SHORT-STAY, HOLIDAY RENTAL AND RETREAT SUCCESS

In the Start Up And Grow Club, an accelerator program for glamping businesses and unique holiday rental hosts, we have been talking about negative practices being used by OTAs to the detriment of small business owners. One such practice is ‘ghosting’.

This is such an unscrupulous activity it definitely supports the case for generating more direct bookings between the hosts and guests and relying less on OTAs (online travel agents).

Listen to podcast episode #44 on your favourite platform here.

Ghosting is becoming increasingly common within the hospitality industry but it’s likely you haven’t heard of it before as OTAs are doing a great job of covering their tracks with this underhand technique, which they are using to boost their profits.  

With many OTAs changing their terms and conditions to allow them to carry this out legally, it is incredibly important that hospitality owners are aware of the negative impact that ghosting can...

There's no doubt that starting a glamping business can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. It’s a lifestyle business perfect for outdoor-loving entrepreneurs, but is it profitable and can it give you back control of your future?

Is Glamping A Good Investment And How Much Does It Cost To Start A Glamping Business?

I often get asked if glamping is a fad or a good business idea. Having worked in the industry since 2010 and watched it recover strongly after a worldwide financial meltdown and then buck the trend of worldwide decline during a pandemic, I am confident when I say it is no longer a fad but is definitely a strengthening trend and lifestyle business model.

As the options are so diverse for setting up this style of business (essentially the only limit is your imagination) there is no industry standard for what you will need to invest.

Clearly setting up a glamping business is unique to the location and the owner's ideas and aspirations for what they want to...

It is now possible for owners of holiday rentals to work with the media to raise their profiles and boost their reputations which will translate into better product exposure, increase bookings and sell out retreats.

Even if you feel like a media novice, uncomfortable in the spotlight or are terrified of rejection, the ‘Powerful Publicity Masterclass’ will give you the building blocks to lead and manage your media exposure by following some fundamental steps.  

Why this Masterclass?

Media is a complicated beast but there are ways you can tame it and make it work for you. Rest assured that with a little insider knowledge anyone can pick it up and it takes much less time than you think!

The techniques used in the world of the media are not widely discussed but with a sneak peak behind the scenes you will be able to to stand out from the crowd whilst leaving your friends, family and competitors wondering how you managed to land that media coverage, get...

It’s likely we’ve developed the need to be perfect from someone important in our lives, like a teacher, parent, or someone we’ve looked up to.

I have vivid memories of watching my dad struggle to be perfect, while also struggling to overcome the debilitating effects of an acute auto-immune disease and redundancy.

While I have no doubt his example helped me through my own major stroke and subsequent redundancy in 2009, I also think it led to an innate desire to seek perfection in everything I do.

When I started my business, I struggled with this, and looking back I realised it stopped me from growing quickly and made it sooooooo much harder.

Why?

Because I felt that it wasn’t good enough.

It wasn’t ‘perfect'.

And looking back, I could have easily made an additional six figures just from the time I failed to take action, to seek the advice and tools I needed, and get the staff to free me up to focus on my long-term goals.

So instead of engaging with...

Glamping or glamour camping combines the nature-loving properties of camping and the luxury of a vacation stay. People all over the world, from all walks of life, crave the serenity and comfort that glamping brings. A glamping business provides an excellent opportunity to make an income from an eco-friendly venture. You need a piece of land that can function as a campsite, a business plan to start and creativity to make the whole thing work. 

If you’re planning to create a business out of this wonderful experience, you need to have a glamping business start-up guide.

What is a Glamping Business Plan

The glamping business plan template is a step-by-step guide to formulating your own glamping business. 

Here are the planning phases:

1. Checking the Glamping Area and Its Market

First and foremost, you need to assess the glamping area and the vicinity. Space and size are important but naturally, this will be relative to the magnitude of what you would like...

What legal issues do I need to consider, how do I structure my Terms of Service and what's included in a Privacy Policy? These are a few common questions I'm asked by concerned business owners who I support in my programs. Obviously, as I'm not a trained lawyer I can not give advice in this area, however, that doesn't mean sticking our heads in the sand is a good idea either.

The fact is that occasionally things do happen. The pandemic is one such out-of-the-ordinary event that no one could have predicted but since then everyone has been racing to get their Terms of Service updated in a way that helps make cancellations and refunds a smooth process in the face of a challenging situation.

So I was delighted when Amy Saunders approached me to help out. Amy is a Principal at the international commercial law firm Support Legal and has been advising travel and tourism businesses on legal issues for many years.

Amy is also in the process of setting up her own tourism...

With travel abroad not likely to be on the cards this year, it seems that many people throughout the UK are learning just how great it can be to holiday in their own country. As a result, we have seen a significant increase in the data that shows us people still want something to look forward to despite the current difficulties. 

As we all adapt to the new normal, outdoor activities such as camping have also become more popular. However, the truth is, the idea of getting back to basics doesn't always appeal to everyone. 

This is where glamping comes into play.

Glamping is like an upgrade to the standard camping experience. A five-star experience under canvas that takes everything great about camping and makes it even better. My slogan for it is "Smoothing The Edges of Roughing It" as that's exactly what it does.

However, glamping doesn't just have something amazing to offer vacationers as it can also benefit homeworkers and those who might want to increase...

Glamping is enjoyable to young and old adventurers, and it will never go out of style or demand. It’s a tourist treat and an adventure experience in one but it's also a business opportunity! So how can you find a glamping business for sale if you fancy the idea of running a site yourself?

Glamping is glamour and camping in one remarkable venue. It’s the perfect escape from the technology-driven world, and it’s so chic that you would often forget you’re in the wilderness. 

If you’re interested in investing in eco-friendly businesses, you should definitely consider a glamping site. Having this kind of eco-conscious company will help your community and establish your rapport as an eco-aware business person. Even if you’re not looking for a full-on glamping business to buy, you can simply buy land and start to develop it into a sustainable site for camping.

Finding glamping businesses for sale:

Approaching Trusted Brokers Or...

Extraordinary experiential and unique outdoor hospitality accommodation can also be referred to as serviced accommodation, hotels, holiday lets, boutique and eco-accommodation or unique vacation rentals. However, for the purposes of this article, I will be referring to it as glamping and will be highlighting essential elements about this industry, worldwide trends and extraordinary new ideas that are beginning to emerge in the marketplace.

Glamping is one of my areas of expertise and I have been talking enthusiastically about it on the public stage for many years and have been working in the industry since 2010. Much has changed since then.

Outdoor hospitality ideas and extraordinary outdoor accommodation trends were eagerly discussed at this year's Glamping Summit, where I was invited to speak. This is one of the biggest extraordinary outdoor hospitality events held in the USA and attracts visitors from the US, UK, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. 

This is one...

What is a glamping business and how can you get the business start-up advice you need if you are thinking of exploring this sector of the tourism industry?

In 2019, the global tourism rate increased by 4%, which is around 1.5 billion. These reported figures are based on the number of foreign arrivals to several destinations around the world. 

Camping is gaining traction in Canada and North America. The North American Camping Report claims that the 77 million households have at least one person in each family that camps occasionally.

It’s the perfect time to create a business that caters to the camping and tourism markets.

Glamping Definition and Characteristics

Glamping is a significant emerging trend worldwide. The word glamping literally means glamorous camping, and it’s one of the many creative ways of transforming an old favourite into a new one for all ages, upgrading the nature-appreciative camping with modern comfort. 

Glamping areas usually need...