DESTINATIONS
THE JOURNEY FROM BLOG TO LEADING INDUSTRY WEBSITE Interviewee: Ruben Martinez, Co-Founder of Glamping Hub
Ruben explains that Glamping Hub started with David Troya from Sevilla Spain and himself, from Albuquerque New Mexico. Two friends who met in Spain years before. While they both were obtaining MBAs, David at University of San Francisco and Ruben at Regis University in Colorado, David first heard the term glamping in one of his classes and knew this was something he wanted us to explore. “After discussing the potential, we started putting together ideas and brought on another friend, and third Co-Founder, Talal Benjelloun,” he says,
Listing everything from Mom and Pop enterprises to management company rentals, Glamping Hub is the world’s leading portal for unique outdoor accommodations across the globe.
“Glamping Hub was built on the foundation of friendship, and some of the very first investors were close friends and family.”
With a reputation for offering one-of-a-kind accommodations and experiences and with over 30,000 accommodations in 120 countries, they are proving that there is a glamping site perfect for each and every traveller. As Co-Founder Ruben Martinez says, “It’s all about collecting memories, not things.”
THE EARLY SITE BLOG SITE TO INDUSTRY MOVER
In the early stages, Ruben explains that after they relaunched their blog into a booking platform, Glamping Hub was a listing service, where hosts would pay to have their glamping site listed.
For those bloggers with big dreams, it’s inspiring to know that Glamping Hub was founded in 2013, primarily as a blog. The following year it launched as a booking platform with 200 accommodations listed.
“Since then Glamping Hub has become fully transactional with a global focus,” he says, “Working with growing markets in the industry that have great potential like Australia, New Zealand and Canada as well as others.”
Today what separates Glampinghub.com from other listing websites is that all represented accommodations must be unique in their offerings and structure, offer a-one-of-a-kind experience and hotel-quality comfort, as well as be located in the outdoors.
Right from the start relationships have been very important to Glamping Hub. Some of their hosts are very small business owners who have incredible pride for the businesses they have created. Pouring their hearts and souls and often their life savings into their properties, creating their businesses and getting them off the ground into a territory and industry that is still quite young and is not fully understood.
“We work with hosts to curate and create handwritten listings that perfectly and accurately describe their site and offerings, and with guests to be able to have the experience of a lifetime at their desired glamping site,” Ruben says.
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