Is Trust in a Brand More Important than Ever for UK Glamping Guests?

Charles Gulland, Founder & Director Wigwam® Holidays

Background

I built my first Wigwam glamping pod in 1992, 30 years ago! At the time, there was nothing else quite like it and there was certainly no such thing as ‘glamping’, or even ‘pods’ for that matter.

As a graduate from Hooke Park College, Dorset, I was a specialist in the use of forest thinnings in construction. In January 1990, I started work with the Countryside Commision for Scotland as designer in residence, my brief was to create a low cost, affordable accommodation option for walkers on long distance footpaths. Inspired by the architecture of Native Americans and with a passion for the outdoors, the project was a perfect fit and shortly afterwards, our original ‘Wigwam’ camping cabin was born. I started my business in 1992 and pioneered the market for these small wooden cabins, predominantly on farms offering an alternative to traditional camping.

Wigwam Holidays was launched in 2000 to bring together these first few cabin locations. We agreed with our customers to build a website and contribute to a joint marketing fund. With the Wigwam trademarked, we were open for business and the very first ‘glamping’ sites were born. As the network grew, we understood the need for consistency. We learnt from each other, collaborated to offer online booking, and finally launched our franchise model in 2014.

Much has changed since those early days. We now have as many people employed in our marketing and operational departments as are employed in our workshop. We focus just as much on building an excellent and trusted brand as we do on manufacturing an excellent cabin. Our booking system and website are now paramount to everything we do.

Growth of Glamping

Markets, just like everything else of course, are constantly changing, and this has certainly been true for the UK glamping sector. Our first competitors didn’t arrive until the mid 2000’s and today we are faced with multiple manufacturers offering a bewildering range of similar products. The increase in glamping businesses has gone into hyperdrive over the past few years and it is now crucial for those of us in the industry to distinguish ourselves from the competition.

Over the last two years, the staycation market has boomed as people came out of months of lockdown and foreign travel was curtailed by travel restrictions. The British public discovered their home country as never before and unearthed the fundamental truth that we are nourished by and are happier outdoors. Glamping provides the ideal back to nature experience; campfires, starry skies and the luxury of a heated cabin, pod or luxurious canvas abode. As we move forward in an uncertain economic and political climate, people still remember those vacations, not just of childhood, but from last year. Bookings tend to be last minute, sometimes reliant on the vagaries of the British weather. It is fundamental that the family holiday or break is safeguarded and an established brand with clear standards of service, experience and quality are fundamental to the booking decision.

Trust

Trust - that tried, tested, and most valuable currency - is critical to distinguish brands from the many disparate glamping offerings now available. This starts with the customers who holiday at your site. It is crucial that they trust your brand to deliver a great holiday. Your logo alone should inspire this feeling. When guests are booking their next adventure, and are faced with an overwhelming list of options, it is your brand or site that they will trust to give them the same great experience they have had before. In a market as saturated and unregulated as UK glamping, what was always important, is now vital. For customer trust, you must provide an excellent customer experience, plain, simple, and more importantly you have to apply this consistently.

In an increasingly saturated market, with a plethora of different booking channels and experiences, all of us in this industry must continue to adapt, grow and provide a customer first approach to our marketing and business. There are no shortcuts however and no easy route to success. Building trust takes time and I would encourage any ambitious new businesses in the sector to be patient and focus on the fundamentals: Consistency, Quality product, Quality experience.

It is these fundamental principles which your brand must communicate and will ensure your business growth and survival in the years to come. As we face political, environmental, and economic uncertainty, people will always need the healing power of nature, which we find in abundance in the great British outdoors.

Trust in your brand is more important than ever before to build consumer confidence and future proof your glamping business.