Glamping In Hotels - The Changing Trends of the Hotel Industry
As our quest continues to raise the bar in the glamping world, we’ve a spectrum of opportunities that glamping could have on potential markets. One of the emerging markets we’ve begun to focus on is country estates and luxury hotels, a lot of you might be thinking, are they well placed to offer high-quality retreats?
The simple answer, yes. Well, they certainly have the potential to be. Creating a glamping destination on the land of your hotel or resort provides an intriguing alternative to a standard night away from home. We’ve discussed this in more detail in our whitepaper, the traditional four-poster beds and gilded furniture of hotels are slowly being replaced with experiential spaces with a unique character. We’re now seeing a younger generation who want an informal, comfortable and experiential hotel experience.
As we see hotels slowly adapting to this new generation of hotel guests, we begin to see a change of trends in the market. Not all guests stay at hotels for the same reason but with some of these trends, glamping can provide the perfect answer to a lot of these different guests; whether it’s creating an experiential destination for holiday goers, or upgrading from the mundane traditional hotel setting and building on something unique. Let’s go through a small selection of the new things hotels could be doing to embrace the new ‘non traditional’ methods of room and board.
The Increasing Consumer Demand for a Unique Experience
We talk about creating experiences a lot throughout our blogs, when we build glamping structures, an experience is exactly what we’re trying to make.
Trends change over time, what was once ‘in’ becomes old news, and this trend is a perfect example of the outdated features of hotels. We’re now in an ‘experience economy’, consumers look for a high-quality service that is all about creating the best experience possible.
If you’re looking for a perfect example of this, look at The Fish Hotel, a country hotel that sits in a 400-acre private estate. Aside from their luxury suites, they have treehouses, huts and their famous retreat appropriately titled ‘Boaty McBoatface’, a hut with your very own paddle boat and a private lake to enjoy during your stay.
There’s no wonder why the quirky retreat is one of their most expensive rooms.
Health, Exercise & Wellness Stays
The hotel industry is not just about an overnight stay, what you do in the day is now just as important. The rising demand for fitness and wellbeing has led to the trend of hotels and resorts offering wellness experiences and opportunities to exercise.
Many hotels offer spa treatments and fitness classes as a standard feature with the price of their rooms. For those resorts that are low on space, installing a glamping unit and using it as a treatment room is a great way to give guests that added level of exclusivity while they’re taking the time out to pamper themselves.
Similarly, you can use glamping units as an ‘offsite’ gym or fitness centre. Making this not within the confines of the main hotel gives off the impression that these rooms have been specifically built for these guests. A guest having their needs tailored to is something that’s immensely satisfying to them and dedicating a space for guests that enjoy working on their health and wellbeing can do this.
However, while jumping on a trend like this to meet the demand is a great opportunity, it is equally important that additional services or add-ons that are offered to guests are relevant to your brand and enhance the brand experience.
A glamping unit can add the ‘wow’ factor and give your visitors an unforgettable experience, just make sure it’s an experience that fits in with your brand.
Using Mother Nature as your Centrepiece
Country estate hotels and resorts are usually built around vast acres of countryside. The whole appeal of these venues is that guests can remove themselves from the metropolitan landscape they’re living in. Surely, it only makes sense to use this to your advantage?
We’re now beginning to see city dwellers visiting hotels and resorts that are away from the hustle and bustle of their home and truly immerse themselves in the countryside.
Having a glamping unit at your venue naturally lends itself to this type of experience. Whether it’s waking up in the morning with acres of land at your doorstep, or taking a walk around your grounds and taking in the breathtaking views, your land plays just as large a part as the accommodation does.
With this type of accommodation, you’re giving people the time they desire to reconnect with nature. Not only can glamping units bring guests closer together but as they’re self-contained, they provide exclusivity for their guests.
The good news is that guest happiness and profitability go hand in hand for hotels and resorts. Creating an exclusive stay by adding a glamping structure that offers something unique is likely to achieve both.
Using another hotel as an example, Limewood Hotel has a series of cottages and cabins built within the forest on their grounds. Surrounded by meadows and the site's forest, the accommodation blends in perfectly to offer a retreat that’s packed with adventure.
The reality is that with glamping accommodation, you can create a unique identity for your hotel or resort and charge a higher price per night. Whether you’re using glamping as a means of premium accommodation for your venue or if you’re using it as a luxury spa or wellbeing room.