{"podcast":{"title":"Behind the Stays","slug":"behind-the-stays-3506810","podcast_index_feed_id":3506810,"rss_url":"https://feed.podbean.com/behindthestays/feed.xml","website_url":"https://www.behindthestays.com/","image_url":"https://pbcdn1.podbean.com/imglogo/image-logo/10635360/BTS-Artwork-1400x1400.jpg","author":"Zach Busekrus","episode_count":383,"summary":"Welcome to Behind the Stays — a podcast that shares the stories behind your favorite boutique hotels, short-term rentals, and hospitality brands and the hosts, operators, and entrepreneurs who’ve brought them to life. Every Tuesday and Friday you’ll meet the military veterans, retired flight attendants, tech entrepreneurs, school teachers, single moms, hoteliers, and real estate investors who are all, in their unique ways, shaping the future of travel and hospitality. Discover how these visionaries — from all over the world — have built stunning landscape hotels in the mountains, designed bohemian bungalows on the beach, erected eclectic off-grid and nature-immersed escapes, and so much more. Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more. And I’m your host, Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. Alright friends, enjoy the show!","last_synced_at":"2026-09-12T02:22:44.365150+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-stays-3506810"},"episode":{"title":"She Left Chicago, Bought 160 Acres, and Built a Glamping Retreat Business That Sells Out in Hours","slug":"she-left-chicago-bought-160-acres-and-built-a-glamping-retreat-business-that-sells-out-in-hours","published_at":"2026-09-02T02:38:03+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-stays-3506810/she-left-chicago-bought-160-acres-and-built-a-glamping-retreat-business-that-sells-out-in-hours","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-stays-3506810","url":"https://behindthestays.podbean.com/e/she-left-chicago-bought-160-acres-and-built-a-glamping-retreat-business-that-sells-out-in-hours/","audio_url":"https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/njesm5wz5brkprfm/BTS_349b5qdl.mp3","summary":"Check out Lodgify claim your exclusive discount: https://www.lodgify.com/behind-the-stays/ — In just a moment you'll meet Lauren Blanford from Lost Woods — a glamping retreat and event property built on 160 acres of northern Michigan that started with two bell tents, a porta potty, and homemade bagels hand-delivered at sunrise. Lauren and her husband Jason were living in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood, raising young kids, feeling like two ships passing in the night. They put their condo up for sale, found a property they wanted to buy, and were ready to make the leap. Then COVID hit — the exact week the world shut down. The condo had already sold. The other deal fell through. Everything they owned was in storage. They had no home and no plan B. So they started over. The original vision had been an event barn, but gatherings weren't happening anymore. They shifted gears, came up to northern Michigan on vacation, and found 160 acres of land with views that took their breath away. They bought it and started building something from scratch — slowly, deliberately, with whatever resources they had left. What's happened since is one of the more compelling small-scale hospitality stories I've come across. Lauren walks us through how guest feedback reshaped her entire business model — from glamping stays to themed retreats that now drive almost everything. Reading retreats that sell out instantly. A romance novel retreat built around a bookstore that opened in their tiny town. Mother-daughter camps that filled in a day. A perimenopause retreat that was born from a literal conversation at the dinner table during a previous retreat. We talk about the decision to close the business Monday through Thursday this summer so she could actually be present with her kids, how she w…","meta_description":"Check out Lodgify claim your exclusive discount: https://www.lodgify.com/behind-the-stays/ — In just a moment you'll meet Lauren Blanford from Lost Woods…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":2607,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/behind-the-stays-3506810/episodes/she-left-chicago-bought-160-acres-and-built-a-glamping-retreat-business-that-sells-out-in-hours/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/behind-the-stays-3506810/she-left-chicago-bought-160-acres-and-built-a-glamping-retreat-business-that-sells-out-in-hours.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}