Episodes
The glamping industry is booming, but it’s a seasonal business. This means bookings will slow down during off-peak or mid-week periods. So, what can you do to counteract this slowdown? This is when you need a feeder business. But what’s that you ask? Well, a feeder business can keep your glamping enterprise thriving by sending customers through your door. This technique involves running high-end C-Level corporate retreats and events during quiet times. In this episode, I talk with Sarah...
Published 09/26/24
Laura runs a glamping site tucked away amongst the trees in the heart of the beautiful countryside, amongst sunny meadows and shade-dappled woods. They have fully kitted-out canvas bell tents and handmade wooden cabins. So what made them want to launch a retreat events business alongside their existing glamping services? Is it profitable and how did they manage to sell out their retreat event spaces? Laura, from Welsummer Glamping, shares all this and more in this episode, which highlights...
Published 05/24/24
Pitching to any investor is difficult but imagine being surrounded by TV cameras, studio lights and four dragon investors. That's another level! This is exactly what Derry Green of Secret Garden Glamping did when he pitched his idea on the Dragons Den (also known in the USA as Shark Tank). In this episode Derry shares how it came about, his results and how it all works behind the scenes. He also shares his top tips for attracting investment for any hospitality idea and what he hopes to...
Published 01/12/24
How can you make your guest attraction marketing easier? Are there tools you can use and how does that work? Today I invite you into the brave new world of marketing with AI and using tools available to help you with guest attraction. This episode is perfect for anyone struggling to attract the customers they want and unable to find the time to make a difference to their numbers. To find out more about Ben Kilner and his current projects, go to https://benkilner.com To access his AI...
Published 12/15/23
How can we build tourism businesses that are kinder and more regenerative to the environment, healthy to the worker, pleasing to the guest, engaging to the community and profitable to the owner? We don't operate in bubbles so we have to work together to create solutions that everyone will win from in the long term, including Mother Earth. In this optimistic sustainability conversation, Sarah Riley talked with Professor Dr. Willy Legrand about how the eco-resort, luxury camping and glamping...
Published 09/27/23
What inspires a family to start a glamping business while their country is at war, they are faced with a pandemic and have 5 young children? We all deal with challenges in different ways. I know that when I’m struggling, all I need to do is listen to the inspirational stories of others to get motivated again. My mind was blown by what Ulyana and her husband Andrii have achieved in Ukraine, and despite all their challenges, they knew they were building more than a business. They were...
Published 07/16/23
Lilypod Glamping is a unique floating sanctuary designed with love and handbuilt with passion in Devon UK. It is a unique stay inspired by nature using the natural wonder of timber. It is low carbon, off-grid short stay unique accommodation that uses natural materials to make an eco-tourism offering worth visiting. Nestled on a stunning lake at Alder Farm, hushed by mature deciduous trees on the border of Dartmoor. With local activities in abundance, ranging from spas to wild swimming, horse...
Published 06/29/23
Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Louis Thompson who is the founder and CEO of multiple businesses including Nomadic Resorts, an award-winning architectural and landscape design office that delivers innovative, experiential hospitality projects across the planet. His company designs bespoke green building projects for various luxury hotel groups including Soneva, Banyan Tree, Playa Viva, Neom and Resplendent Ceylon. Louis also founded Nomadic Escapes, a new outdoor hospitality...
Published 05/16/23
Kerry has been a successful glamping business owner for many years. She has single-handedly managed multiple businesses and has had her fair share of ups and downs. She is also known to share generously and talk openly about industry vitals while others keep their cards close to their chests. In this episode, we talk about: Key glamping events in the calendar we are looking forward to most this year The most important part of glamping that some owners miss today Industry insights from a...
Published 04/26/23
Always take the time to hunt out the experts and speak with those who are generous enough to share their expertise in the industry. Especially when they have been working within it for so many years. This is why I was happy to welcome Phil Russell from Tor View Shepherds Huts in Somerset onto the show. In this episode, Phil shares his insights into the industry and the typical glamping guest. He also talks about the thing that surprises him the most about some guests that stay with him....
Published 03/28/23
What sustainability practices are most appreciated by guests and what services are being used to attract eco-tourists and those with a preference towards environmentally sensitive businesses? Rachel Bowers has been deciphering guest preferences on glamping offerings, boutique hotels and unique hospitality and how eco-travel does not mean guests need to sacrifice the quality of the service they receive.  It's very rare to find research on this topic that includes guest and operator surveys...
Published 03/18/23
If you start a small glamping business with your kids for something to do because your existing transport business has failed due to the pandemic, is it realistic to think you might get booked out for 2 years in advance, gain hundreds of thousands of social media followers and will soon need to expand your site as the awards keep rolling in?  Well, apparently it is! Derry Green is the founder of The Secret Garden Glamping and in this podcast episode, he shares the inspirational story behind...
Published 03/06/23
It is estimated there are over 700 million websites in the world so how can a glamping business, eco-resort or unique hospitality possibly stand out from the crowd and get noticed? In this episode, I talk with Malcolm Freeman, Director of Oxygen Graphics, a company that helps glamping businesses get up and running with their websites, digital assets and overall online strategy to generate an impact. This episode is packed with nuggets of gold for anyone wanting to get their business noticed...
Published 02/17/23
We've known for many years that farmers can use glamping to manage income fluctuations, but what is it really like to run this style of business alongside the demands of farming and does it really allow them to diversify their farm income? Meadow Field Luxury Glamping is situated in Harborough Magna, Rugby in Warwickshire. Jules Mold is passionate about providing a high-end service for her guests and has worked hard to deliver something she would enjoy, which for her is the litmus test to...
Published 12/08/22
Today I am speaking with Sarah Dusek of Under Canvas USA and Enygma Ventures, a purpose-driven business support fund and investment organisation. We talk about everything from glamping business news to investment success and current market updates. I also asked Sarah what her view is of the glamping industry today and where she thinks it's going with experiential accommodation, boutique luxury services and new eco-resort offerings in the future. Today’s episode is brought to you by The...
Published 09/08/22
Today's episode is with Noelle Homsy from ENVI Lodges, an award-winning founder listed in the 50 most influential hoteliers in the Middle East. We chat about the future of experiential tourism, eco-resorts and glamping, and her recent experience of raising significant investments. Noelle is a strategic thinker who knows how to avoid getting bogged down in the weeds when it comes to funding her ideas and in this episode, she shares insights and tips so others can do the same. This episode is...
Published 08/24/22
How can you enhance the guest experience to keep them coming back for more without adding to the hosts' list of things to do? This can be achieved with automated guest onboarding and farewells that lead to satisfied guests who want to leave raving reviews and tell all their friends about your short-stay accommodation. These examples of best practices, using Digital Guest Books, are no longer just nice-to-do but are rapidly becoming expected by customers. So it's time to embrace new technology...
Published 08/15/22
As the hospitality, luxury resort and glamping industries increase in competitiveness so does the need to stand out from the crowd. This episode highlights six real-world examples and best practices that wow the guest by enhancing their experience so you can be inspired to do the same. This episode is brought to you by the Glamping Academy and the Start Up And Grow Club www.glamping.academy   www.inspiredcourses.com/club   
Published 08/09/22
It's great to be a pioneer but it can be hard work starting from scratch. Instead, learning quickly from pioneers who have gone before us can save time and money while figuring out what works. This is why we have so much to gain by paying attention to the hotel model and applying it to the modern world of glamping, luxury camping, eco-resorts, unique holiday rentals and serviced accommodation. Todd Wynne-Parry has 30 years of hotel development experience, having held senior leadership...
Published 06/27/22
Eco-resort development is encouraging everyone to think bigger in terms of sustainability and business. So what is best practice when it comes to setting up eco-resorts and how can hosts, who have hundreds of ideas when it comes to setting up their business, how can they sense check their eco-resort ideas? In this episode, I speak with Steph Curtis-Raleigh who is the Publisher of International Glamping Business Magazine and co-organiser of The Eco-Resort Network who shares what an eco-resort...
Published 06/20/22
A day in the life of a glamping site owner. Today I'm speaking with Pat and Emilie of Cielo who I have been privileged to work with. We talk about their glamping hub and how supporting their community has been so key to their success. To find out more about Cielo visit their website here: https://en.glampingcielo.com/ To get further support from Sarah visit The Glamping Academy® Http://glamping.academy
Published 04/27/22
As part of a new complementary sub-series, 'A Day In The Life Of A Glamping Business Owner', I invited Sarah Heyworth from Graig Wen to share her experiences of what it's really like to live and work in a place of outstanding natural beauty while running camping, glamping, holiday cottages and a bed and breakfast (B&B). Glamping Snowdonia - you'll never want to leave. Glamping Academy: https://www.inspiredcoursesvip.com/glamping-business-academy Show notes: https://inspiredcamping.com/047
Published 03/15/22
The Perfectly Planned And Profitable Retreats System® helps those who want to run retreats alongside their glamping business or start a new lifestyle business. Here, Sarah answers why retreats have become so popular and how this is currently an untapped market segment. There has been such a big shift since the pandemic started and after years of limiting our travel, being unable to socialise with other like-minded people and generally feeling a lot more stressed and exhausted than we used...
Published 02/28/22