Sky McLean on succeeding in modern hospitality

In this engaging episode of Hotel Moment, Karen Stephens sits down with Sky McLean, 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:

[03:43] 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. With an unexpected $38,000 from a car financing deal at BMW, she purchased her first piece of land in Canmore, Alberta — the future site of the first Basecamp Resort. Starting with no job and limited funds, she raised $2 million from friends and family to finance the $8 million project, which has since grown into a $600 million enterprise.

[07:41] Building an effective team - As a new founder with no hotel experience, Sky prioritized hiring people smarter than herself in areas where she lacked expertise. Her first two hires were an operations manager and an accountant, forming the foundation of what has grown to a 300-person team. Sky emphasizes the importance of matching people's skills and desires with the company's needs, and treating employees the way she would want to be treated.

[08:49] Expanding into wellness tourism - Sky shares the evolution of Everwild, Basecamp's Nordic spa concept that offers guests a thermal cycle experience of hot, cold, rest, repeat. Originally intended as a hotel expansion on surplus land, the spa concept grew into a distinct brand offering authentic wellness experiences. With one spa under construction in Canmore, another in Fernie, and several more planned across Canada and potentially the US, Everwild represents a significant growth vector for the company.

[13:31] Commitment to sustainability - From land acquisition through construction and operations, Sky details Basecamp's approach to environmental responsibility. This includes replacing more trees than are removed during development, using sustainable and recycled building materials, pursuing Built Green certification for new buildings, and carefully selecting environmentally responsible guest amenities. The company also participates in tree planting initiatives and partners with Protect Our Winters.

[17:26] 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 can't be a side hobby. Sky acknowledges that entrepreneurship isn't for everyone due to the stress involved, but for those who know in their soul they're entrepreneurs, she encourages them to take the leap and trust their ability to figure things out along the way.

Chapters:

00:00 - Intro

02:10 - Welcome to Sky McLean

02:43 - Introduction to Basecamp Resorts

03:43 - Sky's entrepreneurial origin story

07:41 - Building an effective hospitality team

08:49 - The Everwild Nordic spa concept

13:31 - Sustainability initiatives

15:41 - Investment opportunities

17:26 - Advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

19:18 - Outro

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.

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.

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