A gap in the market
Guests are stuck choosing between bare-bones campgrounds and expensive lodges. Ara sits in the open middle: premium outdoor stays at an accessible price.
Partner with Ara
Build the path with us.
A new kind of outdoor hospitality brand, taking root at the center of one of the country's fastest-rising adventure regions.
Why Now
Central Appalachia is having a moment.
Long celebrated by the outdoor enthusiasts who knew where to look, the region is now drawing national attention, fueled by the New River Gorge National Park designation, growing investment in adventure tourism, and a wave of travelers seeking an alternative to crowded western parks. Ara Retreats is positioned at the center of that momentum.
- 2020 New River Gorge becomes the nation’s newest national park
- 30 curated sites across four ways to stay, RV to hot-tub tent
- 1st of a planned network of Ara retreats across Appalachia
The Opportunity
Why this works.
Premium, not exclusive
Four ways to stay, from full-hookup RV to hot-tub tent, widen the addressable market instead of narrowing it. Everyone is invited down the path.
A brand, not a campground
A repeatable standard of warmth and design, built from day one to travel to the next property and the next.
Operators at the helm
A founding team with finance, operations, and hospitality in their hands, backed by an advisory bench that has built outdoor hospitality in West Virginia before.
Who's Building It
People who pitch the tent themselves.
Karissa
Co-Founder
Karissa brings financial discipline and hands-on hospitality experience to Ara. She owns a fractional CFO firm serving small businesses, so she knows what it takes to build a financially durable operation from day one. Earlier in her career she was a federal auditor reviewing SBA loan programs at the Office of Inspector General, and she has seen the inside of hospitality business plans from every angle.
She has been an active camper and RV owner for over a decade, and her early career included managing campground operations. She knows the guest experience as both an operator and a regular at the campfire.
Collin
Co-Founder
Collin is an operations engineer with more than 20 years in federal technology and defense, including nearly two decades of military service. He approaches Ara the way he approaches every complex system, with discipline, precision, and an eye for what can go wrong before it does.
His background in DevSecOps, short-term rental operations, and restaurant management means he is as comfortable designing the guest experience as he is running the infrastructure behind it. Like Karissa, he has been a serious camper and RV owner for years. Ara is as much a personal passion as it is a business.
Advisory Bench
Ara is guided by a bench of four operators with more than forty years of combined experience, including the founders of an operating West Virginia glamping destination, a veteran short-term rental operator, and a long-time restaurateur.
- 4 advisors
- 3 disciplines
- 40+ years combined
- West Virginia glamping and hotel development
- Short-term rental operations
- Restaurant and guest service
Let's talk.
We're in conversation with a small number of aligned partners. If Ara resonates with you, we would love to hear from you.