Industry news and products

Glamping specialist YALA luxury canvas lodges has, together with its in-house design agency, further developed the existing structures in the exclusive segment to state-of-the-art constructions. Additionally, YALA introduces its new two-person structure: Stella.

‘Our high-end structures Stella, Eclipse, Aurora and Supernova embody the concept of luxury camping. With these structures, we want to appeal to the top segment of the glamping market worldwide’, says Ivo van der Vlis, CEO and co-owner of YALA. ‘This development fits within our growth strategy to become the international market leader in the field of luxury glamping accommodations.’

YALA’s top segment now consists of four highend glamping structures. This “Exclusive Range” targets resorts and hotels that would like to offer their guests a unique luxury outdoor experience. It is also suitable for holiday parks and camping sites that wish to place one or more eye-catchers at their establishment to create a “wow effect” that will attract new target groups.

Stella, Eclipse, Aurora and Supernova stand out due to the combination of modern design and luxury styling. There is a choice of two-, four- and six-person structures, ranging in size from 33m2 to 183m2. The glamping structures intend to attract holidaymakers who would typically opt for the luxury and comfort of a hotel room yet who’d like to combine this with more space and a luxurious nature experience. The introduction of the two-person Stella is YALA’s solution to the growing demand to combine a high-end hotel experience with outdoor living.

YALA has worked with its in-house design agency RAY Design for several years. Art Director at Ray, Wilfried Baeten, designed all four structures: ‘With the further development of the four high-end accommodations, we have perfected the designs. Every detail has been carefully thought out; the asymmetrical design of the exterior roofs, the sustainable materials, and the luxurious furnishing of the interior spaces. We spent a lot of time on the engineering aspects. We want the structures to be universally suitable against almost all weather conditions, such as rain, wind and snow. Therefore, they have been developed per the NEN-EN 1991-1-4 standard, meaning that the structures can withstand wind gusts of up to 135km/hour.’

YALA and RAY also jointly focus on the concept development of glamping sites. Ivo van der Vlis explains: ‘When a client approaches YALA because they want to transform an empty site into a successful glamping business or give their current holiday park a makeover, our designers from RAY enter the picture. We create customised park designs with innovative solutions, responding to the wants and needs of the client as much as possible. Together we continue to innovate and astonish the glamping market.’

In Maine, bill LD 1337, “An Act To Increase Affordable Housing and Reduce Property Taxes through an Impact Fee on Vacant Residences” was written to tax vacant properties (any property without a resident living there full time).

With 1 out of 5 properties in Maine being a Vacation Rental, it’s fair to say the local property owners were not keen on the bill and apparently neither was the Senate.

In a turnout of 31 Nays – 3 Yeas, the vote did not pass, having generated opposition from real estate agents and tourism officials, who acknowledge Maine’s affordable housing crisis but say a new fee is not the answer; that the proposed fee would infringe on private property rights and could discourage summer residents who help to support the local economy.

Campspot, the premier online marketplace for RV resorts, family campgrounds, cabins, glamping options and more, announced via a press release that it has made the Forbes list of America’s Top Start-up Employers 2022.

Founded in 2015, Campspot provides a modern booking experience to the camping and glamping industry by offering site owners with powerful tools to better manage reservations and increase revenue. In 2020, Campspot launched the Campspot Marketplace which has helped thousands of campers research and instantly book from over 130,000 campsites and counting.

Among the 500 companies named in the Forbes list of America’s Top Start-up Employers 2022, Campspot was placed 339 and represents the only start-up serving the camping and glamping industry.

America’s Top Start-up Employers were selected based on an innovative methodology, using over 8 million data points, that assesses employer excellence in three ways:

• Employee Satisfaction: Extensive research has been conducted on ‘average length of employment’ and ‘online employer reviews. • Employer Reputation: Company-specific information was algorithmically extracted from social media channels such as news sites, micro-blogs, blogs, and social networks. • Company Growth: Comprehensive assessments of ‘website traffic’, ’employee growth rates’ and ‘industry referenced job postings’.

“We are delighted to be recognized this year in the prestigious Forbes list of America’s Top Startup Employers, alongside so many other amazing companies,” said Michael Scheinman, CEO of Campspot. “We are so proud of our people, our culture, our products and our customers, and it is extremely rewarding to be recognized externally for all that we value so much internally. We have more than doubled our number of employees over the past 12 months and with that scale comes great responsibility – continuing to cultivate and care for stakeholders. We are grateful for the dedication that each member of the Campspot team has shown to bring value to campground owners and campers. You can find out more about Campspot by heading over to their website at campspot.com.

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