see that functioning for the brand?
Josh Schukman (27:44)
Yeah, totally. So this is a separate but related project called Office Dropouts that Brittany and I are working on. Yeah. With a podcast. But you were correct on the email is the daily dropout. Yeah, the email is the daily dropout. Absolutely. yeah, looking to do. It's related to the podcast. That's right. Yes. Office Dropout podcast. ⁓ OK. Well, we'll just jump right in. Yeah. So you have the Office Dropouts podcast that also provides the daily dropouts email.
Jamie Mattingly (27:50)
⁓ office, okay, there you go.
Okay, so this is related to the podcast. Okay, well, we can even jump ahead. I was going to get into the podcast in a minute, but we can jump ahead and talk about that right here.
Josh Schukman (28:13)
or the daily dropout email. And do you have the elevator pitch for office dropouts, So we can pull that up. And we'll tell you what it's about. There we go. Okay, yeah. So office dropouts is for rebels, dreamers, office escape artists, and wannabe cubicle Dodgers. And we just encourage people to leave the grind behind, right? So we just, know, our journey to the resort, and you know, I'm using, the resort's the main thing, but our journey with a lot of things has,
Jamie Mattingly (28:32)
Yeah, that's me. That's me. I'm raising my hand.
Josh Schukman (28:43)
really been out of normal. know, Britt has been in events and self-employed really your whole career. I left the cubicle world back in 2012 and really haven't worked, looked back. And so it's just sharing some of the strategies and philosophies that not only we've used, but that we've learned from others along the way and just wanting to create that inspiration, that framework, that guidance with our podcast to help folks who are looking to.
Make the dropout, as we'll call it. And along the way, it won't be just us talking. The whole goal of the podcast is to actually bring in other stories from individuals who have done it, hopefully also in some really incredible ways, and just talk to them and dig in with the how, the what, and the why, so that we can share it with others and give folks a strategy and a blueprint for doing this and some inspiration along the way. And the thing with that that we see tying back into the resort is, first of all,
The whole story that led us to the resort and everything we're doing here is very much an office dropout style story. How do you create an out of normal, adventurous, I don't know, self-inspired, self-controlled, self-employed life, whatever you want to call that. But we've also long run have this dream of, as the podcast grows, bringing people here for live events, for example, inspiring them to make their office dropout right here on site, face to face.
So that's just you know all the pieces that we're working together and kind of a way that this also came about is so we are a seasonal property we're open three to four months out of the year and We really started kind of racking our brains and putting our heads together to say how else and I guess this would be advice advice for other listeners out there is to look at other avenues that a business can Make money and additional streams and so we are looking at this as
very much an add-on to the resort, but also just how can we grow our short seasonal business in other ways.
Jamie Mattingly (30:41)
And have you guys, so that is a good point to dig into. There are seasonal hotels that sometimes they're like, hey, we're just gonna close for these three months. It's vacation time, it's travel time anyways, we're prepared for it. Locally down here, a lot of businesses only close for one month, but it's hurricane season, it's super hot and the employees are prepared for it, everybody's prepared for it. I have noticed a lot of.
up north properties when it's dealing with snow, they have been creative in the ways that they've tried to stay open. So have you guys experimented with anything yet? Or do you have anything that you're thinking about? Or is that secret knowledge? Anything you can share with us here?
Josh Schukman (31:17)
One big thing we've actively done, which I would recommend anyone look at, it's not always necessarily going to be the fit, but what we have done is we've, so when we landed here, what they had done for years was they would convert everything over to a long-term winter rental. So they would put the unit, now we have a unique advantage in a sense in that we had some larger units with kitchens, but I'll talk about where that's not necessarily a requirement, but they would rent it out then on a winter lease.
And that worked really well, so well in fact that when we got here, we actually started converting some of our larger cabins over to full long-term leases for a year. And what that ended up creating was a nice balance where we had this short-term season that was really great. And then we had this long-term season that was still very good, but, you know, balance things out in the winter. So that's something I would recommend. the biggest heart reason I would recommend that is a lot of tourist towns, our town, you know, especially has been hit really hard with the housing affordability crisis.
And so, you know, being able to do that and to provide that workforce housing is really important to us for our community. And in our case, we were able to do that in a way that created a very good deal for the folks renting. But also from the standpoint of that unit, we were actually doing just as well, if not a little bit more profitable with those as long term rentals when you backed out all the expenses of cleaning, given our short season, right? Our season, our high season is really only three to four months long. So that worked really well, but that's something, you know,
Creative options like that, I would certainly encourage people to look at. We've started doing that in some of our smaller units at our studios that don't just have a little kitchenette. That's still worked well. And so that's something that has been a really good balance to things to really combine both worlds in our business.
Jamie Mattingly (32:57)
And before we started recording, you guys had mentioned a little bit to me about attainable housing. Now, is this in line with that? Can you guys tell me a little bit about that?
Josh Schukman (33:05)
Yeah, it is. And so we did talk about that and you said, you know, I've heard of workforce housing. would I would categorize it basically in the same category. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's a huge, it's a huge problem in tourist towns. And we felt it, you know, front and center. I mean, when we would do those winter leases, for example, just the stories we'd hear from from folks about what they were facing in terms of rent and housing costs and, you know, just really
Jamie Mattingly (33:10)
We struggle down here a lot in the Keys or Tourist Town. I feel you guys, it's tough.
Yes.
Josh Schukman (33:29)
being very grateful for the eight month lease, but really being like, we really need something for the year because of course, during the summer, everything flips over to short-term rental and makes it really hard for people to find housing. And so, that's a real challenge that really hit us in our hearts and we wanted to do something about it. But we're a for-profit business as well. We needed to find a way that made business sense. so there are ways to do both. But that was really the driving factor behind it.
Jamie Mattingly (33:55)
I love that. Can you guys please call the Florida Keys and just give them the formula so that we can have some attainable housing down here because even our affordable housing is not affordable. I think that.
Josh Schukman (33:58)
And that I'm
glad you and I'm glad you mentioned that Jamie because that actually is I chose the term attainable housing deliberately because you know, it needs to be attainable a lot of times what what is called affordable housing can have a lot of different meanings and may or may not be affordable and you know attainable for the workforce and in your area is really I would say that the guiding light and and
Jamie Mattingly (34:12)
Yes.
Josh Schukman (34:27)
You know, on that note, just quick little tangent here. But, you know, speaking to the keys or other places, I mean, because we're really grappling with this right now in Montana, too, because we've had a large influx of people and housing is catching up. Thankfully, there are a lot of different zoning and community changes, whether it's, know, accessory dwelling units, different forms of housing that are coming into play. And those are all going to be key factors. And I do think we as folks in hospitality have have a role to play in that.
you know, getting involved, knowing what's going on, if for no other reason than our workforce depends on it as well. It's an important issue for us and something that's impacting tourist communities nationwide.
Jamie Mattingly (35:04)
Exactly, right?
Yeah, unfortunately the holdup in the Keys is, you know, we can't expand, right? You can't go, you can't go outwards. Yeah. And we have a limit to the amount of human beings that can be in the Keys per hurricane evacuation numbers. So it depends, the more people you have, the longer it takes to evacuate. And that is what governs how many housing units we can have down here basically. So it is an ongoing battle. It's been a battle since like the eighties. So.
Josh Schukman (35:14)
You can have some space.
Right.
Jamie Mattingly (35:37)
I don't foresee it going away anytime soon. I do my best. That's why I work so hard so I can just try my best and I don't to worry about it. But it is not easy. I can tell you guys that. So I love that you guys are really going out of your way because a lot of what we have done down here is ask the employers to step up. And it sounds like you guys did it without even being asked. You guys just knew that it was a need. And I think that's so beautiful. Again, coming from a place of authenticity and not, we're not here to make a million dollars.
Josh Schukman (35:45)
Right.
Jamie Mattingly (36:06)
We are trying to make some money, but I don't have to make, I don't have to have like a bunch of homeless people working for me because I'm a millionaire and they can't even afford to have, you know, to run a house in this where they're working. It's, it's a tough, I think it's a tough subject for all tourist towns right now, but I appreciate you guys touching on it. And I wanted to ask one more question about the podcast. Earlier in the show, you mentioned,
Josh Schukman (36:07)
Yeah.
Exactly.
Jamie Mattingly (36:30)
getting together with other properties that had other raw goods, will you guys be teaching that sort of process and how you guys, you know, the blueprint for how you guys did it?
Josh Schukman (36:38)
Yeah, absolutely. Raw goods will be one of the central lessons to the office dropouts framework. Totally. Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (36:45)
love it, because listen, everyone
wants to either own a bar or own a resort. So I think you guys have really hit something right there.
Josh Schukman (36:53)
I think
and and that's yeah, and and that's the key is you know It's not like Britton and I came from any sort of money or anything like that We that raw good process and connecting with people who had You know certain things that we wanted to tie into and creating a win-win deal I mean we made a deal that was good for all parties that has been a key to just being able to piece by piece
put this thing together. And in the startup world, they call it the lean startup, right? Testing your model, trying to find out your minimally viable products, so you're not dumping a ton of money or going out and getting a ton of debt with this idea you have until you've proven it and gotten people to actually pay you money for it. And so those will all be, yeah, big lessons about what we'll talk about, big nuggets that we'll talk
Jamie Mattingly (37:35)
Yeah, I think
it's like Mark Cuban is talking about like, yeah, you got the loan or you got the investment. It's like you're cheering. It's like, no, that means you need to get to work. I like your model better, you know, prove the concept, build it up. There you go. ⁓ so lastly, the last thing I want to touch on is what I know from, my side of this, which is, is, is hospitality marketing is that travelers are really seeking adventure.
Josh Schukman (37:42)
Yeah, yeah, it's intimidating. Prove it. Thank you.
Jamie Mattingly (38:03)
and authenticity. is on the rise, right? So Flathead Lake Resort definitely fits that model. And so I'm wondering how is it that you guys think Flathead Lake Resort is fitting into this shift towards authenticity and adventure travel?
Josh Schukman (38:21)
Well, the Airstreams would be one of the biggest things that comes to mind right away, because that's a unique experience. a lot of folks, this is the first time they've experienced an Airstream. For a lot of our guests in Airstreams, this is the first time they've ever experienced camping. And so it's a way for them to have the luxuries of a hotel, but get into that experience. And so that's one way that we've done that. The other big piece that we've done is we've made community connections. And this is a note that ties into a lot of what we've talked about, is our connection
Jamie Mattingly (38:33)
You
Josh Schukman (38:50)
with the community. we have, even though we're in a fairly remote area, we have a lot of great restaurants right by us. Technically they'd be within walking distance, but we don't recommend people walk along the highway, but you can get there really fast is the point. But there's some of the most well-known restaurants in our area and we have really good connections and relationships with them. We also, our former business partner had a market and a cafe out the road that had breakfast and coffee. We gave our guests certificates to go up there and get a free coffee, for example.
when we had an automated messaging system, we would message our guests to let them know about, we have a series of, we have really great live music in our town and actually our former business partner at the cafe would often have music. So we'd make sure to message all of our guests about the goings on there as well. And so those community connections have been a really powerful way to get people out and adventuring. One thing I always say, you know, coming back to our time on the road, we were full time on the road for four years.
Right. We went a lot of different places and this is the place we stopped. We did it for a reason. There are some amazing small towns. There are some amazing things to do here. And so using that raw good to create adventures for our guests has been one of our biggest wins, I would say. And just to tag on for 10 seconds to what he said. One of the things we do as a guest experience, I didn't mention earlier, I'm really glad you mentioned the automated messages and inviting people out to music in the town, but we have,
Jamie Mattingly (40:01)
I love that hit.
Josh Schukman (40:12)
with a 10 minute paddle board or kayak, we can take our guests, can paddle on the lake over to a local bar and Monday night margaritas and we'll buy our guests around a margaritas. And so that's another like local authentic lake life experience that we provide to people.
Jamie Mattingly (40:27)
And when you say you, you actually mean you take them across the lake?
Josh Schukman (40:31)
Like we'll go together as a little group or we'll meet them there if they don't want to. And we all just get a big table and first margarita is on us and, then everyone. Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (40:39)
I love that. I
was speaking to, I believe it was a GM of Four Seasons in South Florida. And he would do cigar with the GM every night at 5 p.m. or every night at 5 or 6 p.m. And so everyone who stayed there knew they could come down and have a cigar with the GM.
Josh Schukman (40:49)
love it. I love the movie. That's a lot of stuff.
Wow. That's perfect.
Jamie Mattingly (40:58)
That,
yeah, right? That one-on-one with the owner, well, excuse me, not the owner, with the GM at that point, but Four Seasons is a huge brand, so that's pretty, it's like the chef coming to your table, right? So I think that's so beautiful that you guys actually take your guests out, and I bet it's a big reason why you guys get repeat guests or guests that wanna stay longer than they maybe originally intended to. It's not just the location, it's the experience you guys are providing.
Josh Schukman (41:04)
Right. Right.
Absolutely.
Jamie Mattingly (41:21)
Awesome, well listen, I have really enjoyed this conversation. I've got one more question for you. This is more of a fun one, just given the whole vibe and look of the property. I'm wondering, and you guys can answer separately or together, if you guys could invite any two people living or from history to come spend a weekend with you guys at Flathead Lake Resort, who would it be and why? And what would you show them?
Josh Schukman (41:44)
Yes, I
am so glad that you asked this and you know, we had a little bit of time to prep and this is Josh's answer, but I would not change a thing about it. We would invite Mary and Martin, the original creators of this beautiful property, and we would take them into all the Airstreams and tell them the stories of where each Airstream came from and we would thank them for the opportunity and
Yeah, that's what we would do. And I would just love that so much. I'm getting a little emotional. I should say. You are because it's just like they had a vision and just being able to like build on that vision is amazing.
Jamie Mattingly (42:11)
And am I hearing a little bit of emotion in your voice?
That's so beautiful. mean, anyone listening, come on now, book it now. If you know, you could have said anybody given the air streams, it could have been anybody you guys could have had Willie Nelson out there with you for all I care. It would have been a great answer, right? But that's such a beautiful one to go back to the original owners. And I'm sure their kids and grandkids would agree and love to hop in there with you guys. So that's such a beautiful answer. Thank you so much for that. Yes, absolutely. Listen, I'm I get I'm so passionate. I'm super
Josh Schukman (42:24)
Yeah.
you
Thank you. Thank you for asking.
Jamie Mattingly (42:50)
So when I heard it, I was like, I'm not the only one. Yay. Thank you. I love it. So for anyone who is who is listening, first off, I want to remind you for like the third time, please go to their website, which I'm to have them share with you guys. And I'm also going to put it in the show notes. Check out their social media. And if you guys are looking for a summer vacation, definitely head up to Flathead Lake Resort. Go see Britton and Josh. It's absolutely going to be an amazing time. So for anyone who is listening, who does want to connect
Josh Schukman (43:01)
I'm
Jamie Mattingly (43:17)
Sign up for your email potentially get on the list for when the podcast comes out or to book a stay Where's the best way to find you guys?
Josh Schukman (43:25)
Yeah, guys can find us at Flatheadlakeresort.com and that's also Instagram at Flathead Lake Resort. And through our website, you will be able to find our office dropouts, podcasts and email.
Jamie Mattingly (43:37)
Awesome, well again, Britton, Josh, thank you guys so much. It's such an inspiring story. It's one I know that a lot of people are trying to inspire to. Everyone would love to drop out, get out of that cubicle. I think COVID changed the way that we work, the way that we think about work. And I think it's beautiful that you guys were actually ahead of the game on this and just in time to create this beautiful thing for people who are now probably more likely to hit the road. So I wanna congratulate you two on all your success on carrying,
Josh Schukman (43:49)
Yeah.
Jamie Mattingly (44:06)
carrying that torch for the next generation of the property. And I can't wait to get up there to see you guys. So again, thank you so much for joining me today.
Josh Schukman (44:13)
Jamie, thank you so, so much. We appreciate you. Thanks, Jamie.
Jamie Mattingly (44:16)
My pleasure,
my pleasure. So to anyone listening, if you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe for more conversations like this. And if you know someone who would make a great guest, we would love to hear from them. Please send them over to my website, DuvalStreetMedia.com, submit a ticket to be on the show. And remember, the best travel experiences don't just take us somewhere new, they change the way we see the world. So until next time, keep exploring, keep innovating, and keep making it an impact. Safe travels.