To think we can start a glamping business

[Glampinggirl]

We have always dreamed of running a glamping experience but it seems to me that the market is a bit oversaturated. However my family seem to think it’s a wonderful idea. We would need some investment with a cash injection from ourselves also. Would live onsite with our son and his family. Separate annexe for us. Could this work (yabu) or am I right in thinking there are already too many (yanbu). This would be in North Wales

Impossible to answer with such sparse details. It would need to be more than a few tents in a field. What would your offer be?

We were thinking high end cabins with en-suite and kitchen facilities. A hot tub outside. A fire pit. Landscape around them for privacy. Just thinking about it at the moment and getting ideas together. Do we want just couples or should we cater for families etc. We will need to do lots of research if we decide to go ahead

It COULD work, in the right location with a walkable pub for example. More people are taking holidays in their own country now, but you’d still need to be competitive on price and have places of interest around you too.

Good luck! It will be hard work, but I’d imagine quite a fun project!

It depends: what will your site offer which sets it above other similar sites? We visit a lot of sites (many of which offer glamping) in our campervan, so I've experienced a whole range.

For me, these are essential:

• Nature setting / wildlife.
• Nice walks from the site (footpaths rather than country roads with no pavement).
• Interesting places to visit within easy walking distance, or at the very least a nice pub which does food.
• Enough toilets and hot showers to cope with the number of guests.

Nice to have:

• Firepit provided (or available for hire) and seasoned firewood available to buy.
• Visiting food truck at weekends (e.g. wood fired pizza).

Specifically for glamping, will you be offering basic accommodation (guests bring their own bedding etc) or will everything be already set up for them?

You also need to think about who you are targeting:

• Adults only or family friendly?
• Quiet couples or (potentially noisier) groups of friends?
• Dogs?

Lastly, it's important to have a well-functioning, up to date website, preferably one which shows availability and where guests can book and pay directly.

Is your voting the wrong way round?
I think it sounds great, but to do high-end you'd need a lot of both money and imagination. Why not go for cabins rather than tents?

When I started writing my comment, it was the first one. I got distracted half way through (delivery) and you had already addressed a couple of the points by the time I posted.

I think you need to decide what your market is.

Hot tub is more marketed towards couples and groups as they aren’t child friendly.

Family friendly
Dog friendly
Couples only
Groups welcome

A family is unlikely to want to risk being on site with a stag/hen do.

If I was going with my partner I wouldn’t want kids on site.
Neither would I if I took my dog because they get wound up by not being able to join in ball games etc

I had an awful camping trip where a group of teens turned up for the last 2/3 nights and kept the whole site awake.

If you’re family friendly do you want play areas?

If dog friendly, the pitch needs secure fencing for owners to be able to relax a bit.

And yes to a walkable pub!

We're a couple (and family) that love to travel and get breaks away. We really enjoy this kind of break, but you need to positit yourself right. A lot of these glamping places are completely out of budget for us now at around £250-£300 a night, we can get a European city break for just slightly more.

We look for ones that have amenities nearby, like a pub for food and just eat delivery. Also towels and robes provided, you don't want to come home and have loads of towels and bedding to wash! Fire pits or chimneas with wood provided is a nice touch. And a welcome basket with essentials to get you started.

The other thing is that many are not geared up for families, which is absolutely fine if you advertise like that. But we recently went to one that said sleeps 5 (we're family of 4), that's why we picked this one and my 11yr old did not fit on the bed, it was like toddler sized! It left us in a bit of a pickle as my dc can't share a bed so it was an uncomfortable night all round. It would have been perfect for just me and dp.

I'm not sure how much money is in it, I imagine the overheads are quite high with heating hot tubs, laundry, cleaning etc.

I will no longer stay on any site that doesn't have a person of authority within shouting distance having had lager lout types arranging for an ice cream van and a blazing headlights kebab delivery to a very rural site at gone 10 pm when almost everyone was already settled down for the night.

I note that you intend to be on site so perhaps academic but there's not a lot of fun for older campers or families when that kind of poor conduct kicks off and nobody to deal with it.

The site we are looking at definitely ticks all of the boxes for wildlife, walks etc. Would provide all linen, towels, robes etc.
I love visiting these kind of places with my husband and we always go adult only. I presume young families may not have that income readily available to go and spend a weekend with their kids in a cabin. And couples may be put off by kids. It’s food for thought. Thank you for your insight

On paper sounds great i love the idea, in reality no chance really

If you can lose the money without it causing issues sure try it

All of the stuff about the site and what’s needed is all good and well. But when you’re running a business it’s all about the bottom line. Sorry for being the boring one!

• Do you already own the land, has it got gas/electric (if needed)
• Does it have plumbing?
• Permission to run a business from and possible planning permission for permanent structures.

If you don’t already own the land, that will be the difficult bit. Finding somewhere suitable to run a business from and you say you also want to live on site. Costs involved could be astronomical (see above)

Most of my family are self employed/run companies. And I know how costs can escalate and run away with you!!
Good Luck

What other kind of accommodation is nearby? What is there to do if the weather is wet? What is the weather like generally in that area? Is there good transport links in the area? Would you be aiming for weekend or overnight stays. Is there good shops nearby?

It could work but you need to think about what makes your site ‘better’ than the next one. Why would someone pick your site over an existing one? What extra can you offer and still be competitively priced? How many are in your area already? How busy are they?

Do your research before setting this up. It could work but then it could also not work too. What would you do then?

I spend most of every summer old school, ordinary camping (tent, no electric hook up) and find that the section of sites most likely to be empty is the glamping area. It's getting harder and harder to find just an ordinary old fashioned field to camp in these days as everything has become hard pitch/massive motorhome/electric hook up friendly.

If I were starting a camping business I'd go old school. A covered area with tables for wet weather, a lovely hot shower, clean loo and washing up area. It would be minimum investment. Your area sounds ideal for walkers and nature fans and in my experience these folk are quiet, easy to please and leave no mess. They also camp for a longer season whereas your high thread count partying glampers only camp in high summer. You'd be busy longer and have more customers. Lower costs for you and your campers, but higher throughput. You could do something wonderful without having to invest in stuff like robes.

Another thing that's very popular near me in Somerset is private field camping. I'd have a look into that.

We have found the perfect place. Can afford with a small mortgage but would need an investor for the work. I have a hospitality background and did the accounts etc there so have basic knowledge.
We would need to get planning advice before we put an offer in.

This is what I am thinking. Trying to think of ways to make it different and more of an experience. Thinking a bbq hut where people can come together. Maybe an honesty shop with local produce.

It's not just about what sounds lovely, OP. Have you thought about all the costs.... wages, power, admin fees, maintenance, set up, insurance etc etc. Do you intend to be a limited company or a partnership? How much capital do you plan to invest? Hospitality businesses are closing at a rate of knots, even the good ones, because of high costs. Do a business plan and get some proper advice.

You also need to think about and investigate the availability of services in your local area to clean, maintain and keep the site ticking over. Will you be able to find reliable cleaning staff to do turnovers and laundry and clean communal areas, admin / welcome staff to be on site to show guests the ropes and handle any maintenance issues? In more rural areas, it may be more difficult to find this. The alternative is doing it all yourself - which then becomes a 24/7 lifestyle, restricting your own ability to go out for any length of time, or go away.

I second these points. I'd love everything this poster says for about £30 a night. We'd stay for a long weekend to a week anywhere from April to September. A small cabin to wash up and chill when it's cold/wet, a covered veranda to eat and chat to other campers

The thing that puts me off glamping is the appalling UK weather. There's such a high risk that it will be chucking it down with rain and then you're paying possibly hundreds of pounds per night for a tent or tiny hut with no living room. Is it close to towns with things to do?

Oh definitely will come up with a business and investor plan. Done lots of figures on different scenarios through Chat gpt. Amount of pods, different percentage of occupancy rates, investor interest and capital repayment, planning fees, groundwork etc. This is more of a should we or shouldn’t we be thinking about doing this. It’s great to hear other people’s ideas

I can see what you're saying @doglover90 .
OP - old school campers don't mind the weather. They'll walk, wild swim and be outside whatever the weather. Also, if people are paying £30 a night not £175 they're more willing to take a punt on the weather - you'll not be competing with the Costa Del Sol.

It works in The Archers but that was with a huge injection of cash from the Bank of Mum and Dad