The community will be built on the edge of the Under Canvas Grand Canyon Junction property, away from the attractive campgrounds.

The campground itself is essentially a luxury resort – except with towering canvas tents instead of buildings and cabins.

Under Canvas Chief Marketing Officer May Lilley explains:

Under Canvas to provide a “glamping” experience to guests who pay $200 or more per night and provide access to a private bathroom, cafe-style dining, and a brand new Lu Lu Lemon yoga mat and block for leisure use. employs approx. 60 people per place. This season they hope to hire 54 people.

Under Canvas employees perform all the tasks typical of a job in the hospitality industry, from front desk check-ins to culinary arts. The difference is that you literally work under a canvas (tent) and immediately have the opportunity to sleep under the roof provided by the company.

Coconino County head of development Jay Christelman said it was an unusual move and he doesn’t get many requests of this kind at his desk.

“There are very few requests for employee dormitories. Generally the county receives very few requests for these, especially since they are not in close proximity to public transportation,” added Christelman.

Transit isn’t really an issue for this particular project. According to Dan McBreaty, Chief Development Officer of Under Canvas, employees will be able to use the shuttle to commute.

“It has a lower carbon footprint and a lower burden on employees,” says McBreaty. He also explained that there are plans to set up shuttles from employee residences to off-site facilities such as grocery stores and pharmacies.

In addition to Grand Canyon vacations, the 10-year-old boutique camping company has more than 11 locations from coast to coast, including Zion National Park, Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone.

Across all locations, McBreaty said the company is helping employees secure housing. The Coconino County location is one of two locations he had to build housing on the same site as the luxury camp.

“They were having a really hard time finding housing for their employees,” says Christelman. “Applicants said they didn’t have this problem elsewhere, but the lack of affordable housing in the county forced them into it.”

According to McBrearty, housing is one of the things that sets Under Canvas apart. It’s a strategic move, but it doesn’t always have to be built from scratch.

“Finding housing is a difficult prospect…in Northern Arizona. [Providing housing] This gives our employees the opportunity to move from place to place without the extra burden of finding housing,” said McBreaty.

Glamping is seasonal, so you don’t have to staff each location year-round.

As a result, Under Canvas tends to attract younger employees, many of whom are international or domestic college students with vacancies for the summer. Temporary housing is people who can pose a problem, even in places where housing options are more abundant than they actually are. Barre.

“Being able to provide that housing allows us to help them get into the market and arrive very smoothly. It also provides a community with other employees,” McBreaty said. says.

According to Under Canvas, employees should be able to arrange to stay in housing year-round, even when their respective camps are closed.

He is interested in hiring more locals to bring more first-hand experience and personal knowledge to working with guests in places like northern Arizona.

“It’s always great [employees] We can talk not only about monuments, but also about what is in the area. Even this particular overlook and particular hike. If it’s within reasonable bounds of a national park, that’s great,” he said McBreaty.

McBrearty said Under Canvas is looking forward to welcoming new employees, regardless of where they come from, and hopes that they will consider the property to be like a home.

Christelman said Under Canvas has not yet submitted a permit application. It may not happen until spring.

Employee housing communities must be built in close proximity to Valle Airport’s runway and comply with FAA distance and fencing regulations, Christelman said.

Like campgrounds with limited water use and a focus on alternative energy wherever possible (the Bryce Canyon site is solar powered), Under Canvas has the environment in mind, according to Lilley. I would like to continue development on .

“In addition to our passion for the outdoors, a common theme is that our workforce resonates with our positioning around the mindful approach philosophy,” Lilly said.

McBreaty said the campground is “carefully developed” to minimize water usage. He said he hopes some of that will be reflected on the employee housing site as well.

Ultimately, McBreaty said, investing in employee housing makes sense for Under Canvas.

“We enter this year looking ahead like everyone else. I’ve seen it strongly, want it, prioritize it, and I think that’s the driving force,” McBreaty says.

As a leader in its field, established lifestyle brand Under Canvas is optimistic about the future of luxury outdoor tourism post-COVID-19, said Lilley.

“One of the unknowns that we are seeing at our Grand Canyon site is the return of international traffic. There are early signs that the currency is volatile, but the exchange rate is clearly volatile,” Lilly said.

Either way, the company is in good shape to operate the 161-acre lot west of the airport.

“We’re seeing very few, if any, applications for employee housing on the premises,” Christelmann said, but the housing crisis in Flagstaff and Coconino County has forced businesses other than boutique hospitality to close. may start looking for clues. From Undercanvas.

“It would be interesting if this was the beginning of a trend!” Christelmann said.