Harvest Hosts and Fresno Tavern join forces to support small businesses

A local business has joined a group that offers recreational vehicle travelers a place to stay across the country at the cost of a yearly fee.

Joel Holland, CEO of Harvest Hosts, said Fresno Tavern on U.S. Highway 2 west of Havre is now part of the network.

Representatives of the tavern did not respond to requests for comment.

Holland said Harvest Hosts is a network of small and local businesses, including farms, breweries, historical landmarks, and more. The project spans across America and hosts offer space to RVers to park.

The guests often purchase an item from the small business before departing, and the small business keeps all that income.

Holland said this is an amazing way for RVers to discover Montana’s best-kept secrets while supporting small businesses.

“Harvest Hosts is a network of over 5,000 small and local businesses across America,” he said. “In the case of Fresno Tavern, our guests will park and enjoy a meal, a couple of drinks, or both before sleeping in their RV overnight and departing in the morning for their next destination,” Holland said, “For just $99 each year, our members get unlimited stays overnight, and there are no extra camping fees.”

The company was started in 2010 by a couple who was inspired by their RV trip traveling across France. The couple brought this concept to America and created Harvest Hosts. Holland bought the company in 2018 after traveling across the U.S. in an RV and spending nights at some of these small businesses through Harvest Hosts.

“We’ve since grown the network from a few hundred hosts to over 5,000 hosts. I loved getting to see some of the country’s best hidden gems and local treasures that I wouldn’t have otherwise come across,” Holland said. “After my own experience with Harvest Hosts, I wanted to help others have the same incredible opportunities that I did.

“Our goal is twofold. First, we want to help small businesses find customers by turning RVers passing through towns across America, like Havre, into foot traffic,” he added. “Small businesses have had an incredibly difficult last few years, and we have hundreds of thousands of members that we’re directing into stores and onto farms across the country.

Holland said Harvest Hosts has helped generate more than $50 million in revenue for small and local businesses across America this year. Holland said.

“We take no money from our hosts, and there is no cost to become a host either. For these small and local businesses, it’s pure profit.

He said the second goal is to create unique overnight stays for RVers. Typically, RVers spend their nights on campsites, that is, if they can afford it or book one in time since it can be extremely competitive to book campsites, he said.

“If they want to avoid campsites,” he added, “RVers typically sleep in places like Walmart or Sam’s Club parking lots, or even on the side of highways.

“We want RVers to see that there are better alternatives to spending the night in a parking lot. They can create incredible memories of spending a night among the vines of a winery or waking up surrounded by alpacas or other animals at a petting farm,” he said. “If you’ve never met an alpaca before, they are incredibly friendly and memorable! We like to say, ‘People should spend more nights in wineries and fewer in Walmarts,’ and they should ‘choose rosé over rest stops.’”

Small business owners looking for more customers can go online at https://HarvestHosts.com . Click “Become A Host” at the top of the page. After filling out a short intake form, a member of the team will reach out.