Editor's note: Each month, we'd like to introduce you to one of our wonderful Glamping Hub hosts and what inspired them to create a glamping site. This month, we have Gail, who manages this fairy-tale luxury cottage in West Glacier, Montana, and these stunning tree houses in Whitefish, Montana.
1. When was the first time you heard the term glamping?
Yes, several years ago.
2. What inspired you to have your own glamping site?
I grew up with memories of a tree house! I was raised in Pennsylvania in the 60s, and my father was a contractor who built thousands of single-family homes. He always had scrap lumber around the house. With his help, my siblings and I built a rough tree house in an oak tree near our home.
Our tree house was a place that I could visit and anything was possible. It was a place without limitations where my imagination could run free. If I wanted it to be a rocket ship, a castle, or a mansion in my mind, it was. As a child in that tree house, nothing was impossible.
Our original tree house was very basic, but it fueled my desire for a "real" tree house, which wasn't fulfilled until I turned 58! This past fall, we started construction on Snow Bear Chalets—the world's first ski-in/ski-out tree houses!—which are located five feet from the slopes at Whitefish Mountain Resort in Whitefish, Montana.
3. If you could describe your property or the glamping experience you offer in three words, what would they be?
Whimsical, luxurious, and unique.
4. What was your first glamping /camping experience?
Our tree houses!
5. Why would you recommend people to go glamping?
It opens up a whole new way to travel.
6. What should people expect when they come to your glamping site?
Expect to smile a lot!
7. What makes your property unique?
We are the world's first ski-in/ski-out tree houses.
8. What’s your favorite part about owning a glamping property?
Being able to stay here when it's not booked!
9. What makes your property eco-friendly?
We kept the trees on the property and built around them, as well as used the best environmentally-friendly products in construction, maintenance, and cleaning.
10. Anything else you’d like to add?
I'm passing on the tradition! When my five-year-old granddaughter first set foot in the turret of one of the tree houses, she went to the window, grabbed her hair and asked me to open the window. When I asked her why, she looked at me like I was clueless and said, "How can my prince climb the tower if I don't throw my hair down?" The magic and love of fairy-tale tree houses along with the belief of infinite possibility has been passed on to the next generation.
Book Gail's gorgeous Montana cottage and tree houses here, here, here, and here. You're sure to love our unique Montana getaways, too!
