Open Air Business August/September 2017

GLAMPSITES
KATE MOREL
A regular contributor to Open Air Business and a favourite
Industry Legends
on the seminar circuit, but did you know about her swords?!
What is your background?
In a nutshell: sales, marketing, hospitality,
design, tourism. I’ve also organised
workshops, camps, conferences and
festivals, and restored several properties.
For the last seven years it’s been in holiday
rental, cottages and (predominately)
glamping.
How did you get started in the glamping
industry?
I was with holiday cottage agency Quality
Cottages in 2010 when director Tim Rees
started the glamping equivalent, Quality
Unearthed. He asked me to help develop
the new business, so a big thank you goes
PROFILE
Name: Kate Morel
Role: Glamping and ecotourism
consultant
Contact: 07800 800199
info@katemorel.com
www.katemorel.com
Favourite tipple: Oscillates between gin
and bubbly
Last holiday destination: Wales –
staycations rule
Cats or dogs? Dogs: more loyal, better
cuddles
Current boxset / TV must watch: Not a
fan, but winter is coming so that might
change
Something people may not know
about me: I own more swords and
bushcraft knives than skirts
out to Tim. I left QU, which is based in Wales,
earlier this year to move back to England
and subsequently decided to offer my own
advice and design service.
What has been your most fantastic
glamping experience?
It’s all been fantastic, but working with the
Ministry of Tourism in Ecuador last year was
something else. I was flown over to conduct
a feasibility study on glamping as part of a
post-earthquake tourism regeneration plan.
I had 10 days to cover the coast looking
for potential sites, gather information and
familiarise myself with the destination,
and was subsequently asked to create
three glamping developments. It was a
challenging project on many levels, and a
unique and incredible experience.
You have a holistic approach to site design
– explain your interests in permaculture
and sustainability
‘Holistic’ really does sum it up. I take
everything into account, evaluating input
vs. output across the board so I can create
glamping solutions that are functional,
guest-centric and profitable. My interest in
sustainability and permaculture probably
stems from a semi-feral, rural childhood; it’s
not just the memories that I treasure, it’s the
countryside itself.
What one thing would you change about
the industry if you could?
The name itself – glamping. I’ll confess to
have given much thought to a replacement.
You are well established on the seminar
circuit - what do you want people to take
away from your talks?
Three things: Impartial, solid information;
to feel inspired and enthused (whenever
possible I include new concepts and ideas);
and to have a better understanding of what
I can do for them, and why I do it. This is the
first year I’ll be giving seminars representing
myself so you might notice a difference.
What are your predictions for the future
growth and shape of the glamping
industry?
Different glamping sectors are at various
stages of growth and demise; resort
developments are gaining momentum
while others are losing favour. I think
specialist models are more likely to grow as
businesses seek to differentiate, and more
corporate leisure and hospitality businesses
will start to include glamping. Overall, I
believe that the industry has some way to go
before it reaches peak saturation in the UK.
Are you working on any exciting projects
you can tell us about?
They are all exciting, and quite varied,
some are in Europe and I’ll be heading
back to Australia this winter. In particular,
two projects offer exciting opportunities
for glamping innovation – one is a
fabulous waterside location, and another
is associated with a distillery. I’m also
doing interior design work for a structure
manufacturer, which is fun, plus projects of
my own.
How can readers make use of your
experience?
At the ‘fact-finding’ stage they could
attend one of my workshops or exhibition
seminars. If they already have ideas or a
potential location it’s best to have a chat on
the phone – there’s no fee for this. The next
step would be for me to visit the site (I’m
told my site appraisals are ‘enlightening’),
which is an is an affordable way to get a
practical, honest opinion on potential. If
the landowner wants to pursue the project
to the next stage, and with my support,
we take the process forward from there.
Confidentiality is important to most of my
clients and is assured from day one.
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