Threats and opportunities when glamping is an add-on

BY TODD WYNNE-PARRY

We in the glamping sector of the hospitality industry tend to view the business in its pure form as opposed to an add-on to other synergistic businesses. However, the reality is owners and managers of RV campgrounds and event venues such as wineries, regenerative farms, ranches, outdoor concert grounds, and wedding destinations see this product as a lucrative addition to their enterprise. The concern is: are they doing it right? In many cases they are not. This is sometimes due to a lack of funding to create a better glamping experience, but more often the issue is an approach that omits the additional hospitality that is expected with glamping accommodation. Therein lies both a threat and an opportunity.

The addition of accommodation to RV campgrounds or event venues is certainly not a new concept. This old chestnut has been a popular upgrade to these businesses for decades. However, the spike in demand for RV campground sites and outdoor hospitality in general has accelerated this practice over the last several years. Of course, as we all know, the pandemic threw strong gusts of demand wind into each of these sails. At the same time, the advent of a wide variety of accommodation styles, sizes and price points has made the decision to enhance an RV campground or event venue’s revenue by adding accommodation that much easier. Unfortunately, the addition of glamping accommodation does not always come with an increase in hospitality.

Here is where we can say the quiet part out loud. Just because a property adds a safaristyle tent, vintage trailer, or rustic cabin to your property, does not mean it now offers true glamping per se. There are some in the outdoor hospitality world, that bemoan the word “glamping”. They conclude the term is used too loosely covering too wide of a range of properties and price points. To be fair, when you are promoting or designing outdoor accommodation with a $1,000 to $4,000 per night rate, sharing “glamping” as the description which is also used by a camper cabin for $50 per night down the road does make one re-think the term. The over-use of the word “glamping” to describe properties or accommodation units that have zero to limited glamorousness is an industry threat. Afterall, the “glamorous” part of this portmanteau is the aspirational hook that gets people averse to camping to glamp. So not providing some level of facilities or amenities to go along with the glamping style accommodation degrades the word and poorly manages customer expectations.

The opportunities are to add glamping accommodation with its appropriate level of glamor or to upgrade existing facilities and amenities to become worthy of the description and then meet or exceed customer expectations. So, what are those expectations? The list below includes some of the basic elements that guests staying in RV campground accommodation or glampers at outdoor hospitality destinations expect.

• Contemporary check-in area with front desk, not a cluttered counter in front of a visible messy office. • A modern merchandise shop stocked with camping related clothes and accessories, easy

to prepare in your unit meals, bbq items, easy to light wood bundles, a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, snacks, treats (e.g., s’more kits) and hopefully some locally sourced goods. • Clean and aesthetically pleasing accommodation such as tiny homes, resort cabins, vintage or aspirational trailers or glamping tents. These units need to be

Instagram worthy on the outside and well-appointed on the inside. This is where the roughing it of camping ends and the comforts of home in the outdoors starts. • State-of-the-art technology including high quality internet (wi-fi) and cellular access. • Swimming pool and/or hot tub. • Indoor and outdoor lounge areas with shared seating and workspaces. • Inviting communal firepits. • Dog off-leash run area with complementary dog wash station. • Indoor and outdoor event or meeting space, if possible. • EV charging stations. • Guest amenities and facilities that increase overall guest experience.

In this list, it’s the guest amenities and facilities where you start to see the difference between a campground and a “glampground”. The typical RV campground has limited to no communal areas apart from a small pool or playground which really limits the opportunities of new interactions with fellow campers. The inclusiveness and communal nature of the outdoors should be reflected in the glamping experience. Adding some basic amenities and facilities that allow for more human interaction will lift the perception of the experience beyond just camping. In addition to the elements listed above the following items will greatly enhance the customer experience while limited additional labor costs: • Yoga Decks - located on vistas and/or points of serenity. • Cornhole courts with weather proofed boards and sacks. • Bocce courts with and seating at each end of the court. • Experience desk and a clearly identified launch point for experience bookings. • Outdoor amphitheater or movie screen with lawn seating for live entertainment or night movie nights. • Perimeter walking/running/biking trail with interpretive signage and exercise equipment. • Small sauna facility. • Hammocks or adult swings or unique seating areas. • In room guides to local attractions and recommended F&B outlets and experience providers. • Mountain bike or BMX pump tack, or • Communal BBQ area with picnic tables.

The management perception shift that needs to accompany the addition of glamping accommodation to an existing RV campground or event venue is from property management to hospitality. The move into providing accommodation means you now must manage guests’ needs more akin to a hotel. Glampers are generally unfamiliar with the outdoors, not as seasoned as RVrs, and tend to require a higher level of hand holding and assistance. Providing the facilities and amenities as mentioned above may fall short of 24-hour room-service, concierge desks, all day dining options or other items typically associated with hospitality, but they go a long way to recognizing the needs of the modern glamper. The absence of this hospitality approach is quickly noticed and then reflected in online reviews and social media.

Another opportunity that arises by adding accommodation to seasonal businesses, particularly when adding four season capable units, is an extension of the operating season or even operating year-round. While this move needs to pass the cost-benefit analysis of potential revenue vs labor cost, it may provide a significant boost to annual profits. This extension of the operating year allows the property to operate either on a nightly or monthly basis or both. For nightly rentals in the off-season the operation remains generally the same except obviously a much lower occupancy. Monthly rentals on the other hand provide for great yielding income given the limited labor requirement for these tenants. In more remote areas of the country, workforce housing remains in a deficit and this additional accommodation could be seen favorably by local authorities as it helps to solve for housing local or regional employees.

The acceleration of outdoor hospitality and the way adjacent businesses have embraced it is a boon for people wanting more access to the great outdoors. At the end of the day, the mission is to get more people out into nature, have them commune with their loved ones outside of home and mix with people outside their comfortable community bubble. This provides an wide avenue to increase our collective respect for the environment and each other just a little bit more. Hopefully, the adaptation of an outdoor hospitality approach will lift the guest experience in all the businesses adding glamping for their customers.

About Todd G. Wynne-Parry

A seasoned leader in the hospitality industry, Todd has over 30 years of hotel development experience, having held senior leadership positions at several major hotel brands and most recently AutoCamp and Two Roads Hospitality. A dual-citizen of the US and Australia, Wynne-Parry has lived and worked in the U.S., Asia, Australia and the United Kingdom. He was instrumental in the development efforts for IHG, Starwood and Marriott in the Asia Pacific region and for Two Roads Hospitality globally. He began his career as a hotel consultant in the San Diego office of Laventhol & Horwath, the predecessor to Horwath HTL. He is now Managing Director of Horwath HTL and leads the Outdoor Hospitality practice for North America. Horwath HTL is the largest independent hospitality consultancy with 52 offices worldwide.

Todd earned an MBA from Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management and sits on the advisory council of the American Glamping Association. In his spare time, Todd enjoys fly fishing and exploring the western US in his 1953 Airstream.