From Pilot to Expansion: How Arcana is Scaling a Nature-Driven Hospitality Brand

Meet Jeremy Hill, Co-Founder and CEO of Arcana — a next generation nature resort complete with seasonally immersive science-based experiences that help guests feel nature’s true restorative powers.

In this return episode, Jeremy shares what’s changed (and what hasn’t), plus Arcana’s biggest leap yet: a newly acquired 56-acre property that gives the brand the zoning, septic capacity, and infrastructure required to scale — without diluting the Arcana promise.

In this conversation, Jeremy and I discuss:

• How Arcana performed in the real world after launch (and why the early guests helped propel the waitlist)
• What the team learned from the pilot site — from cabin entrances and guest flow to privacy, operability, and experience design
• The truth about “tiny cabins” and how Arcana thinks about unit size, outdoor space, and central amenities
• What Jeremy’s acquisition checklist looks like (proximity to a major city, the right zoning, and why septic is everything)
• How Arcana is repositioning an existing, cash-flowing resort with seven cottages and two houses into an Arcana-level experience
• Brand strategy: how to expand into new sites while still honoring the flagship brand promise (and when a sub-brand might make sense)
• How Jeremy is weighing construction loan options (traditional bank vs private lender) and the realities of taking on debt in Canada
• The longer-term vision: Arcana across North America, what an exit could look like, and why consistency is the superpower in experiential hospitality

Arcana is targeting a summer 2027 opening for the fully repositioned property.

Learn more about Arcana

Connect with Jeremy on LinkedIn

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Your host is Zach Busekrus, Head of the Journey Alliance. If you are a hospitality entrepreneur who has a stay, or a collection of stays with soul, we’d love for you to apply to join our Alliance at journey.com/alliance.