Today we’d like to introduce you to Jan Roundy. Them and their team share their story with us below:
Jan and Scott Roundy are the owners of Escalante Yurts, a luxury glamping site located just 1½ miles north of the beautiful little town of Escalante, Utah. The town is situated on scenic byway 12 in the heart of the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. Escalante Yurts is sandwiched between Bryce Canyon National Park and Capitol Reef National Park. Construction on the yurt glamping sites began in May of 2016, and our first guests arrived in April of 2017. Since our luxury yurt sites opened, we have had visitors from almost every state and multiple foreign countries.
Scott and Jan were raised in a small town in Idaho. While in high school, Scott met and fell in love with Jan. They married and moved to Utah to attend University and eventually welcomed a girl and then a boy into their family. Scott graduated with an accounting degree and did whatever he could to NOT work as an accountant. He bought a landscaping business and they settled in northern Utah. He also spent 20 years at Deer Valley Ski Resort as a snowcat driver during the winter seasons.
Jan worked as an office manager for a busy orthodontist in Park City, Utah. Scott and Jan lived in a beautiful part of the world and enjoyed their careers and raising their children. They had no reason to change anything. With their children grown, they began to settle into life being empty nesters. But then Scott’s dad Jerry would drop a hint now and then about Scott buying the house in order to keep it in the family. Scott and Jan never imagined the changes that were coming their way in their future luxury yurt camping business.
One weekend in 2015 they were visiting Jerry and Sherree in Escalante, and the subject of Scott buying the house came up. Not being in a position to buy a second home, Scott assured his dad that someone would buy the house and do something really fun with the house and the property. On the ride home, Scott said to Jan, “What if it was us? It should be us that does something fun with it.” The rest of the car ride home was spent speculating what we might do, if we would like to do it, how we would pull it off. Could we pull it off? Certain that we would get a “no” from the bank or the county or some other entity, we could say that we gave it a try and it didn’t work. Then we could go back to our lives and not worry about it again. Obviously, everyone gave us a “yes” for making a family-friendly vacation spot with luxury yurts! The county thought it was a great idea! The City of Escalante allowed us to purchase a water meter and connect to city water! And most importantly, the bank said yes!
We have never worked harder in our lives, nor have we been happier! What began as a lot of hard work eventually turned into a labor of love. We love our little slice of heaven and hope you love it too.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There are always bumps and bruises along the way. Budgets never go as far as you want them to, and construction never goes as quickly as hoped. Being in a remote location presents its own challenges, and there were many car rides to get construction supplies. Most things can be shipped in, but many of the furnishings in the yurts required a trip to Salt Lake City.
We’ve been impressed with Escalante Yurts, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We are the owners of Escalante Yurts. It was one of the most incredible decisions of our lives to move to Escalante to start a hotel. We had been in the medical, business, and landscaping fields, but never in the hospitality industry. What a wonderful journey. The learning curve was one of severe twists and turns, but looking back, We wouldn’t change it. We now manage 7 yurts on 20 acres and specialize in all things hospitality from marketing to accounting. I love reaching out to the world and sharing our beautiful little place it in with them! We offer a beautiful experience of hiking, relaxation, and wonder!
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Working with us is easy! Come visit! Share your experience, and keep our beautiful Utah beautiful. Take care of it and allow others to enjoy it.
Contact Info:
- Website: Escalanteyurts.com
- Instagram: escalante_yurts
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/escalanteyurts
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC02fSHe9T3v7IS3igyoQPaA
