Glamping Business

RunningBasho

Hi All,
i'd appreciate it if you could give me some constructive feedback on a business idea i have.

a bit about myself, i'm in my mid 30's & recently unemployed, finding it difficult to get work so i'm trying to make a living out of a small farm. i have had opportunities to get a job away but have family commitments so can't leave.
I've never worked for myself so starting a business is a bit daunting.

i notice that there is a trend at the moment towards Glamping, (luxury Camping).
the idea is to merge comfort with nature, i'd offer the experience of a small farm, etc collect the eggs for breakfast, dig your own potatoes for dinner, eat farm reared beef/lamb.

i'm trying to gauge if this is a runner so i'd really appreciate any advice you could give;

i have the following questions in order to clarify my idea;

1)what comes to mind when you think of Glamping?

2)Would you consider glamping? trying to understand who my Customer segment?
families with children, couples, foreign tourists?

3) there are many forms of Glamping; which appeals most to you;
Tipi, Yurt, Shepherds Hut?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

Hillybilly4

Hi - the sorts of places offered by this UK company are what tick my boxes when thinking of glamping http://www.canopyandstars.co.uk/

Axwell

Glamping is a growing option for hen parites, a lot of the companies that offer organised hen parties have it on their websites as a package deal you can get. Worth looking into that side of it also.

bizzyb

These seem to be gaining a reputation http://www.podumnavillage.ie/ if their not competition the might give you some advice. I would imagine the start up costs are huge.

_Brian

RunningBasho wrote: »

Hi All,
i'd appreciate it if you could give me some constructive feedback on a business idea i have.

a bit about myself, i'm in my mid 30's & recently unemployed, finding it difficult to get work so i'm trying to make a living out of a small farm. i have had opportunities to get a job away but have family commitments so can't leave.
I've never worked for myself so starting a business is a bit daunting.

i notice that there is a trend at the moment towards Glamping, (luxury Camping).
the idea is to merge comfort with nature, i'd offer the experience of a small farm, etc collect the eggs for breakfast, dig your own potatoes for dinner, eat farm reared beef/lamb.

i'm trying to gauge if this is a runner so i'd really appreciate any advice you could give;

i have the following questions in order to clarify my idea;

1)what comes to mind when you think of Glamping?

2)Would you consider glamping? trying to understand who my Customer segment?
families with children, couples, foreign tourists?

3) there are many forms of Glamping; which appeals most to you;
Tipi, Yurt, Shepherds Hut?

Thanks for taking the time to reply.

We use our own Caravan so we're not potential customers but I've been watching the Glamping idea develop..

Foreign Tourists - I'd be surprised if they were a potential market as on the continent camping is much more mainstream and so traveling with their own tent is much more likely.

Couples- typically have more disposable income and so will more likely opt for a hotel break over anything too rough N ready.

Families with Children - This is a potential market, might attract those who don't like the idea of too much rough but would still like the experience of camping. then budget is a big thing, I've seen glamping where it would be easy to get a hotel room or self catering house on hotel grounds cheaper.

Hens - I'd say if you could muster up novelty activities then they might be a good market.. maybe make contacts with folks offering Archery/Clay Shooting who could come to your site to the Hens, making a package thing might work.. Add in optional transport though local taxi so they get out and about too..

I don't think many of the Glamping business out there will survive as they are charging Premium prices for non premium locations and experiences. If you do it right you have a good chance, your chances would be improved if your near a tourist area with scenery/attractions.. Campsites we visit in Ireland are essentially bases where we visit the locality from.. with your Glamping you need to offer a "whole experience"

Tabnabs

Location, location, location. To be success as a new venture, you'd ideally be within 1 - 1.5 hours of Dublin (largest urban centre). Glamping is pitched at the luxurious outdoors experience market, so digging for spuds and rooting in the henhouse may not be your target market (selling fresh eggs and spuds from the "barn" to campers may be a nice little side line though).

You'd need to look at any issues surrounding change of use of land, would this be a problem? What density would be permissible and the additional costs (water supply, electricity, sanitation, washing facilities etc. etc.). Is it a year round operation, or just summer months? What do you project your occupancy will be, this will give an idea of income. If you attract hen parties, then families will be put off, so what is your target market? What's in the area to add value to your destination?

Plenty of interesting reading on this thread https://www.linkedin.com/groups/So-I-have-been-thinking-3526257.S.97085804

_Brian

Tabnabs wrote: »

Location, location, location. To be success as a new venture, you'd ideally be within 1 - 1.5 hours of Dublin (largest urban centre). Glamping is pitched at the luxurious outdoors experience market, so digging for spuds and rooting in the henhouse may not be your target market (selling fresh eggs and spuds from the "barn" to campers may be a nice little side line though).

You'd need to look at any issues surrounding change of use of land, would this be a problem? What density would be permissible and the additional costs (water supply, electricity, sanitation, washing facilities etc. etc.). Is it a year round operation, or just summer months? What do you project your occupancy will be, this will give an idea of income. If you attract hen parties, then families will be put off, so what is your target market? What's in the area to add value to your destination?

Plenty of interesting reading on this thread https://www.linkedin.com/groups/So-I-have-been-thinking-3526257.S.97085804

I'd agree with everything except the need to be near Dublin... There is life outside the Pale..

Buttercake

Similar-ish discussion: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057262379

RunningBasho

Axwell wrote: »

Glamping is a growing option for hen parites, a lot of the companies that offer organised hen parties have it on their websites as a package deal you can get. Worth looking into that side of it also.

hi axwell, actually saw this alright, don't think i have the facilities to entertain a group of women.. yet..
appreciate the idea though

RunningBasho

bizzyb wrote: »

These seem to be gaining a reputation if their not competition the might give you some advice. I would imagine the start up costs are huge.

well the idea would be to start up small, one or two pods and see if there's uptake

pedroeibar1

_Brian wrote: »

I'd agree with everything except the need to be near Dublin... There is life outside the Pale..

So where are your customers going to come from? How are you going to attract them?
How much money have you got to invest? How much do you intend to spend on marketing? Where? How?
Answer those questions and I bet other posters will will take your questions more seriously.

msdoc

where are you based?
I often bring the kids to the Glenroe farm and we're looking at going to the Kia Ora farm tomorrow.
I don't have any info on how profitable something like this is but as a parent of young children we're always looking for places to bring the kids. We'll pay entrance money and probably buy coffees, ice creams etc.

RunningBasho

_Brian wrote: »

We use our own Caravan so we're not potential customers but I've been watching the Glamping idea develop..


Foreign Tourists - I'd be surprised if they were a potential market as on the continent camping is much more mainstream and so traveling with their own tent is much more likely.

yes i've done it myself but the weather is a big factor, in the UK where the conditions are similiar, there's much more acceptance to glamping

Couples- typically have more disposable income and so will more likely opt for a hotel break over anything too rough N ready.
agree

Families with Children - This is a potential market, might attract those who don't like the idea of too much rough but would still like the experience of camping. then budget is a big thing, I've seen glamping where it would be easy to get a hotel room or self catering house on hotel grounds cheaper.
yes from what i see the pricing is not cheap, but family rooms in hotels are charging 150 + per night around me here.

Hens - I'd say if you could muster up novelty activities then they might be a good market.. maybe make contacts with folks offering Archery/Clay Shooting who could come to your site to the Hens, making a package thing might work.. Add in optional transport though local taxi so they get out and about too..

I don't think many of the Glamping business out there will survive as they are charging Premium prices for non premium locations and experiences. If you do it right you have a good chance, your chances would be improved if your near a tourist area with scenery/attractions.. Campsites we visit in Ireland are essentially bases where we visit the locality from.. with your Glamping you need to offer a "whole experience"

hi Brian, appreciate the feedback & i agree with most, some good insights there,
regards the caravan ; a different market, i'll agree but i think there's demand for a proper site for the likes of yourselves too.
the hens are a recurring theme but would alienate families if i went down that route.

RunningBasho

Tabnabs wrote: »

Location, location, location. To be success as a new venture, you'd ideally be within 1 - 1.5 hours of Dublin (largest urban centre). Glamping is pitched at the luxurious outdoors experience market, so digging for spuds and rooting in the henhouse may not be your target market (selling fresh eggs and spuds from the "barn" to campers may be a nice little side line though).

You'd need to look at any issues surrounding change of use of land, would this be a problem? What density would be permissible and the additional costs (water supply, electricity, sanitation, washing facilities etc. etc.). Is it a year round operation, or just summer months? What do you project your occupancy will be, this will give an idea of income. If you attract hen parties, then families will be put off, so what is your target market? What's in the area to add value to your destination?

Plenty of interesting reading on this thread

hi tabnabs, some good questions, exactly the kind of questions i'm looking for.
first off , i'm not near dublin but clare, not off the beaten track by any means so location is good.
that would also mean it's seasonal, april to october.
Target market is something i'm trying to validate at the moment, families with children or couples seem the most likely. the Atlantic way is attracting a lot of european couples who have camped throughout europe so would be more open to the idea of glamping.

regards the additional costs, i was considering just putting up a shepards hut off the grid on airbnb and see if there's demand for a back to basics approach, if would have solar panels.
what do you think?

thanks for the linkedin discussion, very handy

RunningBasho

msdoc wrote: »

where are you based?
I often bring the kids to the Glenroe farm and we're looking at going to the Kia Ora farm tomorrow.
I don't have any info on how profitable something like this is but as a parent of young children we're always looking for places to bring the kids. We'll pay entrance money and probably buy coffees, ice creams etc.

based in Clare, but wasn't thinking of starting an open farm, just accommodation with experience of living on a farm

Help!!!!

RunningBasho wrote: »

hi tabnabs, some good questions, exactly the kind of questions i'm looking for.
first off , i'm not near dublin but clare, not off the beaten track by any means so location is good.
that would also mean it's seasonal, april to october.
Target market is something i'm trying to validate at the moment, families with children or couples seem the most likely. the Atlantic way is attracting a lot of european couples who have camped throughout europe so would be more open to the idea of glamping.

regards the additional costs, i was considering just putting up a shepards hut off the grid on airbnb and see if there's demand for a back to basics approach, if would have solar panels.
what do you think?

thanks for the linkedin discussion, very handy

why not forget the glamping for now.....just open as a campsite, charge per night/tent/person for the first year. see how you do
Have a shed or hut, customers buy a ticket win a can of beer

RunningBasho

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

So where are your customers going to come from? How are you going to attract them?
How much money have you got to invest? How much do you intend to spend on marketing? Where? How?
Answer those questions and I bet other posters will will take your questions more seriously.

in fairness there is already glamping in fairly remote regions in ireland already, that's kinda the appeal.
from what i can see, only a facebook page & website are the only marketing tools used.

i do see where your coming from though with the population base, that's why the seem to be so successful in the UK

pedroeibar1

They are not very successful in 'the UK' which has a population twelve times that of Ireland. There are a couple in Scotland that 'survive' but they have excellent associated attractions. The target markets for glamping, camping and caravaning are miles apart. The hen party market is so different it may as well be on another planet.
You have not indicated what level of investment you can commit - until you state that amount comments on what you should do are waffle.

_Brian

_Brian wrote: »

I'd agree with everything except the need to be near Dublin... There is life outside the Pale..

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

So where are your customers going to come from? How are you going to attract them?
How much money have you got to invest? How much do you intend to spend on marketing? Where? How?
Answer those questions and I bet other posters will will take your questions more seriously.

Ehh ??
I'm not asking the questions here, I was giving my opinions to the OP...

Yes Dublin is a big market, but the notion that a business can only be started within a small radius of the Capital is a bit narrow minded..

pedroeibar1

_Brian wrote: »

Ehh ??
Yes Dublin is a big market, but the notion that a business can only be started within a small radius of the Capital is a bit narrow minded..

I never said that, you did. We are talking about Glamping, not 'business' so the potential customer demographic is quite specific.

I think Clare is a wonderful place, and I expect the OP's farm fields are really nice, but it has to be realised that

-Dublin City and County has a population of 1,273,069.

- 1.8 million people currently live in the Greater Dublin Area, (including Meath, Kildare and Wicklow.) This figure is set to grow to 2.1 million by 2020.

-The GDA accounts for 39% of the State’s population.

- Currently Clare has a population of about 100k, which is less than the footfall in Grafton street on a wet Saturday.

Anyone I know from Clare wouldn't go near a tent (well, has not since their student days anyway!)

pedronomix

RunningBasho wrote: »

based in Clare, but wasn't thinking of starting an open farm, just accommodation with experience of living on a farm

Glamour Camping? this does not sound in any way glamorous to me.. a hut/tent in a field on a working farm. Maybe I am missing something, Wow me with the detail of the fabulous on-site facilities!

To me it sounds like a grubby B&B describing itself as a boutique accommodation experience!! as in using one buzz word to induce the unwitting.

jamesbondings

To be honest this is a very very good idea.... Something if marketed correctly could do well. Ideally (IMHO) the land would be wooded and have direct access to a lake (for fishing). Someone above mentioned finances and this could cost a small fortune. This could be the cheaper alternative to family weekend retreats or romanticbreaks away. There are alota lot of extras that could be nice little earners too eg. Rental of boat fishing gear, champagne on arrival, a small shop on the land (which locals could use too)

However with such little info no one can really advise anything. This sounds amazing and gas a lot of potential but you need to a) explain more and b) pump money into it!

If I was to be roped into glamping, my interpretation would be arriving to a large tent, that inside looks like a 5 star hotel room, with shower facilities inside and so on.
Champagne on arrival, meals cooked by serious chefs eaten down by a lake, followed by maybe some live entertainment.

Otherwise its just gona be putting up a tent on farm, and doing stuff none of which is glamorous. Maybe Im wrong here but a farm does not create images of glamour in my head at all, quite the opposite in fact.

Maybe some sort of irish farm experience for american tourists would be a better idea. If your not near dublin, and somewhere like Clare, this might be a better angle to get tourists as customers, and it might be easier to create this experience for a lot less. Easier to market too, and probably would be able to garner some help from government offices in terms of marketing.

Tabnabs

Yeah, that's not Glamping though.

Glamping (IMHO) is



or ideally with a little wood stove (this is Ireland after all...)



Even the Mount Charles clan up in Slane are at it, although they call it Boutique Camping

http://rockfarmslane.ie/boutique-camping/

But the fundamentals remain the same:

• Location
• High Standard of accommodation (and a choice for budgets and group sizes)
• Self catering facilities
• Hot showers and high standard service block
• Fire Pit (can't go glamping without an old campfire)

I can't help but think that the target market (domestically) is the type of person who reads the IT Saturday supplement. I don't know if that's a pro or a con, but it's their kind of thing.

Well that first tent looks pretty good, if you could stick a bathroom in it

Probably my interpretation of glamping is all wrong But how is self catering glamorous I dont get it? But if people aren't expecting too much glamour then maybe its not such a costly idea to put together after all?

thecommander

Glamping in America.
Butler service, golf buggies, range of activities etc.

thecommander

thecommander wrote: »

Glamping in America.
Butler service, golf buggies, range of activities etc.

Thats the sh*t Im talking about

highlandseoghan

Hi OP,
Im in my mid 30s and have done glamping in the uk before and plan on doing it again. I found it excellent. I would suggest that your location and services are what make it. Where we stayed was amazing similar to some of the photos above. I would imagine its expensive to set up.

I wouldnt be interested in collecting my own eggs or veg etc,... but if you sold them and I knew they were grown in the field or locally I would be very interested in purchasing them.

I do have a few businesses up and running and after being glamping I would imagine set up costs are huge if done right. Marketing is also going to be key to you succeeding.

MoneyMonkey

Hi,
I recently say a programme with glamping in it on the brennan brothers show 'At your service' they set up a few tents as they had a camping site I think it might be a good idea to watch it and check up on them? I'm kinda new here so I'm probably doing this all wrong but still! Good luck might be worth a shot

_Brian

RunningBasho wrote: »

hi tabnabs, some good questions, exactly the kind of questions i'm looking for.
first off , i'm not near dublin but clare, not off the beaten track by any means so location is good.
that would also mean it's seasonal, april to october.
Target market is something i'm trying to validate at the moment, families with children or couples seem the most likely. the Atlantic way is attracting a lot of european couples who have camped throughout europe so would be more open to the idea of glamping.

regards the additional costs, i was considering just putting up a shepards hut off the grid on airbnb and see if there's demand for a back to basics approach, if would have solar panels.
what do you think?

thanks for the linkedin discussion, very handy

I can see where your coming from regarding off the grid etc but I think that's a different market segment, "the greens"..

Your typical folks away for a weekend or week probably aren't too interested where their power comes from as long as it stays on..

Going solar would need to pay back the investment and so I think you would need to go all out green to attract the green idealists who will appreciate it.. A very niche market I'd imagine, lots of research would be needed before investment.

RunningBasho

hi guys, i had to go away for a few days at short notice, so just catching up on things now,
a lot of very pertinent questions there. promise i will get back later.

@_Brian i see what you mean about "off the grid" might satisfy one very niche market but will alienate others.
@pedroeibar1 you make valid points regarding the population base which i have already acknowledged. "There are a couple in Scotland that 'survive' but they have excellent associated attractions".
i live close to an an excellent associated attraction too.
you seem to know a bit about the "business" so apprentice the feedback