Mark Simpson breaks down why Codie Sanchez's Enchanted Tents glamping business doesn't add up. Two bell tents on cheap Oklahoma land promised $32,000 a year, but the Airbnb listing is now deactivated and the marketing strategy funneled guests through Airbnb's 15.5% commission instead of building direct bookings.
Cody Sanchez says she has turned unwanted land into a cash flowing Airbnb business. This was dirt cheap unwanted land. That is why it's perfect for a glamping business. One acre, two tents, fairy lights, and a spreadsheet that promised $32,000 a year. Sounds amazing, right? But the problem is when something looks too good to be true on YouTube, it usually is. And when I started digging, the numbers, the operations, and even the listing itself told a very different story. So stay with me because the breakdown gets messy and ends with a big question. If this was such a good business, why has or why was the Airbnb listing deactivated? And if you want to grow your business so it's profitable and here to last and not for a YouTube thumbnail, check out the link in the description below as I'll send you to where you can register a space on my online workshop to show you how to grow your business to 65% direct bookings and stop relying on Airbnb. All right, let me be clear. I like Cody Sanchez. Her content is sharp, her Instagram is epic, and I've actually seen her on stage. She is a brilliant speaker, charismatic, and knows how to capture attention. And when I smell bs, I have to call it out. And this glamping project, Enchanted Tents in Oklahoma raised a lot of red flags. So let's dive in. In her video, Cody walks us through the perfect story. Buy unwanted land for just $7,500 an acre. Spend around $22,000 total to build it out with two Instagram worthy tents. List them on Airbnb around about $150 a night and boom. $32,000 annual revenue with a nearly 50% ROI. It's a dream and it makes perfect for YouTube content. But YouTube edits, spreadsheets and fairy lights don't run your business. Real guests, real maintenance and real demand do. Number two was the marketing spend. Now this is something that really made me sit up when I was watching it. Cody proudly shared how they spent $3,500 on marketing the property with professional photography, with postcards, with QR code. They spent $1,000 with influencer stays and and social media and blog outreach. This sounds impressive. It looks like they have a real growth plan. And this is because Cody Sanchez knows marketing. So here's the fatal flaw. Every single click went straight back to Airbnb. So not only did they pay Facebook, Instagram, Google, and they also paid those influencers. They handed Airbnb 15.5% commission on every booking. That's like buying Customers and then immediately giving them away. Any operator will tell you the number one rule is to build direct booking traffic. Otherwise you are building Airbnb's business, not your own. Okay, so now I wanted to zoom out. So I, I did. I look within a 50 mile radius of Keystone Lake. This is where these tents were. And I wanted to look for real operators who are running profitable glamping sites. I found Prairies End the that offers luxury cabins with full kitchens and wedding packages. I found Tabor Rock that has domes with air conditioning which is key for that part of the world. Hot showers, wi fi and year round capacity. I found Free Ponds Retreat which runs retreats and yoga weekend. These operators scale with multiple units. They upsells, they do events. Meanwhile, over at Koji Sanchez's tents, there's two canvas tents, Porter Potties and a hammock. Now again, the context is Cody Sanchez was just getting started. But this was flawed from the beginning. Anybody who has actually run a glamping business knows that bell tents don't last. And the YouTube comments back me upon that, even if you don't take my word for it. Go back to Cody's video, go into the comments and look at what the real operators are saying. They were calling her out. No showers. Guests will only ever stay there one night. They will not repeat book. These weren't trolls. These were hosts like you and me who have lived the reality of Airbnb and short term rentals. And this is why it is so keen that everybody who is watching that video thinking, hey, I should give this a go. Look at what the real operators have to say here. And this is what the operators know. Glamping isn't a fairy light Instagram business. It's sweaty, expensive and operationally intense. And here's the kicker. The Airbnb listing, Cody Sanchez's business that she's proudly showed off on that YouTube video. It's gone. I spent a couple of hours digging, cross checking and I finally found the old link, but it's been deactivated. I even reached out to Laurie, who was the co host who was running the Airbnb listing. But no reply. And I'm still waiting for response on Instagram. So. So ask yourself this. If this project was truly a gold mine, why has the listing vanished? Why is the proof offline? Influencer videos are built to entertain and Cody is fantastic at it. But entertainment isn't entrepreneurship. The lesson don't believe influencer spreadsheets. Always check market data, build real infrastructure and never outsource your marketing to Airbnb and the OTAs. Otherwise you're chasing fairy lights instead of building a business. So what do you think? Did this glamping project quietly fail or is there another story here? Drop your comments below. I would love to chat to you about it. And Cody, if you are watching, I would love to see your comments below. Now, if you have loved this video and you want to find how to build an actual real hospitality business that is on YouTube your land, not on Airbnbs, click on this link below and YouTube will take you to the next video. Click on that link below as well in the description. It will take you to the workshop and I'll see you next week.
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