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

Hosting retreat events can have a profound impact on both attendees and the host, creating a ripple effect of positive change. "It's just like when you drop a pebble into the water and it sends out a whole host of ripples." - Laura of WelSummer Camping

In our recent podcast episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Laura from Well Summer Camping. Laura shared her experience of hosting a retreat event at her glamping site. She mentioned that the event exceeded her expectations, with attendees forming deep connections and experiencing emotional breakthroughs. This highlights how retreats can provide a space for individuals to let go, find peace, and connect with nature and themselves.

The ripple effect of hosting a retreat extends beyond the event itself. Laura mentioned receiving feedback from attendees who continued to practice activit...

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

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

The retreat industry is booming. People are craving experiences that foster wellness, connection, and personal growth.  If you've ever considered a retreat center startup, now is the perfect time to turn that dream into a reality. But where do you begin? How do you build a retreat center that not only offers exceptional experiences but also thrives as a business?

This blog will equip you with the knowledge and resources you need to navigate the exciting world of retreat center startups. We'll delve into the key aspects of running a retreat center, from finding your niche to building a loyal clientele.

Finding Your Niche: The Heart of Your Retreat Center Startup

Every successful retreat center caters to a specific audience.  This niche could be anything from yoga and mindfulness retreats  (https://www.inspiredcoursesvip.com/retreat-busine...

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

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

How To Host A Retreat And Make Money: Planning a retreat business can be a great way to share your expertise, connect with like-minded people, and make a profit. However, organising a profitable retreat event that successfully attracts the number of attendees you want requires careful planning and attention to detail.

There is nothing worse for the host of a retreat to start their event realising arrangements are falling through, they have forgotten to organise a few vital things and they are distracted from fully focusing on their retreat guests. They are the host after all!

In the sections below we'll cover everything you need to know to ensure your retreat is not only rewarding but also profitable and how you can organise everything ahead of time to make sure everything goes smoothly on the day. We also cover new ways to use AI to help...

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

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

Starting a glamping business is an extremely exciting venture for those looking to launch a lifestyle business providing unique outdoor experiences. With the right foundation and marketing in place, you can turn your vision into a profitable reality. Here’s how to get started.

How to Build a Strong Foundation for Your Retreat or Glamping Business

The first step in launching a successful glamping business is to understand the wider industry and hospitality marketplace. The next step is to understand what makes your services unique. Seeking guidance and support from industry experts is vital, as is creating a business plan that highlights the uniqueness of your venture. This strong foundation will help you stand out and attract your target audience.

Click here to watch Sarah explain these tips on YouTube

How to Connect with Your Audienc...

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

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

Have you ever wondered how to start a retreat business or thought about running unique events as part of a new lifestyle business? Or maybe you've attended a retreat and felt you could do a better job running it. What about starting a yoga retreat business... or craft, health, wellness, corporate retreats, using skills or a passion you already have like pet training, food fermentation or health? Or maybe you already run a glamping business and are thinking of using retreats as a way of increasing your occupancy. That is interesting, definitely, but before you start advertising your retreat events, you need to start writing a retreat plan, even if it's on the back of a napkin. Where exactly do you start?

How To Start A Retreat Business

What is more exciting than having a passion and watching it evolve into a viable business while following...

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

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

How do you plan a retreat business successfully and what steps are involved? People host and run retreats for a multitude of reasons. For some, it might be they have a passion for helping people improve their health, de-stress through mindfulness at wellness retreats or improve their flexibility through yoga retreats. They might have a skill they want to share in craft retreats or they might be leaders wanting to organise spiritual retreats. Maybe they have retired recently and are looking for a lifestyle business idea that can supplement their pension. Others might be more business-focused and want to improve the occupancy of their hospitality business during the quieter shoulder months or run corporate retreats, which can be quite lucrative. Whatever the reason, deciding to host retreats may be the perfect career path for you into your ow...

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

Inspired Courses ☆ The Glamping Academy ☆ Inspired Collective

Filling your retreat events and growing your business is possible, even without a large email list or social media following but it's surprising how many times people say they struggle while often having to rearrange dates or cancel at the last minute.

There is a lot involved in organising events. From finding the right location to marketing your services a retreat business can be complicated to set up. If you are thinking of running a retreat then the Perfectly Planned And Profitable Retreats System® has been put together to help you understand the basic essentials to launch and grow a successful retreat business in whatever shape fits your life.

If you need more help and support to get your retreat business started quickly and profitably with sold-out events then get in touch as we can help you jump ahead of the competition in half the ...