Building a Scalable Outdoor Hospitality Brand Through Franchising | Brian Linton E36

In this episode of the Hotel Investor Playbook, Mike and Nate sit down with Brian Linton, co-founder of Finding Promised Land, Camp Ferncrest, and The Rex Hotel. Brian shares how he transitioned from building a $20M apparel company to launching one of the fastest-growing outdoor hospitality brands in the U.S.

Key Topics:

• How a rundown motel purchase during COVID led to a hospitality empire
• Navigating zoning issues, STR restrictions, and neighborhood pushback
• What to look for in land: acreage, utilities, proximity to population, and state parks
• Why owning your business outright may beat raising capital
• How Brian is using a franchise model to scale Ferncrest to 100+ sites
• The power of social media: growing to 350K+ followers and millions in revenue

Whether you’re an investor, a landowner, or just glamping-curious, this episode is packed with insights on how to scale a meaningful hospitality business without sacrificing ownership or creativity.

About Brian

Brian is the founder of Finding Promised Land, a hospitality and education company helping landowners turn underutilized land into profitable glamping retreats. After building United By Blue into a $20M sustainable apparel brand, he transitioned into outdoor hospitality with The Rex Hotel and Camp Ferncrest. Now focused on scaling Ferncrest through a franchise model, Brian is on a mission to make nature-based stays more accessible, profitable, and thoughtfully designed.

Connect with Brian

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianlinton/

Website: https://findingpromisedland.com/

Instagram: @findingpromisedland & @campferncrest

Connect with Mike and Nate:

Invest with Mike & Nate: malama-capital.com/invest

Instagram: @the_hotel_investor_playbook

Contact Us: [e-mail]