Recast: Sky Mitchell on succeeding in modern hospitality
September 2, 2026
In this recast episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens sits down with Sky Mitchell, Founder and CEO of Basecamp Resorts. From getting fired and using a car loan to buy her first piece of land to building a $600 million hospitality empire, Sky shares her remarkable journey of entrepreneurship. Listen as she discusses her approach to staffing, the development of her new Everwild Nordic spa concept, sustainability initiatives, and her candid advice for aspiring entrepreneurs to succeed in the modern hospitality landscape.
In this recast episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens sits down with Sky Mitchell, Founder and CEO of Basecamp Resorts, to discuss her remarkable journey from being fired to building a thriving modern hospitality enterprise in Western Canada.
Sky shares the story of how getting fired after just 27 days at her "dream job" led her to make a bold decision never to work for anyone else again. Using an unexpected $38,000 from a BMW financing deal, she purchased her first piece of land in Canmore, Alberta — the future site of the first Basecamp Resort. Through determination and creative financing, she transformed that initial investment into what is now a $600 million hospitality company.
Throughout the conversation, Sky offers insights into her business philosophy, from hiring "people smarter than you" to her approach to sustainability and the development of the Everwild Nordic spa concept. She also shares candid advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, emphasizing that starting a business requires total commitment and cannot be treated as a "side hobby."
What you'll learn:
How adversity can spark entrepreneurship and lead to unexpected opportunities- Creative approaches to raising capital when traditional financing isn't available
- The importance of hiring people smarter than yourself in areas where you lack expertise
- How to develop new hospitality concepts like the Everwild Nordic spa to enhance guest experiences
- Practical ways to incorporate sustainability into both construction and operations
- Why entrepreneurship requires complete commitment and "jumping off the cliff"
- How to match team members' skills and desires with business needs for optimal results
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Episode Highlights:
[00:00] The $38,000 gamble - The episode opens on the moment that started it all: a BMW dealership buyback offer Sky turned into seed capital. "I end up with a check for $38,000 from Bimmer. And I'm like, done, sold, give me the loan, I'll take the check... and I'm gonna take that check and buy a piece of dirt in Canmore, which is the land where the first Basecamp Resorts now sits."
[04:03] The origin story - Sky recounts how getting fired after just 27 days at her "dream job" led her to vow never to work for someone else again. "I got walked out of that office with one of those brown boxes, and see ya later... I went home that day and I was like, absolutely never on the face of this earth am I going to work for someone again." That land purchase became an $8 million project, now grown into a $600 million enterprise.
[09:10] The Everwild renaming lesson - Sky shares why Basecamp's Nordic spa concept isn't called Wildwood, its original name: the trademark wasn't available in the US. "If you're ever starting a business, check the name, check the name again, get a lawyer, it's worth the money." A practical lesson wrapped inside the story of how Everwild's thermal-cycle spa concept came to life.
[13:52] Commitment to sustainability - From land acquisition through construction and operations, Sky details Basecamp's approach to environmental responsibility. "We always endeavor to replace what we've taken out, if not more. So in the case of this spa here, there's actually gonna be a lot more trees than we took out." The company also pursues Built Green certification, sources sustainable materials, and partners with Protect Our Winters.
[17:46] Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs - Sky offers candid advice to aspiring hospitality entrepreneurs: "There's no right time. So just do it." She emphasizes that entrepreneurship requires complete commitment: "It's not a side hobby. There's no side hobby if you're starting a business." Sky acknowledges entrepreneurship isn't for everyone, but for those who know it in their soul, she encourages them to take the leap.
Chapters:
00:00 - The $38,000 gamble that started Basecamp
02:54 - Introducing Basecamp Resorts and its brands
04:03 - Getting fired and buying land in Canmore
08:02 - Hiring philosophy: building a 300-person team
09:10 - The Everwild Nordic spa story
13:52 - Building sustainability into every project
17:46 - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs
If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, rate and review it on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Instructions on how to do this are here and follow us on LinkedIn so you never miss a moment!
Hotel Moment Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so
Previous guests include: Shannon Knapp, CEO of Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), Patrick Norton of Brittain Resorts & Hotels, Shawn Jereb of Montage International, Carlo Del Mistro, Chief Digital Officer of Ennismore, Jason Pirock of Springboard Hospitality, and many more.
Are you a hospitality industry leader with insights to share? We're always looking for innovative voices to join our conversation about the future of hospitality technology.
If you'd like to be a guest on an upcoming episode of Hotel Moment, we'd love to hear from you! Our podcast reaches thousands of hospitality professionals worldwide, and we're particularly interested in perspectives on:
- Innovation in hospitality technology
- Guest experience transformation
- Revenue optimization strategies
- Emerging industry trends
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