At some point in everyone's life, we're drawn to wonder what it would be like to just be on our own.
It could be for a brief period of time. "Man, if I could only just get away for a week" or "I just need a day away from people."
For others, it could be significantly longer.
Several in the latter category have fulfilled their need for solitude as firewatchers working for local, state and national agencies. They can spend months on their own in lookout towers and cabins, watching for signs of fires that threaten forests and people.
I just read a story in the New York Times about how the U.S. Forest Service is looking to expand its use of cameras and related technology to monitor for signs of fires, retiring its teams of human lookouts.
It's a fascinating story that goes over the history of fire spotters, who live in watchtowers in forested areas on their own. They're provided the cabin or tower to live in and some equipment to aid them as they watch for fires, but much of what they have with them is what they carry. They often have to walk deep into wooded areas and/or up hills and mountains to reach their homes for the summer.
Along with the story, there are amazing photos of the cabins and towers as well as the views they have of their surrounding areas.
Naturally, I thought, "Wouldn't it be great to stay in one of these, even for just a short amount of time?"
And as it turns out, as pointed out in the story and a quick Google search later, there are several towers and cabins available to rent, mostly across western U.S. states.
Given that these structures are on public lands, most are rented out through the U.S. Forest Service, but some are available through agency rentals.
Closely recreating such an experience through private ownership likely wouldn't generate a sufficient return on investment. When perusing the different cabins and lookouts available, I didn't find any that cost more than $100 night.
I'm not sure how much a hotel company could reasonably charge if you're asking guests to trek through the woods and climb up a hill, all while having them carry their own bedding, water, food and other necessities.
Still, there's sure to be some kind of demand for it. Aside from the rentals the U.S. Forest Service handles, there are numerous treehouse rentals across the U.S. and in international locations. Similarly, there are plenty of cabin rentals all over the place.
Even if it's not a lookout tower, there's absolutely demand from people who are just trying to get away from everything and everyone just for a little while. Whatever form that takes, there's opportunity for hoteliers.
You can reach me at bwroten@hotelnewsnow.com as well as Twitter and LinkedIn.
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