Choice Hotels to Acquire Harvest Hosts: What RV Travelers Should Know

Choice Hotels International — the lodging franchisor behind Comfort Inn, Quality Inn and other brands — announced on September 30, 2026 that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Harvest Hosts, the membership network that connects RV travelers with overnight stays at wineries, farms, breweries, museums and other attractions.

The announcement described an agreement to acquire 100% of Harvest Hosts from Stripes, a New York-based growth equity firm, and other shareholders. Harvest Hosts said the transaction was expected to close October 1, 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. In an October 1 announcement, Choice’s acquisition counsel, ArentFox Schiff, said Choice acquired 100% of Harvest Hosts. That is a closing account from a participant in the transaction, rather than a promise that every operational change is complete.

For the RV community, this is one of the more significant ownership changes in the membership-camping space in years — so here's what is actually known, straight from the companies involved.

What Choice Hotels Announced

Choice describes Harvest Hosts as a community-oriented RV travel membership company with more than 11,200 host locations. The acquisition extends Choice's long-standing focus on value-minded travelers into outdoor and RV travel.

Harvest Hosts’ acquisition help page says roughly two million Choice Privileges members participated in RV travel in the prior 12 months — which it describes as a natural overlap between the two communities. That is an attributed announcement-era figure, not a current membership count.

The stated plan is to combine Choice's scale, commercial capabilities and loyalty reach with Harvest Hosts' network, deepening engagement with existing members and introducing more travelers to Harvest Hosts.

What Harvest Hosts Is Telling Members

According to Harvest Hosts' own help center, the announced plan was to continue operating as a standalone business within the Choice Hotels portfolio, preserving its brand, product experience, leadership, and direct relationships with members and hosts.

Harvest Hosts said its brand name would remain, no broader integration into Choice's hotel operations was being announced as part of the transaction, and Joel Holland would continue to lead with the existing leadership team in place. Those are the companies’ stated plans, not a guarantee against future changes.

In other words: at the time of the announcement, the companies said membership, hosts and day-to-day operations would stay as they were. As with any acquisition, the practical details members care about — pricing, program terms, and any future loyalty tie-ins — are the things to watch over the coming months.

How Harvest Hosts Works

For readers who haven't used it: Harvest Hosts is an annual membership that lets self-contained RV travelers stay overnight at participating host locations — wineries, farms, breweries, golf courses, museums and more — rather than traditional campgrounds.

Members book stays through the platform, arrive in a self-contained rig (you need your own facilities, as hosts generally don't provide hookups or restrooms), and are encouraged to support the host business during the visit. Its sister program, Boondockers Welcome, covers stays on private property.

If you've been considering a membership, you can learn more through our referral link: Harvest Hosts.

Why a Hotel Company Wants an RV Membership Business

The logic is straightforward: many travelers split their trips between hotels and RVs, and Choice's own data shows its loyalty members over-index among RV travelers. Owning Harvest Hosts gives Choice a foothold in outdoor travel without building campgrounds, and gives Harvest Hosts access to a much larger traveler audience.

Whether that eventually means Choice Privileges points earning or redeeming at host locations, bundled memberships, or simply cross-promotion, has not been announced. We'll update this story when concrete program changes are confirmed rather than speculating.

What Members Should Watch

StrangerPalooza will continue following this story and will update this article as the companies confirm details that affect members and hosts.

• Member-facing updates following the closing account, including any changes to membership pricing or plan tiers.
• Potential Choice Privileges integration — earning or redeeming points through Harvest Hosts stays.
• Updates to host terms, since host participation is what makes the network valuable.
• Communication from Harvest Hosts directly — the company says it will keep its direct relationship with members.