hipcamp.com
What makes your platform unique?
Hipcamp is the world’s largest provider of outdoor stays, covering North America, Australia, the UK, and France, and continuing to expand rapidly. We’re passionate not just about camping and glamping, but about connecting outdoor enthusiasts with farmers, vintners, smallholdings, and country estates. Our mission is to get more people outdoors and we believe that, by doing so, it will better protect outdoor spaces.
Can site owners host the booking software on their own website, or is it accessed exclusively through yours?
It’s not possible to share our calendar interface on your own website just yet but Hipcamp integrates with other leading independent booking systems that can help you do this, including real-time integrations with ResNexus in North America and Bedful in the UK.
Do you offer owners any other services e.g. marketing?
Hipcamp has a ready audience of millions of potential guests and we aim to help hosts showcase their glamping site as best as possible. We have over half a million followers across our Instagram channels alone, as well as an active community on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, and Twitter. Listing on Hipcamp provides a lot more than just the ability to take bookings; it’s also a place for your business to be found by good-natured outdoor enthusiasts, a place for you to garner reviews and feedback, a place for guests to share photos of their stays, and a place for you to learn tips from other hosts. Additional benefits include comprehensive liability insurance, property damage protection, and a professional photography program, helping you get professional photography of your space for free.
Is your platform mobile-friendly?
Yes! Hipcamp is widely recognised as one of the most mobile-friendly websites in the industry and many of our hosts manage their glamping sites on their mobile phones more than on their desktop. Along with our website, Hipcamp also has a hugely popular app in North America and Australia, which is set to launch in the UK this spring.
What are the costs involved; is it commission or subscription-based?
There is no subscription, no set-up fee, and no upfront fee. It’s free to list on hipcamp.com and you only pay 12.5% (+VAT) commission on the bookings you receive.
How much pricing customisation is possible?
We try and strike the right balance between providing versatility for our hosts and an easy, user-friendly system for campers to search. There’s loads of flexibility. You can add high and low season pricing, different rates for weekends and weekdays, set fixed arrival and departure days, and add a minimum or maximum length of stay. Adding Extras, like food hampers or bags of logs, is easy and you can make some Extras compulsory, if, for example, you charge club membership fees to stay at your site.
What is your cancellation policy?
Hipcamp has a range of six cancellation policies, from the super flexible, where a camper can cancel at any time, to the super strict, where the camper needs to give more than a month’s notice for any cancellation and only receives a partial refund. You decide which policy best fits your business. Our cancellation policies have been tried and tested. They’re clear, concise, and easy to understand, which is why both hosts and campers have so much confidence in them.
Is there any way to identify troublesome guests, so they cannot make a repeat booking?
Yes, we have several functions to help if you have problem guests – as well as our friendly Support Team, who are always on hand to help you. It’s not just Hipcampers who get to review their stay; hosts can review Hipcampers too. This creates a useful network between hosts. You can also ‘flag’ your review to our team in instances where a camper has caused serious issues such as property damage, allowing us to further investigate the issue.
Featured in Jan 2023 of International Glamping Business
