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How Borealis Basecamp Turned a 3-Month Northern Lights Airbnb into an 8-Month, $18M Revenue Machine
The Playbook: How to Turn a 3-Month Peak Airbnb into an 8-Month Money Machine
Seasonality isn't final.
And if you think it is, you just need to look at what Adriel Butler pulled off with Borealis Basecamp.
When Adriel created Borealis Basecamp, he wanted to build the ultimate aurora viewing experience. And he did, the bookings flooded in.
There was just one issue: they were mostly booking in three peak months, the best times to see the lights.
But instead of shutting down his Airbnb for most of the year, Adriel hatched a strategy.
That strategy boosted revenue and transformed a seasonal northern lights camp into a year-round Alaskan resort and brand.
Here's how he did it.
How Borealis Basecamp Flipped the Script on Alaska's Seasonality
The three moves Adriel made that changed everything:
Built something all-season proof—not just peak-season ready
The igloos and glass cubes weren't just cool—they were comfortable.
Heated floors. Curved ceiling windows. Insulation borrowed from Arctic research stations.
Adriel's fiberglass igloos and glass cube cabins have been upgraded to work for different seasons without sacrificing comfort.
Added experiences guests would travel for all year
This is the move that turned the Baseamp into a resort.
▪️ Dog sledding
▪️ Snowmobile tours
▪️ UTV excursions
▪️ Helicopter flightseeing
▪️ Reindeer meet-and-greets
▪️ Aurora photography packages
Each activity gave travelers a reason to book in different seasons.
One attraction became multiple booking triggers.
He launched restaurants that drive their own demand
Adriel actually built three restaurants in one.
Latitude 65 for fine dining.
The Pub for unwinding.
Basecamp Cafe for quick bites.
By creating a culinary destination, he solved the "where do we eat?" problem andgave locals a reason to visit year-round.
That's revenue that doesn't depend on an Airbnb booking.
The Results
Today, Borealis Basecamp is a popular experience-driven travel destination with curated experiences for every type of Aurora chaser. Here are the results:
✔️ 8 months of annual operation with ~90 peak nights
✔️ ~65% average occupancy (lows around 50%, peaks up to 80%)
✔️ $1,000–$1,600 average daily rate (peak nights up to $2,500)
✔️ $7.3M–$18.6M estimated annual rental income
✔️ $60M–$100M+ estimated valuation in under 10 years
Ready to see how you can optimize your short-term rentals to boost year-round bookings and revenue?
We broke down Borealis Basecamp's strategies and shared 6 hacks to boost year-round bookings in the full playbook.
(One of them is related to your listing copy and photos—an easy win.)
Cheers,
The Host Camp Team
