Would you pay to sleep in Taylor Swift’s bed? Rent her tour bus
The pandemic upended our lives, our business models, and our creative structures, leaving us with no option but to find innovative ways to survive. Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift herself released her newest album Folklore, borne out of the lockdown isolation & storytelling, without any of her usual promotional shenanigans. She announced the album release one day on social media & that was that.
It’s worked out well for her – Folklore has been sitting at the helm of the Billboard 200 for the fourth week in a row. The album’s also gathering rave reviews. It hasn’t missed people’s ears that the album is set apart from her previous ones in its departure from a sense of haste. The 17 songs in her album pair acoustic guitar and piano seamlessly, with enough long spaces to bask in the “hygge” they create.
With this album, Swift is making the best use of the worst circumstances, as she was forced to cancel all her 2020 performances due to the lockdown. She spent quality time with her cats, reportedly FaceTimed with friends on a weekly basis, and donated to her fans who were having a hard time with the pandemic.
She may have inspired others around her to be creative too, as a Tennessee RV firm by the name of Hemphill Brothers has found creative ways to stay afloat.
The last great American RV?
Since a number of singers had to cancel their gigs & tours due to the pandemic, Hemphill Brothers are cashing in on the fans’ obsession with celebrity souvenirs & opening up the celebrities’ idle tour buses to the public for rental arrangements. Brothers Trent & Joey Hemphill have come up with this idea to keep their business running as all tours seem to be on a halt for the foreseeable future.
Hemphill Brothers Coach Company has been in servicing celebrity tour & travel for 40 years, including the likes of Beyoncé, Dolly Parton, Lady Gaga, Oprah, Cher, among others. Now, the public can rent these luxury RVs for $2,000 a night.
They shared in a statement, “Each time we convert a bus, we push ourselves to come up with a better way to do things. Each build is extremely custom, and no two are the same. When you mix years of bus building knowledge and experienced carpenters with new technology and updated materials, we all win in the end.”
Why the steep amount?
There’s no denying that $2,000 a night for non-celebs sounds steep – and might have you living a sleepless night for that amount – but the commensurate facilities & amenities seem to justify the cost. As Joey Hemphill puts it, “We want our buses to have the latest and greatest. We strive to keep up with technology and equip our coaches with the luxuries and ease of home.”
They make good on this promise, too. These million-dollar RVs aren’t just like any other trailer, they’re mansions themselves. They come with six bunks plus a queen bed in the rear, a fully-equipped kitchen, entertainment systems, and a bathroom with a shower. The usual fixtures – doors, windows, and pop-outs – are capable of electronic operation. Talk about comfort!
In addition to just living in the RV, you can also add a customized trip to the offer, with a driver who’ll take you anywhere in the continental United States. The brothers are on top of things when it comes to precautionary measures, too. They’re getting the drivers tested & the buses sterilized before each trip.
Considering that the RVs usually serve celebrities, it’s not surprising that Joey Hemphill claims that the drivers are the best in the world. He adds, “They’ve driven the biggest music artists in the world, so they know who to interact with people and give them a smooth ride and then give them their space when they need it.”
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If you’re looking for a breezy, fancy getaway, this is your getaway car (pun intended).
