For this Fireside Chat, we caught up with Heather from Campfire Bay Resort to hear how her family has grown a Minnesota resort rooted in connection, community, and memorable guest experiences.
About Campfire Bay Resort
Campfire Bay Resort is a family-owned resort located on Fish Trap Lake in Cushing, Minnesota, in the Brainerd Lakes Area. The property offers lake-level and lakeview cabins, with units ranging from one to four bedrooms and all located close to the shoreline.
The resort is built around classic Minnesota lake experiences, including fishing, boating, swimming, organized activities, and plenty of space for families and groups to gather. Guests can also enjoy amenities like the lodge, gift shop, coffee shop, game room, rec center, sandy beach, water activities, spa/salon services, and event space for weddings, retreats, receptions, and group stays.
Campfire Bay Resort truly is a family operation. When Heather and Brian purchased the resort in 2002, it was just the two of them handling the many moving pieces of the business. Today, their kids have stepped into full-time roles, helping carry the resort into its next chapter.
Heather shared that guests often tell them they come back because of the people behind the resort. That personal connection is something she and Brian have worked hard to build, and it’s something they are intentionally passing down to the next generation.
Over the years, the family has continued to reimagine what Campfire Bay can be. The resort has grown far beyond a traditional cabin resort, with new experiences, expanded amenities, and more ways for guests and the local community to gather.
One of the most meaningful parts of that growth is how Campfire Bay has become a “third place” for guests and the local community. Heather explained that many people used to have three core spaces in their lives: home, work, and a third place for social connection. Since COVID, many people have lost that ever-important third place.
Campfire Bay has intentionally created a welcoming, family-friendly space where guests and community members can gather, relax, and feel comfortable.
That mission is a huge part of what makes the resort special.
Background: Day-in-the-life
For Heather and the Campfire Bay team, no two days look the same. Depending on the season, guests, and events on the calendar, a typical day might include:
- Helping guests check in and get settled
- Answering reservation questions
- Preparing for weddings, retreats, or community events
- Managing the coffee shop and gift shop
- Coordinating maintenance around the property
- Updating marketing, newsletters, or social media
- Walking the property and connecting with guests
- Jumping in wherever the team needs support
That variety is part of what makes resort ownership rewarding, but it also means the team has to stay flexible, organized, and ready for anything.
Challenges: We All Have Them
Running a resort like Campfire Bay requires a little bit of everything: operations, maintenance, marketing, guest service, accounting, staffing, technology, and long-term planning.
Heather was honest about the highs and lows that come with operating a guest-focused, family-run resort. Here are a few challenges that stood out from the conversation:
🙋 Wearing All the Hats.
From reservations and guest service to maintenance, marketing, accounting, staffing, and long-term planning, resort ownership touches almost every part of the business.
💬 Hard Guest Conversations.
The highs come from helping people feel seen, heard, rested, and connected. But the lows often come from moments when a conversation does not go the way you hoped, someone feels misunderstood, or there simply is not a perfect solution. As Heather puts it, those moments can sit with you.
👨👩👧👦 Balancing Family and Business.
For years, Heather and Brian worked long summer days, took separate days off, and only really connected for a short window at night before starting all over again.
⛵ Making Rest Intentional.
In the last few years, they have become more intentional about carving out 48 hours away from the property, often heading to a sailboat they keep near Lake Superior. Heather’s advice was simple but powerful: prioritize scheduled rest. Especially in hospitality, it rarely happens by accident.
What Helped Campfire Bay Grow?
Heather shared several things that made a bigger impact than she initially expected.
Building the lodge
The lodge became a turning point for Campfire Bay. Beyond creating a better reception area, it gave the resort a true gathering space and helped support new revenue opportunities through merchandise, coffee shop sales, events, retreats, weddings, and larger group stays.
It also elevated the first impression for guests. When people arrive and walk into a warm, polished space, it immediately sets the tone for the rest of their stay.
Rebranding the resort
Heather also shared that rebranding had a bigger impact than expected. While it can be hard to separate the impact of the lodge from the impact of the name change and rebrand, she said they saw both guest feedback and a noticeable spike in reservations and overall business.
Investing in video and social media
A few years ago, Campfire Bay worked with a friend who is a cameraman for the Minnesota Vikings to capture video content for the resort. It was a larger investment than Heather expected, but the results helped take their marketing to another level.
The resort saw growth in social media followers, and Heather said the content helped elevate the way people saw the property online.
Word of mouth, newsletters, and direct bookings
When asked which marketing platform works best, Heather’s first answer was word of mouth. Campfire Bay has built a strong base of repeat guests who recommend the property to friends and family, while their newsletter helps drive loyalty, promote subscriber-only deals, and fill slower periods.
One of the most impressive pieces? Campfire Bay has been able to maintain strong occupancy without relying on OTAs. Heather credited word of mouth, repeat guests, newsletters, and the ability to choose their own specials instead of constantly paying a third-party commission.
As Heather put it, “nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.”
Working with rezStream
Campfire Bay Resort recently completed a new website project with rezStream, and Heather shared positive feedback about the process.
She said the website kickoff and review process went well, noting that the rezStream team was responsive, quick to make updates, and easy to work with.
“You guys did a fantastic job,” Heather said. “You were Johnny on the spot with it and got it fixed.”
Heather also shared that Campfire Bay had previously left rezStream for another software provider wanting to try some different functionality at the time. But after working through ongoing bugs, glitches, and reliability concerns with that system, they began evaluating other options again.
After looking at several systems, Campfire Bay returned to rezStream.
The biggest reason? Reliability – in its workflow, easy-to-use interface, and customer service.
For a resort with cabins, events, boats, a coffee shop, retail, spa services, guest communication, and plenty of day-to-day operational needs, dependable technology focused on simplifying lodging operations matters. Heather explained that her team relies heavily on visual tools like the calendar/occupancy map, along with features like the dashboard, a visual POS interface, reservation tools, letter templates, and reporting.
While she was clear that no system is perfect, she said rezStream Cloud is the best fit for their resort.
That kind of feedback is exactly why these conversations matter. It gives our team a chance to hear what’s working, where we can improve, and how our tools support real properties with real operational complexity.
Join the Conversation
A huge thank you to Heather and the Campfire Bay Resort team for joining our Fireside Chat and sharing such thoughtful, honest insight into their business.
Campfire Bay is a great example of what makes independent lodging so special: family ownership, personal hospitality, creative growth, community connection, and a deep commitment to helping guests make memories.
We’re grateful for the opportunity to support properties like Campfire Bay Resort and to keep learning from the people who know this industry best.
Interested in learning how rezStream helps independent resorts, hotels, inns, and campgrounds simplify operations and increase direct bookings? Explore our reservation software, booking engine, digital marketing, and website solutions today.
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