The Bear Ate My Toilet Paper: Tales From Remote Lodge Management S1E5

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Remote lodge management combines breathtaking natural experiences with challenging operational realities that most people never consider. Running a wilderness property demands mastery of logistics, staffing, seasonal finances, and safety protocols while still delivering exceptional hospitality.

• Logistics rule everything in remote settings – a delayed toilet paper shipment due to a bear sitting on it exemplifies the unpredictable supply challenges
• Staff management requires creating a cohesive culture when employees live and work together in isolation with limited amenities
• Remote teams need more than management – they need community-building activities like themed karaoke nights to maintain morale
• Most lodges generate 100% of annual revenue in just 12 weeks, requiring disciplined financial management
• Safety protocols must be comprehensive as managers are liable even in wilderness settings
• Despite challenges, remote properties command premium rates ($500+ for glamping tents) and deliver bucket-list experiences
• Successful wilderness hospitality professionals combine grit with exceptional problem-solving skills and a sense of humor

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
If you've ever dreamed of running a beautiful
lodge in the middle of nowhere,today's episode is for you.
Welcome to Hospitality.
Didn't Come where hospitality,adventure and business collide.
I'm Rob Powell, entrepreneur,adventure traveler and
hospitality instructor at theUniversity of Arkansas
Hospitality Management Program.
You know the fantasy themountains, the sunrise, the

(00:25):
wildlife, the spreadsheets.
Wait, what am I?
I don't think spreadsheets arereally in that fantasy.
But yes, turns out, paradisestill runs on inventory, labor,
scheduling and enough duct tapeto hold together a three-season
plumbing system.
Let's talk about what reallyhappens when you're managing a
remote lodge and why it's one ofthe toughest and most rewarding

(00:49):
gigs in hospitality.
Let me start with logistics.
They rule everything Now in thecity.
If you forget to order linensor something like that, excuse
me, supplier delivers the sameday.
One call, they're there In aremote operation.
Forget to order linens, theyarrive on the next barge if the

(01:11):
lake's not frozen and the pilotdoesn't get distracted by a
moose.
True story I once had ashipment of toilet paper delayed
because a bear sat on it.
Literally the entire palletFlattened bear walked away very
satisfied.
My guests not so much.
The lesson here plan likeyou're prepping for winter on

(01:31):
game of thrones.
The second point and this is acritical one is staffing.
It's a function of recruiting,housing and sometimes stand-up
comedy.
When you hire for a remotelodge, you're not just filling
positions, you're forming acampfire cult.
Staff live on property, oftenbunked together, and share

(01:52):
exactly one communal Wi-Firouter that works when the wind
blows east or it decides toactually operate.
Now let me tell you a storyhere.
I was contracted with thiscompany that had a lodge deep in
the Rockies.
It was a beautiful place, totaldead zone.
Staff shared bunk houses, onemicrowave and that mythical
Wi-Fi router that only worked ifyou stood on one leg and

(02:15):
whispered into a pine cone.
She was bright-eyed,spreadsheet-ready, hospitality
school top grad.
On day four she called me in apanic Rob, I think I'm losing
the staff.
They've formed factions.
One guy keeps calling himselfthe cabin king.
Turns out the breakfast cook.

(02:38):
A 19-year-old ski bum namedTyler started holding impromptu
cabin meetings with chants likeno eggs, no peace.
Morale was unraveling, staffwere bickering about chores,
roommate assignments and whoused the last of the oat milk.
The Wi-Fi was down again andsomeone had locked the staff
fridge with a personal bike lock.

(02:58):
So what does Sarah do?
Intelligently, she throws akaraoke night.
Intelligently, she throws akaraoke night.
Not just any karaoke full theme, lumberjack legends, plaid
shirts, pancakes and a rule thateveryone had to sing or clean
the bathrooms for a week.
By the second round of Bon Joviand Dolly Parton, the whole
place was in tears, laughing,hugging.

(03:19):
Someone even proposed a newlodge constitution.
From then on, every Saturdaywas karaoke night.
Morale went up and Tyler hebecame head of the guest
activities still calls himselfthe cabin king.
Moral of that story is remotelodge teams don't need just
management, they need cultureand they need laughter.

(03:40):
Every once in a while they needto sing Jolene and flannel
pajamas.
Now, if you don't do thesethings, if you don't build a
tight culture, if you don't givefolks breathing room and, of
course, occasionally throw in akaraoke night, you're not
managing, you're refereeing.
I tell all my University ofArkansas students remote GMs are

(04:03):
part therapist, part cruisedirector and part hostage
negotiator and somehow stillsmiling at the breakfast buffet.
The third point I want tomention is seasonality, or
budgeting for bipolar weatherand, of course, revenue.
Most of these lodges run hotfor 12 weeks and hibernate for
the rest of the year.

(04:23):
Let me translate that thatmeans you make 100% of your
money in one quarter.
You spend the next nine monthstalking to your accountant and
questioning your life choices.
Now, great operators.
They will bank profitsaggressively, they will prepay
for future repairs and they getreally, really good at their
spreadsheets.
One operator I knew ran awhiteboard labeled July equals

(04:46):
champagne, february equals ramen.
The fourth point is safety andreliability, and this one's Very
serious.
You have to sleep with one eyeopen.
If you're deep in the woods orextremely remote, you are still
liable.
Wilderness medical training isa must.
Risk protocols have to beairtight and, yes, you'll file a

(05:11):
state report if a guestattempts to pet a buffalo, and
I'll tell you right now.
They always do.
Here's a pro trip, here's a protip.
Train your staff like you're,preparing them for both
hospitality and search andrescue, because some days it
will be both.
Despite all of this, it's worthit.

(05:34):
The stories, the guests, themargin.
These properties deliver highADR.
They deliver premium packagesand built in bragging rights.
Guests pay top dollar for aroom, a view and a sense of
survival.
You're not just hosting them,you're helping them cross off
something off their bucket list,and it's not just fulfilling.

(05:56):
It's profitable.
Next week I'm going out toreview a glamping setup in the
hill country of Texas.
They're getting close to $500ADR for a tent.
Let me tell you I'm anxious tosee that one.
The bottom line here running aremote lodge is like climbing

(06:19):
Kilimanjaro every season Only,instead of altitude sickness,
you battle supply chain delays,frozen pipes and staff who
forgot to lock up the cooler andlet the raccoons in again.
But if you've got grit,curiosity and the ability to
smile while holding a plunger,this might just be the best job

(06:40):
in the world.
I hope you enjoyed this.
Look forward to seeing you nexttime.