Open Air Business January 2017
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping businesses and outdoor event organisers
The UK's outdoor hospitality business magazine for function venues, glamping businesses and outdoor event organisers
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ACCOMMODATION<br />
up the lane. To be fair he was<br />
no doubt just curious and who<br />
wouldn’t be, but the potential<br />
for items to be removed, and<br />
quickly, was certainly there. The<br />
owner was aware of the issue and<br />
planned to fence off the path and<br />
add security cameras, but I can’t<br />
help feeling that guests might be<br />
uncomfortable about the close<br />
proximity of a public footpath - not<br />
to mention guests’ and walkers’<br />
issues around cameras.<br />
Even if we believe that our<br />
glamping site is safe and totally<br />
inaccessible to theft, we still need<br />
to consider security for guests’<br />
peace of mind. The reason security<br />
and lockable structures are on<br />
my list of appraisal questions is<br />
because more guests are asking<br />
about it - they are concerned<br />
about their safety, and that of<br />
their families and possessions. As<br />
glamping becomes more popular,<br />
“EVEN IF<br />
WE BELIEVE<br />
THAT OUR<br />
GLAMPING<br />
SITE IS SAFE<br />
AND TOTALLY<br />
INACCESSIBLE<br />
TO THEFT, WE<br />
STILL NEED<br />
TO CONSIDER<br />
SECURITY FOR<br />
GUESTS’ PEACE<br />
OF MIND”<br />
attracting people who aren’t used<br />
to remote rural locations and<br />
dark nights bereft of street lights,<br />
I can only see it becoming a more<br />
important part of some guests’<br />
booking criteria.<br />
A CAUTIONARY TALE<br />
I recently spoke to glampsite<br />
owners who’d experienced the<br />
unthinkable, just four weeks after<br />
opening. They woke up to find<br />
that during the night a van had<br />
been driven right past their house<br />
to their yurts and thousands of<br />
pounds worth of equipment,<br />
furniture and accessories had<br />
been stolen as they slept. Those<br />
responsible even had a nose<br />
through the guest comments<br />
book!<br />
The owner had taken out<br />
insurance, but it transpired<br />
that the policy required the<br />
accommodation itself to be locked<br />
and secured. While the yurt doors<br />
did have locks on them and were<br />
used by guests, when unoccupied<br />
they were left unlocked. This was<br />
in the hope that in the event of a<br />
burglary an unlocked door would<br />
avoid a forced entry, resulting<br />
in no structural damage and a<br />
less expensive, quicker return to<br />
‘business as usual’.<br />
Naturally the insurance<br />
company initially refused to pay<br />
the claim, stating that the policy<br />
requirements had not been<br />
met. So, if you’re leaving your<br />
glamping structures unlocked<br />
when unoccupied, it might be<br />
wise to check the small print in<br />
your insurance policy. The ‘locked<br />
doors’ caveat wasn’t made clear<br />
at the time this owner took out the<br />
policy so eventually the insurance<br />
company paid the claim, but it<br />
took a long time. Fortunately<br />
for the owners they were able to<br />
replace the stolen items from their<br />
own back-up store, funds and<br />
home, in time to be ready for the<br />
next customers.<br />
SECURITY OPTIONS<br />
There are many ways we can<br />
safeguard our glamping sites,<br />
provide deterrents and reassure<br />
our guests. The level of security<br />
needed and desired at each<br />
site is going to vary. It could be<br />
something as simple as locked
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