Behind the Stays From Pilot to Expansion: How Arcana is Scaling a Nature-Driven Hospitality Brand
Meet Jeremy Hill, Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana — a next generation nature resort complete with seasonally immersive science-based experiences that help guests feel nature’s true restorative powers.
In this return episode, Jeremy shares what’s changed (and what hasn’t), plus Arcana’s biggest leap yet: a newly acquired 56-acre property that gives the brand the zoning, septic capacity, and infrastructure required to scale — without diluting the Arcana promise.
In this conversation, Jeremy and I discuss:
- How Arcana performed in the real world after launch (and why the early guests helped propel the waitlist)
- What the team learned from the pilot site — from cabin entrances and guest flow to privacy, operability, and experience design
- The truth about “tiny cabins” and how Arcana thinks about unit size, outdoor space, and central amenities
- What Jeremy’s acquisition checklist looks like (proximity to a major city, the right zoning, and why septic is everything)
- How Arcana is repositioning an existing, cash-flowing resort with seven cottages and two houses into an Arcana-level experience
- Brand strategy: how to expand into new sites while still honoring the flagship brand promise (and when a sub-brand might make sense)
- How Jeremy is weighing construction loan options (traditional bank vs private lender) and the realities of taking on debt in Canada
- The longer-term vision: Arcana across North America, what an exit could look like, and why consistency is the superpower in experiential hospitality
Arcana is targeting a summer 2027 opening for the fully repositioned property.
Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn
Behind the Stays is brought to you by Journey — a first-of-its-kind loyalty program that brings together an alliance of the world’s top independently owned and operated stays and allows travelers to earn points and perks on boutique hotels, vacation rentals, treehouses, ski chalets, glamping experiences and so much more.
Your host is Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. If you are a hospitality entrepreneur who has a stay, or a collection of stays with soul, we’d love for you to apply to join our Alliance at journey.com/alliance.