This week on MC Fireside Chats, glamping experts joined another discussion on topics surrounding the glamping industry. Recurring guests Ruben Martinez, the founder of Glamping Hub and the American Glamping Association, and Irene Wood of Fields of Michigan joined today’s show.
They are also joined by new recurring members of the show, Zach Stoltenberg, the Glamping & RV Resort Design Leader at Clockwork, as well as Connor Schwab, the Vice President of Outdoor Hospitality at Sage Outdoor Advisory.
Irene Woods started off the show with the learnings she gained as the camping season comes to a close.
She said that they moved a few levers to see what benefits their operations the most, which considers a luxury that other campgrounds do not have.
Woods mentioned that Fields of Michigan tried two things, which she learned something from. First, she learned that it is important but difficult to meet the guest’s expectations while still providing a good experience, such as adjusting their accommodations to improve their customer experience.
Second, they tried to have an adults-only policy, then allow guests to bring their children. She realized having adult-only guests bring in more revenue compared to allowing them to bring children to the sites. She said adults pay more to maximize their experience in the campsite, while families have to go outside to entertain the kids.
Ruben Martinez agreed with woods, saying that there’s a certain category of questions that camping operators ask, such as “to be family-friendly or not?”, “What food and beverage to have at the campsite?” or “What amenities to offer?”
“As soon as you try to be everything, that’s when you become nothing,” he said. “Find what’s perfect for you and stick with it. You can’t always be everything, you have to choose when it becomes hard down the line.”
The show then had a special guest, Tent Masters Sales Director Steven Woodburn, who shared some perspective on the Glamping industry, as well as provided a tour of one of their latest tent models.
He said that the outdoor hospitality industry has been on the rise, and during post-covid, it has gone full throttle.
He added that older generations go on camping trips with families, but with the growing demographic, people from different backgrounds, who are wanting to experience nature, see camping as the perfect opportunity. The industry is all about experience.
When asked about the things that changed how campground owners operate this year, Zach Stoltenberg said, on the architecture side, they’ve got clients this year who are first-timers in operating campgrounds, inquiring about how they can continue operating in the winter season.
Seasonal camping season may become another option, as some campgrounds begin to accommodate guests all year round, operating even in cold weather. Zach said that they provided tips to their clients on how they can keep operating in these cold temperatures in the short run.
Connor Schwab said winter camping is something that campgrounds may see guests wanting to experience, and they would have to come up with solutions for them to accommodate them, even if not a lot of people would be doing it.
Woods said that as people continue glamping, one of the things that they did is keep the staples of their campgrounds, especially to maintain their loyal guests.
She said improving the guest experience by either leveling up or “being creative with the space” they have is essential, like readjusting, reusing, or re-invigorating it. They had constantly reuse the space in unexpectedly creative ways
Martinez said the industry’s growth will always be made by the people looking to set themselves apart from others. Winter camping, for instance, is something that would keep campsites open all year compared to seasonal camping. It is what may keep operations open moving forward.
Zach said he agreed with Irene when she said they had to meet their guests from where their expectations were. Campground owners are selling the experience, not the accommodations, and that thought is what makes good operators.
