Insider Perks Launches the Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index, the Industry's First Monthly Pricing Benchmark
Insider Perks Logo
New index tracks over 16,000 properties across the United States, establishing a Case-Shiller-style benchmark for campgrounds, RV parks, and glamping resorts
CLEVELAND, OH, UNITED STATES, April 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Insider Perks, an outdoor hospitality intelligence company serving the industry exclusively since 2009, today announced the launch of the Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index (OHPI) — the first standardized, monthly pricing benchmark for America's campgrounds, RV parks, glamping resorts, independent outdoor hosts, and public campgrounds.
The baseline issue, published today, establishes the OHPI at 100.0 using April 2026 data. All future issues will measure price movement relative to this baseline, providing the industry with a consistent, reproducible measure of what it costs to stay at outdoor hospitality properties across the United States.
"Hotels have STR. Real estate has Case-Shiller. Until today, outdoor hospitality had nothing," said Brian Searl, Founder and CEO of Insider Perks. "Every other major lodging segment has a standardized pricing benchmark that operators, investors, and analysts rely on to make decisions. The OHPI fills that gap for an industry that generates billions in annual revenue but has never had a way to measure its own pricing in a consistent, comparable way."
What the OHPI Measures
The index tracks pricing across seven distinct market segments using more than 2 million deduplicated pricing observations from more than 16,000 properties:
- OHPI Composite — Private campgrounds and RV parks ($100.88 weighted average per night)
- OHPI-RV — RV sites ($73.47 average)
- OHPI-Lodging — Cabins, cottages, yurts, and on-site accommodations ($193.14 average)
- OHPI-Tent — Tent campsites ($52.72 average)
- OHPI-Public — Federal campgrounds ($34.47 average)
- OHPI-Glamping — Standalone glamping properties ($304.37 average)
- OHPI-Independent — Peer-to-peer outdoor hosting ($84.17 average)
Data is collected from multiple booking platforms, property management systems, federal recreation databases, glamping marketplaces, and peer-to-peer outdoor hosting platforms. Each property, site type, and check-in date combination is deduplicated to the most recent observation, and properties appearing on multiple platforms are attributed to their primary booking system to prevent double-counting.
Key Findings from the Baseline Issue
The first issue reveals several findings that challenge conventional assumptions about outdoor hospitality pricing:
Waterfront drives premiums, not hookup type. Among parks offering multiple RV site types, the average price range within a single park is $50 between cheapest and most expensive sites. Waterfront sites command a 20.8% premium over standard sites and premium-designated sites command 18.6% — while pull-through versus back-in configuration adds only 8%.
The seasonal premium is a fraction of hotels. The OHPI's forward pricing curve — the first-ever full-year seasonal shape for campground pricing — shows July as the national peak at $107.45 and December as the trough at $94.69. The total seasonal swing is 13.5%. Hotels see 30-50%.
Holiday premiums barely exist. Memorial Day, the highest-premium holiday in outdoor hospitality, commands just 5.4% above regular weekend rates. Hotels routinely charge 30-50% on major holidays.
The private-to-public gap is nearly 3x. Private camping costs 2.93 times more than a comparable federal campground site — a ratio that will be tracked monthly as a measure of market displacement.
Standalone glamping prices 48% above listing. Real booking platform data shows standalone glamping properties averaging $304.37 per night — significantly higher than listing prices suggest. Glamping at traditional campgrounds averages $158.80, creating a measurable gap between the two product categories.
The Forward Pricing Curve
Unlike traditional industry reports that capture a single point in time, each OHPI observation captures the full seasonal pricing curve for the year ahead. The April observation includes check-in dates from April 2026 through March 2027.
"This is the feature that changes how the industry thinks about pricing data," said Searl. "When we publish the May issue, we can compare what July costs as observed in May versus what July cost as observed in April. That difference is real demand movement, completely isolated from seasonality. It's the same principle that drives futures markets — and no one has ever applied it to campground pricing before."
Built for Operators, Investors, and Analysts
The OHPI is designed to serve multiple audiences. Campground operators can benchmark their rates against national and state-level averages. Investment groups evaluating outdoor hospitality acquisitions can track market-level pricing trends. Industry analysts and journalists can cite a standardized benchmark when reporting on the sector.
A complete methodology document is published alongside the index, detailing data collection, processing, index construction, and all proprietary metrics. The methodology is available at https://insiderperks.com/ohpi/methodology.
"We're publishing the methodology because we want this to be cited, scrutinized, and trusted," said Searl. "An index is only as valuable as its credibility. Transparency is how you earn that."
About the OHPI
The Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index is published monthly by Insider Perks. The baseline issue and all future reports are available for free download at https://insiderperks.com/ohpi. The recommended citation format is:
Searl, B. (2026). Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Index (OHPI), April 2026. Insider Perks. https://insiderperks.com/ohpi
About Insider Perks
Insider Perks is an outdoor hospitality intelligence company focused exclusively on campgrounds, RV resorts, and glamping destinations. The company combines AI guest service, market intelligence, automation, AI-ready websites, and growth marketing into one connected system for property operators across North America. Insider Perks publishes original industry research including the Outdoor Hospitality Pricing Report, the AI-Ready Website Standard, and the industry's first Pricing Index. Founded in 2009 by Brian Searl, the company serves 500+ properties and operates Modern Campground, the industry's largest trade publication.
For more information, visit https://insiderperks.com. For media inquiries: hello@insiderperks.com.
Brian Searl
Insider Perks
+1 216-232-3132
email us here
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
