As someone who absolute loves the outdoors part of camping but misses the home comforts, glamping has a very special place in my heart. My first experience with it was in Slovenia in 2016 and I've been hooked ever since. Nowadays, I'm using my extensive glamping experience to graduate from being a glamper to advising people about their glamping businesses. Put simply, if you're looking for a glamper's tips for forming a glamping business you've come to the right blog.
Essential Advice for Glamping Businesses
Without further ado, let's look at my six essential tips for glamping businesses:
#1. Plan, plan, plan!
It's so nice that you have a dream and are taking steps to realise it - many people don't yet know what their dream is and most that do know what they want don't usually get a chance to do it. You're in the next phase, and it's an important one: planning.
You need to know where you want your glamping business to be, whether or not you want to set up multiple sites, whether you want some to be abroad or all in one country, what kind of taxes you'll need to pay, what kind of insurance you'll need - it might sound a little boring but failure to plan truly is planning to fail, as they say! Don't let your glamping business fail because you got too caught up in daydreaming and didn't leave room for planning. You need to be grounded, a sort of balance between dreams and reality and that's where planning comes in.
#2. Lean hard on tech!
Tech and glamping go hand in hand - after all, what is glamping if not high-tech camping? We've come a long way since the caves, let's reflect that in our glamping practices. But what does tech mean in glamping? Well, it can be anything from automating tasks and screening guests - to simpler things like solar panel lights and automatic locks. You might even consider employing a chatbot so your guests are never left hanging on your website - the possibilities are already endless and becoming even more so in this new era of technology.
#3. Cater to as many different kind of people as possible!
It's only fair that you make your glamping not just comfortable but accessible to as many different kinds of people as possible. You might think about things like - is my glamping site wheelchair friendly? Why don't I make sure that all my written parts (signs, welcome booklets etc) are in Braille too? Do I have unnecessarily invasive lights or sounds that might upset neurodiverse people? Is there anything insensitive about my glamping camps (for example, in relation to indigenous Americans)? These are all questions worth considering.
On a similar note, are the people in your team diverse? After all, how can someone be able to cater to different types of people if everyone on their team is one type of person with one type of background. A great example of this is a certain shoe brand that once hired a woman with one leg to pose for their adverts and at the same time refused to offer a 50% discount to people with one leg, who understandable only want one shoe! Surely PR disasters like this should be avoided (and can be, with a little forethought and consideration).
#5. Have fun and make it fun!
There have been a few heavy points in this post from boring planning to making sure your glamping spot is as ethical as practical and possible, so I want to end on this note: don't forget to have fun! Once your duties to this world and those on it have been fulfilled, you can continue with a clear conscience - and the sky is the limit! Different themed glamping tents? A fancy uniform for your team? A bouldering spot for adults and kids? Perhaps even a slide that slides into the reception? Fun and glamour go hand in hand when it comes to glamping - you have the chance to make truly memorable experiences and a working environment that's fun for all.
#6. Think about transportation!
It's sensible to think about how people are going to get to your lovely glamping spot. With climate change imminent, many people are ditching cars in favour of public transport, walking or cycling. Saying that, your quiet and peaceful glamping site probably won't want to be right next to a busy bus or train station. So perhaps you could consider running an electric shuttle car to and from the station once or twice a day - running it only once or twice ensures that you have enough passengers to make it worthwhile (otherwise they might as well drive individually).
Further, you have the advantage that it will give it an 'old-school' summer camp, camaraderie vibe as your guests will have a chance to get to know each other. I'd recommend adding some comfortable cushions and some welcome drinks to take it from summer camp to summer glamp! And of course, clients with more luxurious tastes could opt for private means of transportation.
Wrap Up: 6 Essential Tips for Glamping Businesses
So there you have it, six tips that will hopefully get your brain's gears whirring and help you make your glamping business a great glamping business. Before I go, I will leave you with one last piece of advice that I think is really important for all hospitality businesses: try it yourself. By this I mean, try being a guest at your own glamping site - that way you will see what's great, which will give you confidence, and you might see what's missing, giving you a chance to change it. Have fun and good luck!
Have you already formed your own glamping business? What would be your number one tip for those who are starting? Let us know in the comments below!
ABOUTME
We overland. We eat plants and fungi. We live outside as much as possible. We are all connected. A female travel blogger overlanding and writing about ecotourism, ethical and sustainable travel, socially conscious travel and housesitting. An online travel magazine since 2015.
Disqus Comment
Facebook Comment