With over half of global travellers planning to take more weekend trips in 2019 (Booking.com), Visit Britain reporting an uplift in staycations, and 12 per cent of 16-34 year olds taking more domestic holidays, the opportunities for glamping sites are growing and growing.
There are numerous factors affecting the 2019 holiday market that could see it become another big year for the glamping sector. In particular, reports that half of Brits plan to holiday in the UK after Brexit – with 65 per cent concerned that the cost of holidaying abroad will increase – mean that a record-number of people will be looking to take a staycation in 2019.
Since the AA launched its Glamping Site of the Year category within the AA Caravan & Camping Awards in 2017, we’ve seen glamping go from strength to strength, with creative and unusual glamping sites providing unique and truly unforgettable experiences for holiday-goers wishing to escape to the countryside or experience a quirkier weekend away.
Glamping providers at the top of their game, such as the AA Glamping Site of the Year 2019, Plenhein Glamping in Monmouthshire, set a high bar, with stunning attention to detail and a guest-centric approach.
With so many glamping sites cropping up across the UK, there are some essentials to bear in mind when standing out from the crowd:
Offer High Levels Of Customer Care
As ever with the hospitality sector, first impressions are vitally important: offering a seamless booking experience, such as through a professional and easy to navigate website, and a warm welcome (perhaps even a welcome hamper full of local produce) are vital to setting the tone for each guest’s stay.
Staffing is hugely important and having someone onsite or very close by to oversee guests and be on hand to answer questions and ensure everyone is happy, is a great way of ensuring guests feel looked after. As is providing a detailed information pack including instructions on how everything works, who to contact in case of an emergency, local places to visit, nearby shopping facilities, site rules and so on. Likewise, offering breakfast or food if possible is a great way to add the ‘glamour’ in glamping.
Pay Attention To Detail
Whether it’s a yurt, wigwam, shepherd’s hut, airstream caravan or a converted horsebox, the quality of the fixtures and fittings and the personal touches are hugely important. Like in hotels, the most fundamental thing to get right is the bed to ensure guests get a great night’s sleep, so investing in a good bed, mattress, linen and blankets to ensure guests are warm and comfortable will be money well spent. Meanwhile, being creative with lighting and adding decent furnishings – such as a wood-burning stove, a workable, fully equipped kitchen area, and a good alfresco area with seats, dining table and fire pit for warmth – will all go a long way to ensuring guests have a top-quality experience.
Provide Good Sanitary Facilities (and be creative!)
Many glamping sites now have en suite facilities or access to quality unisex showers and toilets. When it comes to glamping, gone are the days of porta-loos, and being creative with the sanitary facilities you offer will create a point of difference. Some great examples we’ve seen include a bespoke shepherd’s hut built as a mobile facilities unit, and a very smart eco-friendly unit featuring a thunder box to match the very rural location of the site.
Give Guests Landscaping & Privacy
Holiday-goers who choose glamping as a getaway are often after an escape from the busyness of their daily lives – with 53 per cent of 25-34-year-olds considering holidays that allow them to have a digital detox. Glamping is about taking traditional camping to another level, and, as such, to stand out from the crowd its important to be generous with space if you have it, creating a defined area for each unit, with landscaping and privacy.
Likewise, with many glamping-goers are looking to get closer to nature, offering eco-friendly, sustainable facilities is becoming ever more important to guests.
Never Overlook Security, Safety Procedures & Legal Requirements
The ever-growing popularity of glamping can mean that there are those who wish to cash in and jump on the bandwagon, offering sites with minimal facilities, little security and basic customer care – certainly not what the glamping fraternity want.
Glamping site owners must be aware of, and have all the certificates for the safety and legal requirements to operate a glamping site. The Glamping Association provides a hugely valuable Legal Guide for glamping sites, which is an essential place for anyone looking to found a glamping site to start.
