GLAMPING BUSINESS AND RETREAT EVENT SUCCESS

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

If you've ever had a couple fall in love with your site for a wedding, then quietly go and book a separate, slightly awkward legal ceremony at a register office because your land isn't a "licensed venue", this post is for you. There's a genuine chance that's about to change, and the window to influence how it changes closes on 24 September 2026.

What's Actually Happening

On 16 July 2026, the UK Government launched a consultation called "Tying the Knot", described as the biggest shake-up of weddings law in almost 200 years. The main change: right now, a wedding has to happen at an approved, licensed venue to be legally binding. The proposal would scrap that rule entirely and regulate who conducts the ceremony instead of where it happens.

In practice, that means couples could have a fully legal wedding almost anywhere… a glamping meadow, a bell ...

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

I recently sat down with Shannon Jamail on The Retreat Leaders Podcast for Episode 269, "Why Glamping and Retreats Are the Perfect Pair (And What Retreat Leaders Need to Know)." Shannon and I have both spent years in the experiential hospitality space. She hosts retreat leaders through her mastermind and community, and I've been building The Glamping Academy and Inspired Courses since 2010. This conversation is one I've wanted to have on her show for a while.

For 32 minutes, we dug into the intersection of two industries that keep pointing to each other: glamping and retreats. If you're a retreat leader, venue owner, or entrepreneur weighing whether glamping belongs in your business model, here's what we covered, and what I've learned running a boutique glamping and retreats business for over a decade.

Why Glamping and Retreats Are a Natural Ma...

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

There's a rhythm to running a glamping business. Peak season fills up. Everything on either side of it goes quiet. Mid-week gaps, shoulder-season dates, off-peak months... the site is beautiful, but the fixed costs don't take a break just because the guests have.

That's usually the point where events such as weddings enter the conversation. Not because you set out to become a wedding venue, but because you start wondering whether your land, your accommodation, and your setting could work harder for you, without turning your business into something you no longer recognise.

Each country has different laws governing weddings held outdoors. For example, in the UK, since the law changed in 2022, more couples have been moving away from the traditional wedding format altogether, and glampsites have become one of the venues benefiting most from that sh...

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert |

Inspired Courses ☆The Glamping Academy  ☆ Inspired Collective

This year, I'm embracing stress-free glamping business success, and I want to share exactly how I'm doing it. I'm Sarah Riley, founder of Inspired Courses, The Glamping Academy,and Inspired Collective. In over 15 years I have been helping more than 2,000 glamping, retreat, and unique hospitality businesses launch and grow across 18 countries, and during that time, the most consistent piece of advice I give isn't about marketing funnels or occupancy rates. It's about this...

If you bumped into me on the beach lately, or passed me on a dog walk, or even caught me pottering in my vegetable plot, you might wonder how I look so… peaceful.

No headphones.

No podcast.

No audiobook is teaching me something new about entrepreneurship, hospitality marketing, self-development, or the glamping industry. 

This is the magic of quiet moments… 

Just...

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

In the ever-evolving world of glamping, luxury outdoor hospitality and retreat events, one truth is undeniable: the game has changed... Dramatically! 

Gone are the days when simply ranking on Google or sending a few emails could reliably fill your calendar and events. Today, thanks to rapid shifts in consumer search behaviour, the rise of AI, and increasing guest expectations, glamping business owners, unique hospitality providers, short-stay hosts and retreat leaders need to adapt, or risk being lost and forgotten.

Listen to the full episode here:

If you've been wondering why your website traffic is down, bookings are slower, or engagement is dropping despite your best efforts, you are not alone. But the solution isn't working harder... It's working smarter. 

The Cheese Has Moved: What Glamping and Retreat Hosts Can Learn from a Cla...

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

In the world of experiential travel, your property’s design does more than offer comfort… it tells a story. A story that gets shared in photos, reels, and tags. And that story can help you build you a fully booked calendar.

So how do you design your glamping site, retreat or unique hospitality not just for rest, but for where guests do the storytelling for you?

The secret? Intentional design that encourages connection and content.

Here's how you can tailor your glamping stay to attract modern guests and inspire user-generated content that sells your space without you lifting a finger.

Whether you're a glamping business owner, unique hospitality host, or building a short-stay eco-retreat, these strategies will elevate your brand, attract your dream guests, and help your property stand out.

1. Create Photographable Moments in Unexpected ...

By Sarah Riley | Glamping Business & Retreat and Hospitality Marketing Expert

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

Wondering how to start a glamping business and the income you might be able to achieve in hospitality? The key, as with any new industry or lifestyle business choice is research. Understanding what this means for your future prospects can help answer those questions about profitability or potential success in an increasingly competitive world marketplace!

How To Start A Glamping Business Or Eco-Retreat 

Here, we have given you everything you need to kick off your lifestyle business dreams, including access to a definitive glamping business course that will take you through all the steps for starting this style of eco-accommodation from scratch. This will help to guide you through the development of your campground business plan and making navigating this new journey easier. 

Is Glamping A Good Business?

We are huge advocates of glamping...