Open Air Business January 2017

ACCOMMODATION
Site Security
Kate Morel offers her advice on glampsite security and how to get the balance right
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GROWING UP ON a Shropshire
smallholding I clearly remember
my parents’ rather blasé approach
to security – they left keys in cars
at night, tools and equipment
in unlocked barns, and rarely
bothered to lock the house. We
lived on a quiet lane with little
passing traffic and always knew
the passers-by anyway. The
only on-site security was the
chicken wire buried three feet
below ground to keep Mr Fox
from digging his way to a chicken
supper.
That was a long time ago,
but even now in some parts of
rural UK, communities don’t
feel that they have to worry too
much about unwanted visitors
stealing their possessions away.
I for one adopted my parents’
attitude toward security when
many years later I bought my own
smallholding in Powys. Maybe
I should mention it was a low
crime area and the nature of the
location made it unappealing to
would-be thieves. This easy going
rural approach, in my experience
at least, also applies to some
glamping business owners. When
I ask how accommodation is
secured during site appraisals for
agency Quality Unearthed, very
often the answer is that it isn’t.
Sadly it’s increasingly important
to be more cautious and for those
who like statistics, especially if
you’re just at the buying stage, it’s
easy enough to find online crime
records for any postcode.
We might well ask if we
genuinely need to concern
ourselves with security on a
glampsite, especially if it’s remote
and the only access is right
past our front door. Depending
on the area, site layout and
access, the answer could still
possibly be ‘yes’, and perhaps
increasingly so. Glamping sites
and accommodations are as
vulnerable to theft as any other
holiday let.
REASONS TO FOCUS
If we are not doing so already,
there are a few reasons why we
might want to focus on security.
Glamping worldwide, let alone in
the UK, is just gaining momentum.
There are years of development
ahead, which I believe will
see more glamping sites at all
levels come onto the market.
It’s not unreasonable to assume
that customer demands and
expectations will also continue to
increase, and in fact it’s already
happening, resulting in more highend
glamping or at least better
facilities and expensive add-ons.
Also, let’s not forget that there
is a lot of information provided
online these days. Detailed ‘how to
find us’ directions, satellite maps,
descriptions and photographs
on websites are all part of our
marketing. I do wonder if we
sometimes provide more ‘in
advance’ information than we
need to. Most of this is essential for
would-be guests. However, it also
exposes our accommodation to
less welcome ‘visitors’ who might
want to relieve us of a few choice
items one night.
Admittedly a lot of glamping
sites are well off the beaten track
and don’t have easy vehicular
access, but they might not be
completely safe. I’ve visited
many glamping sites with public
footpaths nearby, making it
easy for people to stroll in when
nobody is about. You might think
this rather unlikely, but during a
site visit earlier this year I actually
saw it happen. The person in
question didn’t take anything but
certainly had a good look inside
the glamping accommodation
before returning to the public
footpath behind and disappearing