At one point in the mid-2010s, “glamping” became a four-letter word.
A sudden boom in upscale tented accommodations—which ultimately felt neither glamorous nor like camping—saw the trend go from boom to bust as quickly as spaghetti donuts and ramen burgers.
But now, glamping is back, and the glamour factor is through the canvas roof.
Everywhere from Luang Prabang to New South Wales, Tulum to Costa Rica— even in the heart of New York City—hoteliers are ditching bricks and mortar walls and ceilings for safari-style tents, many with free-standing bath tubs, fireplaces, wood floors, and outdoor dual-head rain showers. The concept has become so high-end, “glamping” no longer does it justice.
For travelers, the experience offers novelty, digital disconnection and access to experiences that are at once authentic and Instagrammable (when you get back on Wi-Fi). Think interacting with rescued elephants in northern Thailand at Four Season’s Golden Triangle tented camp or hot air ballooning over the Rocky Mountains from the Resort at Paws Up, in Montana.
“Kids love it—it’s great for multi-generational trips,” said Jack Ezon, president of Ovation Vacations. “It’s a completely different experience.” He says clients come to him with tented properties on their bucket lists—or simply looking for something “different” and outdoorsy.
Just don’t expect these trips to come cheap.
“We’ve seen some of our tents going for $5,000 a night,” said Luca Franco, founder and chief executive of Luxury Frontiers, a soup-to-nuts design firm and consultancy that specializes in ultra-high-end tented camps such as Abu Camp and Eagle Island Lodge, two iconic properties in Botswana. Among his upcoming projects: A One&Only resort in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico; a private island in the Maldives; and a tented village in Utah. At all of them, guests will pay a premium to camp out under the stars. With butler service, of course.
How Tents Lured the Ultra-Rich
When Franco got into the luxury tent business, the market was concentrated in Africa’s game parks. “All I knew was that 50 to 70 percent of the guests at the top-tier safari lodges in Africa were coming from the U.S,” he said. That signaled to him that the safari-style concept might have legs in other naturally pristine destinations.
“I saw a lot of demand and little supply,” Franco explained. And as the market for eco-sensitive and off-the-grid vacations has spiked, tented camps have benefited even more.