Open Air Business March 2017

ACCOMMODATION
Ancillary
Income
Glamping guru Kate Morel offers some
creative ways for sites to boost their revenue
THIS MONTH, TALLY has asked me to
share some ways in which we can optimise
a glampsite’s profitability through
ancillary revenues. Even if glamping isn’t
your area of interest, most of these ideas
could also be applied or adapted to other
types of holiday, so do keep reading. As
usual, I’ve tried to condense everything
into one article while still covering all
options and levels of accommodation on
offer - please pick out whatever might
be relevant for your business. My aim is
to provide a little inspiration, to get you
thinking about creative ways to add value
to your guests’ experience, and by doing
so, in return, creating a more profitable
business.
If you’re getting to know me by now
(and I hope you are), you might already
appreciate that I won’t be focussing on the
predictable option of ‘just charge extra for
everything’, even though, to a point, this
approach can be considered at budget
level. On the up-side, charging for some
extras provides guests with choices on
how they spend their hard-earned holiday
money, as well as adding revenue streams.
On the down-side, however, taken to an
extreme, this can be compliant with a
tactic that lures guests in with enticingly
low rental fees, but then makes them
fork-out for every little thing once there,
unreasonably increasing their final holiday
cost. I’m not a fan, frankly.
With mid to higher end rental fees, it
becomes less acceptable to ask guests
to pay extra for facilities that should
be included, although charging for
additional luxuries and treats is perfectly
acceptable. As always, it’s about striking
the right balance and making our offer as
appropriate as possible for our guests and
the level of accommodation.
GETTY IMAGES
Anyway, enough chit-chat, let’s explore
some options.
BACK TO BASICS
The most common consumable for which
glampsites charge is firewood for logburners,
campfires and hot-tubs. Even I was
surprised to hear that one site sells over
£20,000 worth of wood a year, but then it is
a big site. Most sites will provide an initial
supply inclusively, and once that’s used
up, charge for logs and kindling thereafter.
The type of wood provided should depend
on what it’s being used for; stoves and
hot-tubs need dry, seasoned wood to get
a good heat, whereas a campfire hardly
warrants premium oak logs, in fact, that
would be a terrible waste of noble wood. If
the site has its own managed woodlands
and supply, that’s great, but I’d still suggest
charging something for additional supplies.
If firewood has to be bought in, find a
reliable local supplier. Or check if ‘Certainly
Wood’ deliver in your area, it’s a family-run
company, supplying sustainably managed
firewood.
It’s not unreasonable to charge for
logs; glamping may have developed
beyond its grass roots, but there’s
still opportunity to educate,
with some places still
encouraging respect
for our natural
GETTY IMAGES
resources. Wood may indeed grow on trees,
but it doesn’t self-manage, fell, cord, chop,
transport or stack itself; it’s not a bad idea
for us, and guests alike, to remember and
appreciate that.
Depending on the size of the site and
level of accommodation, other
consumables could include: foodstuffs
(homegrown or locally sourced), hampers,
barbecues and breakfast packs (locally
sourced if possible), toiletries and
sunscreen etc. Other, glamping-lifestyle
items might also prove popular, check out
Eco Incentives’ range of products – I found a
few useful things in there.
Selling consumables on-site provides
a convenient facility for guests, as well
as making a little extra profit, although
obviously if there are just a couple of
accommodation units, a fully stocked shop
isn’t going to be viable, so keep it simple.
30 WWW.OPENAIRBUSINESS.COM