In a session titled “From Tents to Wagons: How Glamping Can Benefit Your Park,” panelists at the 2024 Glamping Show Americas shared firsthand experiences and insights on incorporating glamping into traditional campgrounds and RV parks. The discussion provided valuable guidance for owners looking to expand their offerings beyond traditional RV and tent sites.
Panelists included Terry Munoz, senior consultant at Campground Consulting Group; Tim Murphy, founder of Emberglow Outdoor Resort; and Dan and Erin Thiem, owners of Inn Town Campground. The conversation provided insights into how blending different types of accommodations, glamping, and RV sites can create unique guest experiences and influence operational strategies.
Understanding the Differences: Glamping vs. RV Camping
Munoz reflected on the changes in the industry over his 36 years of experience. “Back in the day with Thousand Trails, we had RV sites all over the countryside. In the northwest, we did have yurts as early as 1988, and we had 29-foot prowler travel trailers,” said Munoz.
Over time, however, glamping offerings have evolved significantly, with much nicer yurts, domes, and tents becoming the standard. He emphasized the importance of thinking creatively to differentiate a campground from competitors, particularly in terms of accommodation placement.
“One thing that comes to mind is placement—if you’re doing stick-built cabins, they’re not RBI certified, which requires a permit in most jurisdictions,” Munoz explained.
Murphy acknowledged the gray area between glamping and traditional lodging. “There’s a definite distinction between those two, but the area in between is definitely a gray area,” he said.
Emberglow Outdoor Resort distinguishes glamping from simple lodging by focusing on unique, experiential accommodations like yurts and pods. “Glamping requires more than just sticking a building down and calling it glamping. There’s more of an experience to it—how it’s decorated…whether there’s a bathroom attached or close to it,” Murphy explained.
Dan Thiem, whose Inn Town Campground offers RV sites, glamping, and tenting, emphasized that glamping allows for an experiential camping experience. “And for us, we look at it in terms of how it fits our own particular customer base. And I think that what’s different about the glamping industry versus just any old accommodation provider is that each individual property is creating their own individual experience. And so you’re creating a vision and realizing that vision for your customers,” he said.
Blending RV and Glamping Accommodations: Strategic Considerations
With a clear understanding of what sets glamping apart from traditional RV camping, the panelists explored strategies for blending these distinct accommodation types within a single property.
When blending RV sites and glamping units, careful planning is essential. Munoz shared his experience in utilizing non-developable land at his last property by placing Conestoga Wagons in areas where people would never build RV sites. “It was actually in the floodplain and almost to the conveyance zone of the floodway, and that was under the jurisdiction of the city of Houston. So I was able to get them to allow me to do electric only and that’s when I built this, bathroom pod unit that you see outside,” he explained.
Dan Thiem also highlighted the importance of creating cohesion between different accommodations. “You can’t just put a tent on an RV pad and call it glamping. It doesn’t fit in with any of the other visions that you have, let alone what your customers have. So, if you’re thinking about adding it on, make sure that you think of it in a holistic strategy. It’s how you’re going to create the experience and the environment so that people feel like they’re part of it,” Dan emphasized.
Murphy shared how his resort initially faced awkwardness by mixing RV sites with glamping units. “We ended up with RV sites right along where some of the yurts and treehouses were. It felt awkward from day one,” he said. Over time, they transitioned those RV sites to glamping units.
Operational Impacts and Customer Experience
Adding glamping units to an RV park can impact various aspects of operations, from staffing to customer expectations. Munoz noted that housekeeping requirements for glamping units are similar to those for park model cabins. “Cleaning a glamping unit is not much different… unless it’s a treehouse or something,” he said.
Additionally, adding glamping accommodations may require an increased marketing budget. “But you’re going to want to spend promoting those units, whether it’s your wagon area, your safari tent area, or whatever accommodations you’re highlighting that you’re wanting to,” Munoz added.
Erin Thiem highlighted the logistical challenges of managing different check-in times for RV sites and glamping units. “For tent camping and RV sites, we have one check-in time, and for our glamping units, we have another,” Erin explained.
Another aspect of the discussion is about different cultural expectations. Murphy added that RV campers and glampers often have different cultural expectations. “They’ve done it at your place, they’ve done it at other places, there’s a sort of common code of how things are kind of supposed to work, and they bring that culture,” he said.
Marketing Strategies for Mixed-Use Campgrounds
While operational changes are necessary to accommodate glamping units, effective marketing strategies are equally critical to communicate these new offerings to potential guests.
Marketing a mixed-use campground requires a nuanced approach that appeals to both RV campers and glampers. Erin Thiem emphasized the importance of knowing your customer. “I try to make sure that the person feels like they can see themselves at our campground, regardless of the type of camping they’re doing,” she said.
One of the benefits of mixed-use campgrounds is that they can attract a diverse range of customers—from different generations to different economic backgrounds.
Permitting Challenges for Diverse Accommodations
Adding glamping units or other unique accommodations can present significant permitting challenges. Munoz shared his experience developing a campground near Houston.
“The retreat RV and camping resort I built on Lake Houston was 45 minutes outside of downtown Houston. I remember when I interviewed for the job to develop that property…It’s 40 acres. This is a beautiful track. And then, I quickly found out that the city of Houston had jurisdiction a mile off of the water. So all my permitting had to go through the city,” Munoz shared.
Dan Thiem also faced challenges when adding glamping tents to his campground. “When we did our campgrounds, and that was 11 years ago we started the process, they didn’t even know what to make of the idea. You know, I said, I want to put these glamping tents up, and I mean, it was like deer in the headlights. So, we actually went through that process,” Thiem said.
The session from Day 1 of the 2024 Glamping Show Americas underscored the importance of careful planning and strategic placement when adding glamping accommodations to traditional RV parks.
By understanding the unique expectations of glampers, overcoming operational challenges, and navigating permitting issues, campground owners can create memorable experiences that appeal to a diverse guest base.
The 2024 Glamping Show Americas is underway at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds, where glamping industry professionals are gathered for two days of education, networking, and more.
For more information on the Glamping Show, visit glampingshow.us.