If you’re looking to start a glamping business it can be daunting, but don’t worry we’re here to help. We have worked on numerous projects with hospitality clients and we understand the challenges they may face. W e have created a number of guides and articles to help you not only start your new business but also grow it to the levels you desire. If you’d like to pick our brains then please get in touch with us.
Is a glamping business a good idea?
This is a question we get asked all of the time, so we thought we’d share our views on the subject to help you gather information to decide if a glamping business is right for you.
Firstly lets discuss exactly what the potential market looks like. Glamping has seen a huge rise in popularity over the last few years especially, however this trend looks to be continuing with the global industry estimated to be worth more than $5.4 billion by 2028. The main demographic driving this growth is the 18-33 year old’s who are looking for unique, luxurious experiences to reconnect with nature. Many landowners have already taken the jump and invested in diversifying the use of their land and even hospitality venues, hotels and theme parks now offering glamping experiences to capture the younger demographic spend. There has never been a better time to investigate the opportunity.
What accommodation is best?
This is a question every potential and current glamping site owner will ask, and the simple answer is that the best accommodation type is the one that fits your site and target audience.
If you have decided to get into the glamping business, then choosing the correct accommodation type is a make-or-break decision and will ultimately determine the success of your business. It will also determine if your site will be seasonal or all year round, take bell tents for example they are a great cost-effective summertime solution but not suitable for a warm and cosy winter break, whereas a Shepherds Hut could offer the outdoor living experience in the summer and warm cosy evenings in front of the log burner in the winter. What also needs to be considered is your target audience and what they will be looking for when deciding upon a location for their getaway.
What are the biggest challenges?
Setting up a glamping business will be challenging but we believe if done correctly the benefits will far outweigh the challenges you may face over the journey. We are here to help and have put down in this article the main obstacles you may encounter and how with good planning you should be able to avoid them by planning ahead.
WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIALS BEFORE YOU START? LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! – Finding the perfect space is key and will set the scene for how you will be able to design your site. If you’re going for a woodland retreat back to nature experience then you need the natural architecture to achieve this, if you have a wide-open space this simply won’t work. So, when deciding upon the plot of land you need to always consider the final vision and work with nature, not against it (this will also be far cheaper to create).
How do you increase occupancy?
We’ve previously focussed on how to set up a glamping site and the hurdles you need to clear and the obstacles you need to overcome to achieve your dreams. However once you’ve got your site open you need a strategy to ensure you achieve your ROI (Return on investment). We have some helpful tips to ensure you stay on track and deliver on your forecasts.
You’ve created the most wonderful site with all the home comforts and luxurious accommodation but unless you tell everyone about it your occupancy rates will be low. You need to shout it from the rooftops that you’re here and you’re open for business. You could go with the ‘scatter gun’ marketing process many do throwing out lots of random information to a random audience, or you could spend a little time and create a targeted plan with a targeted audience. The latter option is where we suggest you spend your time and money.