What does it take to build a boutique hotel from the ground up while staying true to your values?

In this episode of the Radical Hospitality Podcast, Zeke Freeman was interviewed by Isaac French, founder of Live Oak Lake, for an honest conversation with Isaac's community about developing The Red Hotel, a 22-room boutique hotel in Morrison, Colorado, just 1.4 miles from Red Rocks.

Zeke walks through the full journey. A contingent land contract, a planning board denial after nearly a year of work, town halls and door knocking that turned the project around, power delays, inspection setbacks, and the real numbers behind a roughly $7 million build. Then the conversation goes deeper. Zeke shares how a season of burnout, a hard week of phone calls, and a tragedy in his own community reshaped the way he thinks about design, family, and why the spaces we build matter.

What You'll Learn

• Learn why a land contract contingent on site plan approval can buy you time and reduce risk on raw land
• Discover how town halls, door knocking, and simply asking "what does this town want?" turned a denial into an approval
• Understand the real cost breakdown of a 22-room boutique hotel, from land and soft costs to FF&E
• Explore how an SBA 504 loan, investor equity, and a debt signer partner came together to finance the project
• Hear why The Red Hotel is designed as a base camp that connects guests to local guides, trails, and Red Rocks
• Find out how setting boundaries for family actually earned Zeke more respect from clients

There's a lot packed into this one, from deal structure to the deeper why behind hospitality. Grab a coffee and listen to the full conversation.

Connect with Isaac French:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isaacjfrench/
Website: https://www.liveoaklake.com/
Website: https://www.isaacjfrench.com/

Zeke Freeman's new book, Radical Hospitality, is now available.

The book explores how to build cool stuff, serve a lot of people, and create lasting wealth, and how hospitality can be the vehicle for all three.

For more information about the book: https://radicalhospitality.life/

Grab the free Radical Hospitality Starter Kit → root-ad.com/starter

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

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Two summers in, the biggest lesson from Lost Fork Base Camp is that guests will tell operators what they built, if operators are willing to listen.

In this episode of the Radical Hospitality Podcast, Zeke Freeman walks the property on Guanella Pass with Skyler Moore to see how the project has evolved since they last sat down at the start of operations. Skyler shares why they pulled the camping, why the RV sites underperformed, and how A-frames built on the existing RV hookups became a guest favorite. They talk through what worked better than expected, like the community fire pit, the shared grill, and a buffalo grass lawn that keeps people on site all day. He's also candid about what he'd change, from digital thermostats to the studio layout. And they look ahead at the next phase: nine more acres, thirteen more A-frames, and a venue space for weddings and gatherings.

What You'll Learn

• Learn why mixing campers and luxury cabin guests created friction, and what replaced the campsites
• Discover how hot tubs became both the top operating expense and the top reason guests book
• Understand the small design choices Skyler would repeat, like concrete floors and quality windows, and the ones he wouldn't
• Explore how shared amenities like the fire pit and grill turned into the social heart of the property
• Hear how Lost Fork balances on-site managers, third-party management, and automated check-in without hovering over guests
• Find out how weddings, concerts, and a writers' retreat are shaping the next phase of growth

If you're building or running a small hospitality project, this is an honest look at what happens after opening day. Give the full walkthrough a listen.

Zeke Freeman's new book, Radical Hospitality, is now available.

The book explores how to build cool stuff, serve a lot of people, and create lasting wealth, and how hospitality can be the vehicle for all three.

For more information about the book: https://radicalhospitality.life/

Grab the free Radical Hospitality Starter Kit → root-ad.com/starter

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

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What if future guests could help fund a hospitality project before construction is complete?

In this episode of the Radical Hospitality Podcast, Zeke Freeman is with Mark Pecota, founder of LaunchBoom, to explore how hospitality developers are using crowdfunding and pre-booking campaigns to generate capital, validate demand, and build an audience long before opening day.

Mark shares how LaunchBoom evolved from launching consumer products on Kickstarter into helping boutique hotels, glamping resorts, and experiential hospitality concepts raise significant pre-booking revenue through guest deposits and discounted future stays. Together, they discuss the mechanics behind hospitality crowdfunding, the role of renderings and storytelling, how developers can test market demand before building, and why some projects generate hundreds of thousands of dollars before a single guest checks in.

For anyone exploring creative alternatives to traditional debt and equity financing, this conversation offers a practical look at a rapidly growing funding strategy.

What You'll Learn

• Learn how hospitality crowdfunding differs from traditional investor-backed fundraising.
• Discover how pre-booking campaigns can generate revenue before a property opens.
• Understand why small guest deposits can become powerful indicators of market demand.
• Explore how renderings, visuals, and storytelling help sell an experience before construction is complete.
• Hear how hospitality projects like Cosmos generated over $1.9 million in pre-bookings through crowdfunding.
• Learn how developers can use pre-launch data to refine concepts and reduce risk before construction begins.

Listen to the full conversation for practical insights on crowdfunding, guest demand validation, and innovative hospitality funding strategies.

Connect with Mark Pecota
Website: https://www.launchboom.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markpecota/

Zeke Freeman's new book, Radical Hospitality, is coming this September.

The book explores how to build cool stuff, serve a lot of people, and create lasting wealth, and how hospitality can be the vehicle for all three.

Join the waitlist: https://radicalhospitality.life/join

Grab the free Radical Hospitality Starter Kit → root-ad.com/starter

Connect with Zeke Freeman:
Instagram: @zekefreeman_rootarchitecture and @rootarchitecture
YouTube: @rootarchitecture
Facebook: @RootArchitectureandDevelopment
LinkedIn: Zeke Freeman
X/Twitter: @zfreemanroot

Ready to get started with your hospitality project?
https://root-ad.com/

Get in Touch: Stay connected with the Radical Hospitality podcast for more episodes exploring the intersection of architecture, design, and unforgettable guest experiences.

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