Harvest Hosts buys Escapees RV Club

[Diesel Pusher]

The son in law and daughter of the founders of Escapees RV Club have sold (what appears to be) the Escapees and Xscapers membership data base to Harvest Hosts. Escapee mail forwarding, RV parks and SKP co-ops are not part of the deal. From my business experience, having been involved in acquisitions, mergers and consolidations, they are never good for the consumer! Watch for a ramped up email marketing campaign from Harvest Hosts/Boondockers Welcome!

 

[Neemer]

I don’t understand this. They sold only their membership database? What does that give them? More email addresses to spam?

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

“After much emotional reflection and heartfelt discussions about what is best for our members, we, the Carr family, are writing to inform you that the management and operations of Escapees RV Club’s membership, support services, educational programs, and events will be transitioning to the Harvest Hosts family. This transition excludes the Escapees Mail Service and Escapees RV Parks, which will remain under existing management and ownership.”

Here is a link to the press release:

https://escapees.com/harvest-hosts-transition/

 

[Diesel Pusher]

I don’t understand this. They sold only their membership database? What does that give them? More email addresses to spam?

Exactly!

 

[DennisT]

Maybe that is why I just got an email from Harvest Hosts with a discount to reactivate my membership.

Now listing they have over 9300 locations.

 

[Rich W.]

And a mail forwarding service…

 

[MemoriesByTheMile]

Harvest Hosts is NOT acquiring the mail service. Escapees is keeping that and some other assets.

 

[Rich W.]

Harvest Hosts is NOT acquiring the mail service. Escapees is keeping that and some other assets.

Thanks for the correction - I mis-read the OP. My traveling habits have changed over the years and I’ve found that while HH is a great resource, they are no longer of use to me so I dropped my membership. These days Escapees looks to be more my style.

 

[Diesel Pusher]

I don’t understand this. They sold only their membership database? What does that give them? More email addresses to spam?

The email marketing has begun! I've never, ever received email from Harvest Hosts before yesterday and then again this morning, offering a 25% discount if I sign up through Escapees. The emails highlight HH spots with electric, water and multiple nights..... I always though they were boondocking for one night only? Time to adjust spam filters!

 

[Diesel Pusher]

Email below was recieved January 8, 2025. Fourth paragraph in, it's stated no price increase, stated currently as $49.95. Eighth paragraph, the annual price increases to $179. We're not interested in HH so I guess we'll not be renewing our Escapees membership!

Hello Escapees,
I hope you’re all settling into the New Year. I’m excited for 2025, and I’m already planning my RV adventures for the coming year—including a fun- filled week in Tucson, AZ for Escapade 2025! It’s been about six months since we acquired the Escapees RV Club, and in that time, we’ve been hard at work making sure this wonderful community continues to thrive. We’re doubling down on giving our Members more value—without raising costs—and today, I’m thrilled to share some of what we’ve been planning for you.

First, I want you to know we’re 100% committed to supporting and growing the Escapees community. We truly believe life is better when you find your community and have a strong support network, and Escapees has always embodied that spirit. To help build on that legacy, I’m excited to announce that Chris Smith has joined us as the new Senior Director of Community & Events. Chris brings over ten years of experience from FMCA, where he served as Executive Director & CEO for eight of those years. He’ll be working closely with the team of 18 Escapees employees who joined Harvest Hosts, and with our broader resources, to keep strengthening and growing Escapees. Please join me in giving him a warm welcome, and be sure to say hello to Chris in-person at Bash!

Next, I’m happy to report that we’re not changing the price of an Escapees membership - it’s still just $49.95. In a time when many companies are charging more for less, we want to go the other way. We’re determined to add more value to your Escapees membership while keeping costs the same.

With that in mind, we’re focusing on three key initiatives for 2025, all designed to bring even more value to Escapee Members. These improvements will be launching in March:

 Rebuilding the Escapees Website & Membership Portal: We’re updating the technology behind Escapees and making it more intuitive, so you’ll find it easier than ever to sign up for events, locate community groups, find discounts and benefits, and more. We’re also integrating the Escapees membership portal with our Harvest Hosts platform, so the tens of thousands of Escapees members who are also Harvest Hosts or Boondockers Welcome members will be able to access all of their memberships with a single sign-on and a unified dashboard. And by this summer, Escapees features will be available in the Harvest Hosts mobile app, so you can easily stay connected and manage everything on the go. It’s going to be a really awesome experience — we can’t wait to show you!

 Launching an Expanded Escapees Campground Discount Program: Next, we’re combining the Escapees Campground Discount Program (~500 active locations) with our existing CampersCard network (~1,100 locations) to create an awesome network of more than 1,500 campgrounds that offer members discounts and benefits. We’re going to call this network the “Harvest Hosts Campground Partners” program. Every Escapees or Harvest Hosts member will automatically have access to these discounts and benefits when it launches in March.

 Including Escapees in the Harvest Hosts All Access Membership: Lastly, we’re going to be adding Escapees to our All Access plan, which means you’ll get access to everything Escapees offers, plus nearly 6,000 Harvest Hosts locations, over 3,600 Boondockers Welcome sites, our new Campground Partners program with ~1,500 locations, and discounts on CampScanner — all in one membership with one log-in for just $179/year. By adding more RVers who share the same passion for adventure, we expect the club to grow by ~20%, all while keeping the same core values that make Escapees so special. These new members are fellow RV enthusiasts just like you, and together, we’ll continue to enhance the overall community experience. We’re truly excited to roll out this new combined option and bring the power of Escapees, Harvest Hosts, and Boondockers Welcome together in one easy-to-use program.

And don’t worry — you won’t need to do anything special when these changes roll out. We’ll automatically combine memberships and apply credits where needed, as long as you use the same email across your Harvest Hosts, Boondockers Welcome, and Escapees accounts. We’ll send more details soon, but for now, I just wanted to let you know what’s on the horizon. We hope you’re as excited as we are!

Finally, we’re looking forward to celebrating this next chapter of Escapees together. If you’ll be in Arizona for Escapade in March, I hope you’ll stop by so we can toast these exciting updates in person. Thank you for being part of the Escapees family — we truly appreciate you and can’t wait to show you everything we have in store.

Safe travels and happy camping!

Joel Holland
CEO & Chief RVer