ack in the early 20th century, Michigan City, Indiana, was home to some of the biggest tour boats on the Great Lakes. But by the late 1930s, they had all disappeared, and for decades no one brought them back. Then, thirteen years ago, Vic Tieri decided to take a gamble on that gap. With a background in hospitality and a love of the water, he launched Harbor Country Adventures with a single speedboat and one bus offering winery tours in the area. HCA has grown into a thriving business with two tour boats (including a 150-passenger vessel), jet ski and kayak rentals, luxury buses, and even a summer concert venue. We spoke with Vic about the challenges of operating on Lake Michigan and how BookingCentral helps him keep it all running smoothly.
Q: You’ve been in hospitality for your entire career. What led you to where you are now?
Vic: I started in restaurants and nightclubs, even owned a couple of clubs myself. But I’ve always loved the water, and that’s what led me to this. To me, Harbor Country Adventures isn’t that different from running a restaurant or nightclub. I call it hospitality on the high seas.
Q: You built Harbor CountryAdventures in a spot where tour boats had disappeared for decades. How did you create a business model that could work here?
Vic: When I started, I knew weather would be my biggest obstacle. We don’t have protective routes on our side of the lake like Chicago does. Over there, even if the waves are 15 feet high, they can still run tours on the river. But here, if the lake’s too rough, we can’t go out. So I built my model around what I call the “rule of 50” — I plan as if I’ll only run half my scheduled days. That way I’m never surprised, and when conditions improve, I can add extra cruises between my regular 11a.m., 2 p.m., and 6 p.m. departures to make up the revenue.
Q: What did Harbor Country Adventures look like in those early days?
Vic: It was small — just one speedboat, the SeaRocket, and one bus. Around the same time I launched the boat, I noticed wineries in southwest Michigan beginning to offer wine tours. With so many Chicagoans owning second homes here, I saw demand for something more elevated, so I started running winery tours with the bus. A few years later I added the Emita II, a 150-passenger double-deck tour boat that offers daytime “Riding with a Ranger” tours — where park rangers share stories about the dunes, shipwrecks, and local wildlife — and then at night we run sunset cruises and late-night party cruises with a DJ.
Q: How does BookingCentral help you run such a multi-faceted business?
Vic: The system makes it really easy to communicate with guests. When weather forces us to make a cancellation, I can text or email everyone on a tour and let them know right away using the Broadcast Message feature, and I can personalize it, so it doesn’t read like some generic auto-message. The BookingCentral system also sends reminders and collects waivers automatically.
Q: Sounds like it helps you give great customer service.
Vic: Yes. And people are shocked by it, just because customer service has gone downhill so much in the last five years. When they get a reminder text before their tour, when they get a thank-you text after their tour, when they get a weather update, they just don’t expect it. And they’ll literally say, "Wow, I can’t believe you reminded me," or "I can't believe you sent me a thank-you." That’s a big deal. And since it’s all built into the system, it’s not like I have to contact them individually — it just goes out to everyone once I set up the message. But it looks like it’s me personally sending each of them a message.
"When weather forces us to make a cancellation, I can use the Broadcast Message feature to text or email everyone on a tour and let them know right away. And I can personalize it, so it doesn’t read like some generic auto-message."
Q: How long does your season run, and how do you maximize revenue when the big boats can’t go out?
Vic: We open for water activities around May 1st and run a full schedule through Labor Day, then continue on weekends into October as long as the waves allow. Six years ago, I added kayaks and jet skis so we could still generate revenue on days the big boats can’t run. Trail Creek feeds into Lake Michigan, so even if the lake is rough, people can kayak upstream, and the jet skis are nimble enough to get out. That way, we’re never completely shut down, and it keeps my staff working. Later in the fall, we’ve done late-season moonlight cruises where people bundle up in blankets. And the tour buses run year-round, which helps balance everything out.
Q: What do you love most about the business now?
Vic: First, the people I work with — I hire everyone myself, so if I don’t like my coworkers, that’s on me! And second, it’s the experiences. Guests come from all over the world come here to make memories of a lifetime. Everyone’s smiling and happy. It’s low stress, and I get to spend four months of the year out on the water.
Q: What’s next for Harbor Country Adventures?
Vic: I’m always looking for something new to add. A few years ago, I started a summer concert series next to our dock, which pairs perfectly withour sunset cruises. Now I’m exploring a food venue near the dock. I already have a client base, so I'm thinking, what other things might my clients want to do while they're visiting the area? That dictates what I’ll add. I use one thing to drive the other, using the BookingCentral app to let people know. Like, “Hey, you bought a ticket for the sunset cruise, we’re going to give you 25% off if you want to buy a concert ticket.” Or, I have all these bachelorettes using my bus service, so in their reminder emails, we’ll say, “Hey, thank you for booking with Harbor Country Adventures. After your luxury coach rental, here’s an offer for 25% off for your group to join us on our Saturday night party cruise.”
"I’m always looking for something new to add. I already have a client base, so I'm thinking, what other things might they want to do while they're visiting the area? I use one thing to drive the other, using the BookingCentral app to let people know."
Q: Any advice for someone starting a tour or rental company?
Vic: The biggest thing is your reservation system. Whether you're a solo operator or if you're fortunate enough to keep growing and have multiple employees, if they have to struggle with what they're working with every day, it's not fun for them. And it can't be a good experience for your guests. If you have something that works, like BookingCentral, it makes your life easier and it helps you make money.
Speak to one of our experts today to learn how BookingCentral can help you run your business better!
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