GuideTime's Hospitality Expansion
GuideTime Enters Travel Tech, Outdoor Hospitality with 15 Strategic Partnerships and DMO Platform
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GuideTime, an outdoor booking platform founded in Missoula, Montana, has signed its first 15 hospitality partners across the United States, marking a major shift from a consumer app to a full travel technology company Street Insider. The partners include hotels, resorts, campgrounds, and RV resorts, all of which can now offer guests bookable outdoor experiences — like fishing, rafting, and guided hikes — directly through their properties.
The announcement also includes a new platform built specifically for Destination Marketing Organizations, or DMOs — the regional groups that promote tourism for cities and towns. CEO Sam Jankovich said the company's vision has "evolved beyond helping travelers discover outdoor experiences" to "building technology that helps hospitality operators connect guests with curated experiences" Cold Lake Sun.
From Montana Guide Tool to National Travel Tech Player
GuideTime started in 2020 as a simple reservation tool for fishing and hunting guides. Founder Danilo Jankovich built it to give small outdoor businesses the back-office tools they lacked. The company raised a $500,000 seed round in February 2024 to grow its booking marketplace Sault Star. By early 2026, it had a network of over 700 tour operators and outfitters across the country.
The 15 hospitality partnerships were onboarded over a 90-day window from March to May 2026 Stratford Beacon Herald. Key partners include Lark Hotels, which has added the platform across four properties, Imprint Hospitality across five destinations including Amigo Motor Lodge, and CRR Hospitality starting with Savannah Lakes RV Resort. GuideTime collects a 15% commission on each booked trip.
Hotels Bet on Outdoor Experiences to Win Over Guests
Lark Hotels CEO Peter Twachtman said travelers now seek "meaningful experiences that connect them with the destinations they visit." He credited GuideTime with helping properties show off authentic local activities. Lark plans to expand the platform across its full hotel portfolio after its initial four-property rollout Fort Saskatchewan Record.
This trend is spreading across the industry. In late 2025 and early 2026, Marriott Bonvoy launched an "Outdoor Collection," Hilton partnered with AutoCamp, and Hyatt teamed up with Under Canvas Cold Lake Sun. The US outdoor hospitality sector has surpassed $20 billion in annual revenue. The global glamping market grew at a 12.5% annual rate between 2020 and 2025.
New DMO Platform Turns Tourism Websites Into Booking Engines
GuideTime's new DMO tool lets cities and regions do more than just advertise. Instead of pointing visitors to a generic webpage, DMOs can now offer real-time, bookable itineraries directly on their own sites Street Insider. That shifts a DMO's role from mass promotion to what experts call "experience architecture" — building actual trip plans people can book in seconds.
The platform also helps small local guides get discovered. Outdoor recreation makes up roughly 4.8% of GDP in states like Colorado. By funneling hotel guests directly to local outfitters, GuideTime acts as an economic boost for small towns near national parks and forests Sault Star.
Critics Raise Concerns About Commissions and Crowded Trails
Not everyone is cheering. Some traditional guides may resist the 15% commission and the shift away from the informal, handshake culture of the outdoor industry Stratford Beacon Herald. Competitors like CaptainBook and Bókun offer low or zero commission models on direct bookings, giving some operators a reason to look elsewhere.
Environmental researchers also warn that seamless app-driven booking can push more visitors into remote areas, creating congestion and harming ecosystems. Making it easier to book a guided hike into a backcountry trail is good for business — but it may add pressure to land that federal agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service are already struggling to protect Fort Saskatchewan Record.
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