How to get the most out of your glamping site
In the past few years, the popularity of glamping has been increasing significantly each year, with the search term, ‘glamping’ being more popular in winter 2020 than in summer 2014 as shown in Google Trends! This trend doesn’t seem to be slowing down either, especially with the UK’s growing preference of ‘staycations’ due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although more brits are holidaying on home soil, they’re still looking for that taste of luxury. When done right, glamping provides exactly that. Bell Tent Sussex provides high-quality bell tents for sale to get your business started and our experience, time and support in all aspects of your business are completely free of charge! You’ll benefit from our experience in setting up a glamping site, insurance, knowledge on increasing turnover, and ongoing support from a dedicated team member.
Once you’ve purchased your bell tents for sale you’ll have to decide how to lay them out. The layout of the tents can significantly affect the feeling and experience for your customers. For example, if you’re looking to create a social environment then think about configuring your tents in a large circle to encourage interaction. Alternatively, you can set the tents up in small ‘villages’ so groups of friends or families can have their own area, balancing the social experience with the privacy away from other campers. However, if your customers are booking your site for a romantic holiday with their partner then you will want to implement a more scattered arrangement with privacy at the core. By analysing your target market you’ll quickly be able to decide which would be best for your glampsite.
Glamping is not only about the bell tents themselves. Additional experiences and added extras make a difference and are key when looking for those five-star reviews! You can have fun with this and offer events or products such as:
- Hidden BBQ picnic areas - produce a map to make it even more of an event!
- Sunset spots - identifying the best areas to watch the sunset and book these out to campers to make it more exclusive
- Local hampers - put together a hamper of luxuries and local specialities
- Cinema nights - hire a projector and put on an outdoor movie night. You could also sell snacks, soft drinks, set up a bar, or even better rent the projector out to each bell tent so the kids can watch lion king on the canvas before bed time!
You can also provide services to make their stay easier. For example:
- A taxi service
- Bags of logs (at an extra cost)
- Dog stay (at an extra cost)
- Yoga classes - you can hire an external teacher to host a class in a bell tent
- Private chef - once requested, you can quickly book a professional chef to come onsite
These extras will ultimately increase your turnover, create USPs (unique selling points) and overall make the experience that much better, potentially leading to repeat bookings. Impressing is the first part of the equation. Getting them to leave a 5-star review is the second most important part as that is what will get you your next customer. An effective way to achieve this is to offer an incentive to review. You could supply reviewers with a free glass of bubbles, or give a discount on any of your additional services.
To give some idea of what else can differentiate you from competitors and help you reach those 5-star reviews, here are ten things that will get you there.
- Amazing views
- Clean toilets and showers
- A proper bed and mattress
- Nearby beaches (glamping by the sea was the biggest google trend for 2021)
- Scenic walks, sightseeing, cycle paths - somewhere to eat on these routes
- Electricity
- On site activities for children - fishing lake, horse riding, play areas
- 24-hour security. A minimum of five bell tents per site
- Good drainage on the land to avoid flooding
If you’d like to check out our bell tents for sale or to discuss anything including how to improve your glamping site with our experienced team, you can do so by calling 01323 651324, or emailing us at mail@belltentsussex.co.uk
