Open Air Business February 2017

FAMILY MATTERS
5A SPRINKLE
OF MAGIC
Now and then I walk onto a glamping site and it’s there…
sometimes I can’t even see it, but it’s definitely there. That essence of
atmosphere sets some places apart; all of a sudden, you feel totally
relaxed. It can be as simple as the way the owner saunters over to
say “hi”, or the history, the character, or the features and accessories
used. Sometimes, to be honest, it’s just the little things that site
owners create, think of, and do for their customers that are above
and beyond. And I absolutely love glamping for that. I know this isn’t
going to apply to every glampsite offer, but if you’re aiming to create
something special, different and unique then this could be a way to
do it – what might your ‘sprinkle of magic’ be?
REVENUE
OPTIMISATION
Let’s move from magic
to numbers or, hopefully,
magic numbers! Optimise
your glamping revenue by
adding different streams of
income via services, facilities,
activities and products
relevant to your glampsite.
› Service: This could be as
simple as offering a laundry
service, or babysitting (do
check out child minding
legislation).
› Facilities: If your site is
big enough this could be an
on-site café or, if not, maybe
hold a weekly chargeable,
communal pizza night or
barbecue – parents might
welcome a night off from
cooking.
› Additional facilities:
Whether worked into the
holiday fee or charged as
extras, additional facilities will
make a site more appealing
and add revenue. Hot tubs are
an obvious option here.
› Activities: Chargeable,
organised activities could be
provided by you or your staff,
or bring in external companies
on a commission basis. I’m
not quite sure whether renting
a chicken ark fits in here, but
some places do charge an
additional fee to have one put
by the tent.
› Products: Maybe your site
would suit a shop selling
basic supplies, wood for log
burners/campfires, outdoor
games, or branded souvenirs?
A friend of mine sells branded
T-shirts, baseball caps and
mugs on his campsite, which
contribute very nicely to the
annual turnover. The editor,
Tally, and I absolutely love
‘Jolfi Bears’ – a little bear with
a backpack that contains a
journal in which children keep
a diary of their adventures:
now there’s a bit of magic
right there. If they don’t suit
your target market, maybe
stock branded children’s
notebooks and pens in the
on-site shop.
Another, perhaps less
obvious, way to optimise
revenue is to create something
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Glamping guru Kate
Morel has spent years
working closely with
landowners and
tourism organisations,
visiting locations and
providing advice and
support. This, along
with experience in
marketing, property
restoration, design,
and hospitality, gives
her a unique set of
skills and perspective
on creating glamping
accommodation. Kate
can be contacted at
kate.morel24@gmail.
com
super special that guests
cannot get anywhere else – a
mega, uber, super-duper USP.
Sometimes all this requires,
frankly, is imagination. To
be fair, it can also require
a degree of boldness, but
there is no other holiday
accommodation business
that has the potential to
generate as many ‘bucks
for your bang’ as glamping,
and no, I didn’t get that
the wrong way around. By
adding uniqueness, we add
value, because in a world of
homogenised products and
services, originality has worth.
A great family glamping site
does a lot of things, for both
host and guest. For some
site owners, it’s a need to
diversify, for others it also
allows them to share their
passions and educate. For
guests, it provides quality
family time (their guest book
comments are inspirational)
and improves their children’s
confidence and skills,
showing them things that no
classroom can teach. At its
very simplest, it creates happy
memories.
You might be thinking,
“That’s all very nice Kate,
but what about my profit?”
and I hear you. However, I
sometimes feel we can get
so lost in number crunching,
branding, marketing, SEO
and website traffic that we
might overlook the fact that
glamping is about people,
whether it be corporate
or grass roots. People
stay in different styles of
accommodation for different
reasons, so we need that
business plan and marketing,
but we also want our guests
to have a great time. We want
them to recommend us to
their friends and families,
post their holiday photos on
social media and, ultimately,
book again. In this type of
hospitality, the most poignant
measure of success is the
amount of recommendations
and percentage of repeat
bookings which families, more
than any other type of guest,
are likely to do. And that, is
the bottom line.
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