6 minute read
YALA: A Luxury Tent for Now
YALA luxury canvas lodges has created a new division focused on the high luxury end of the tented structures market. Steph Curtis-Raleigh caught up with the new Managing Director of this division, Marcel Veenhuizen, to find out more.
Marceel Veenhuizen
YALA is an established name in the tented structures sector and despite being renowned for the comfort and quality of its range, the company began to receive more enquiries for more expensive and exclusive models.
“Our own network of dealers and agents worldwide were reporting back that they were in conversation with developers and large corporates who were willing to buy for more exclusive resorts, which were looking for eye-catching tent structures,” says Marcel. “This is why we created a new range for this sector. And our inhouse design studio can help developers and resort owners with concept development, not only for the glamping tents but also for the venue structures.” An interesting side effect is that our customers see an increase in guests in all their tents, just because they have these high end glamping structures on their site.
YALA’s Exclusive range includes four models from a two-person tent for hotels and similar resorts through to the six-person Supernova villa. All tents offer guests the luxury of a 5-star boutique hotel. “We spent a lot of time designing and engineering these models. We first developed them two years ago and then we learned from the first installations and went back and engineered them further and made them even more stable,” says Marcel. “We build them on a metal frame as some customers want to put them in remote areas and so we needed a stronger frame and we wanted them to be able to withstand an even greater wind force. We are extremely proud of the result, a uniquely designed glamping tent that offers guests the ultimate holiday feeling.”
YALA currently has projects all over the world, “Mostly we work with local teams in whatever region we are installing the tents,” says Marcel. “We send over a YALA team with two supervisors to help build the tents as they are complex structures. Then we employ a local team of around 4-6 people to help.”
Maintenance of the Exclusive range is not a lot different than with the glamping tents from the other YALA ranges. “These tents are very low maintenance indeed,” says Marcel. “The only thing you need to do is to oil the zippers once a year!” Rain showers should keep the canvas clean as the quality of the innovative canvas that YALA uses doesn’t require much more looking after. “If there is a very heavy snowfall, we would just advise that operators check the load is not too heavy,” adds Marcel.
The incredible Supernova will take about two weeks to construct, depending on how level the terrain is. The preparation is mostly carried out by the site owner in advance of the team arriving to erect the lodges. The team requires that electricity and plumbing are already brought to the site of the tent ahead of time.
As for the interior of the tent – this is up to the client. “We have got a really nice set of furniture that we can offer including bedding linen, chairs, sun loungers and more but if a client has specific wishes we discuss it with them,” says Marcel. “Sometimes they want to bring their own interior decorators and sometimes we deliver it for them, so it depends. Often with a hotel chain, they have their own furniture, so we advise them what suits and what fits.”
The tents are built in a modular way, so Marcel and the team encounter a lot of customisation questions. “The cooperation we have with the client and ourselves in order to deliver what they wish is one of the best things about these kinds of tents and the bespoke service we offer,” says Marcel.
Clients often visit YALA at their showroom in the Netherlands, where they can see the full range of options and discuss the materials and the frame.
Marcel has identified a number of key trends from clients – above and beyond the desire for more high-end structures. “First of all, people want to reconnect with nature but in a luxurious and comfortable way. Another interesting trend is the demand for winter glamping,” he says. “Glamping is becoming popular in the Nordic regions and we have a customer in Maine in the US who rents out our tents for 9 months of the year. It can be a really lovely experience to be in our tents in winter with a fire to keep you warm inside and blankets to snuggle up in. It’s perfectly possible. They have a 90 per cent occupancy rate so their guests obviously agree!”
“We are noticing that our customers’ guests are asking for more sustainability in their holidays. They may be going away for shorter stays but they want more luxury and they are willing to pay for it,” he adds. “We are also seeing more of a trend for multigenerational trips – grandparents, parents and children traveling together – we put this information into our designs.”
YALA tries to be as sustainable as possible in every area. “We use sustainably sourced woods and we work with all of our suppliers to see how they can also reduce their carbon footprint,” says Marcel. “All of the PVC that we use is completely re-useable – the tents have a lifespan of 15 years and we can recollect the PVC to recycle. We often provide solar panels and we have introduced and we have developed insulation canvas to keep in more warmth; or to keep out the heat to avoid the necessity for air conditioners. There has been a lot of innovations in sustainability in canvas structures in recent years.”
What sets YALA’s Exclusive structures apart? “What we have tried to develop here are modern glamping tents,” says Marcel. “There is a historic background in this industry of traditional African-style safari tents – we are taking this history and using today’s materials and especially our design expertise to create something that feels like now!”
