Glamping Diversification

Glamping is a popular option for Equine and farm businesses diversification. Equine and farm businesses typically have barns and outbuildings on their agricultural land, this opens up the opportunity for diversifying into farm stay accommodation, farm shops, farm parks, farm cafe’s or wedding venues.

The issue with these equine or farm diversification projects is the cost associated with barn or derelict building conversion is exhaustive, unpredictable and the return on investment can amount to several years. This can make this option nonviable to most equine or farm businesses.

Now with glamping diversification options the farm stay accommodation market is open to more farm and equine businesses. 

Glamping

So what are your options for glamping diversification and what sort of costs are involved?

Popular glamping options include shepherd huts, yurts and log cabins / lodges but obviously it’s not just about the accommodation, it’s very important to consider the facilities required for your guests.

As glamping has been going strong for many years now it is a competitive market and customer expectation is high. Getting it right doesn’t have to be about an extensive budget, quirky and rustic is popular in this market for facilities but guest requirements must be catered for.

If your remote and miles from a shop, some access to essentials must be catered for whether in a welcome pack, a delivery service or an on site farm cafe or farm shop needs to be considered. Some people have had great success converting busses or horseboxes into a farm shop or cafe, which explains the reference to quirky and can get around planning permission.

Glamping Yurts

Yurts have been used as homes for nomads from Mongolia, China and Turkey for centuries. They made an ideal home for farmers travelling according to the grazing needs of their livestock, the yurt would house a whole family and was easily portable when moving on to find new grazing. Yurts although they can differ in size and decoration the fundamental design remains the same, traditionally they were a round tent made from angled pieces of wood or a trellis like design, a central crown held with rafters, a door frame and covered in sheepskin.

Yurts used for the modern UK market work from the traditional design with adaptations for our climate and conditions and using suitable materials and modern technology.

Yurts used for glamping are typically between 16 foot and 20 foot in diameter. The 16ft yurt is 200 sq ft in diameter with a floor area of 16 sq metres and starts at £5520 including VAT  for a basic yurt. The basic yurt doesn’t include insulation so would not be usable in colder months without investing in insulation and heating.

The most common extras that are required are flooring, insulation, heating, windows and extra doors to extend usability into colder months. All extras can be supplied by our Yurt making provider.

Equine and farm businesses thinking about a glamping diversification will have to consider what they offer as extras, yurt size etc as yurts vary in rental price from around £40 to £90 a night.

Glamping Pods

Glamping pods offer a simple, secure and comfortable alternative to tents. Eliminating the issue of putting a tent up and down and provide complete protection from the elements. The pods even the basic pods are a glamping option as they are for more glam than camping in a tent.

Glamping Pods can provide accommodation for up to five people and typically have an interior floor area of 6 feet wide by 9 feet long. They can also be built with an outside  decking area which offers an outside space for guests to sunbathe or eat al fresco. 

Glamping pods are designed to offer a comfortable alternative to traditional camping in a tent, glamping as it is typically referred to now, Glam Camping. The glamping pods are insulated with sheep wool which along with the roofing material is designed for both warmth in our unpredictable British climate and to eliminate noises outside the glamping pod.

Basic pods are typically kitted out with a heater, lighting & an electrical socket and guests bring their own camping bed, air bed and bedding.

Pods are a very popular glamping choice offering more comfort, protection, luxury and security while still enabling guests to engage with the scenic countryside and the great outdoors.

They are typically rented out to guests for around £50 a night for 2 people but with a capacity of 5 people charged at around £5 per extra guest per night. Often with a minimum of 2 nights booking policy.

So, for 6 months occupancy of just 2 people a night there is an opportunity to make £9,000. If you offer breakfasts, farm produce or other services there is even more potential.

Glamping Luxury Pods

A luxurious glamping pod option ideally suited to two adults and two children offering comfort and ample space for a family break. With an added heating option can be rented out all year even with our British weather.

A popular option to ensure a high occupancy rate is to offer a decent sized decked area and a hot tub option charged at around an extra £50 per stay. Outdoor seating and a barbecue is pretty much a necessity as their is no extraction in the pods so typically installed with sinks, microwaves, tea and coffee facilities.

To bring in the higher rate per night for luxury status they would also need a double bed in the bedroom, double sofa bed in the living area, shower, sink, toilet and TV and radio.

Luxury glamping pods typically charge guests around £100 per night for two sharing and £15 per extra person with a capacity of four people. If you offer a Hot tub there is an opportunity to charge an extra £50 per stay.

Glamping Log Cabins

Hand crafted log cabins as in the photo at the top of the page, log cabins or lodges are the top of the range glamping experience offering home from home luxury ideal for a beautiful rural, equine or farm setting.

Hand crated log cabins are ideal for a high end farm stay diversification project, offering a higher rate of return for your equine or farm diversification.

All log cabins are hand crated in the UK from Douglas Fir or Western Red Cedar for their durability, strength and resistance to damaging fungi and rot. Every log is stripped of bark with a draw knife and worked using traditional hand tools, axes chainsaws, adzes etc.

The log cabins are then treated with a borate solution to protect the logs all year round from the elements and finished according to the buyers taste to enhance the colour of the log cabins and protect from the weather and ultraviolet light damage.

The log cabins or lodges can be fitted out to sleep five people if required with a double and single sofa bed in the living area and double bed in the bedroom.

Typical rental charges for log cabins or lodges are around £140 a night for 2 guests and an extra £15 per night per extra guest. Log cabins or lodges with a decked outside area, outdoor seating and barbecue will get a better occupancy rate and if a hot tub is added an even better occupancy rate and revenue can be achieved. Log cabins and lodges with a hot tub can be charged at an extra £50 a stay for the hot tub.

Price guide to build a log cabin or lodge is £1000 per square metre for the Log work. The log cabin at the top of the page is 25 square metres (269 square ft) and is priced at £25,000. Financing is available please enquire for details.

Professional Web Design