Marriot Enters the World of Glamping - And It Needs to be Careful

Happy new year Insiders! It’s been a while. Far too much fun to be had back in the UK…

Well, the big boys have officially arrived in glamping. 

Just before Christmas, Marriott announced the acquisition of Postcard Cabins (formerly Getaway). This is the single-biggest news story in the history of this industry.

And boy do I have some thoughts.

The Glamping Insider, reporting for duty.

First, the Good…

Let’s get this straight. This acquisition is brilliant news for our industry.

Marriott is the ‘old guard’. A brand that’s existed for 97 years, with a name recognized all around the globe. Its arrival into the glamping world is huge validation for this space, and for everyone building in it. 

Not only does Marriot’s arrival raise the industry’s profile, but it paves the way for future acquisitions. I can see the likes of Hilton and Hyatt making similar acquisitions in the years to come. There are now more opportunities for hard-working, creative glamping developers to earn a well-deserved payday.

But there is a caveat to all this.

The big boys need to be careful.

Arrogance or Humility?

Before any major hotel player bets big on glamping, they need to ask themselves one question:

“Do we understand this business?”

Whatever the industry, there’s a tendency for the ‘old guard’ to be arrogant when they enter a new space.

It wouldn’t be The Glamping Insider without a random analogy, so here’s the first one of 2025. This ‘old guard vs young bucks’ thing reminds me of how Youtubers competed with the legacy media in the 2010s.

I grew up with Youtube. What started in 2005 as a website for posting funny cat videos quickly became a career-maker. By the 2010s, being a ‘Youtuber’ was a full-time, highly-paid occupation. A lot of these guys were spotty teenagers talking about sports from their parents’ basements, but they were smart enough to figure out how the platform worked and what the Youtube audience wanted to see.

It quickly became apparent to the legacy media that Youtube was the new place to be. The audience was too big, and the money was too tempting. All of a sudden, those spotty teenagers talking about sports were competing with the likes of ESPN. 

As more and more legacy media companies joined the Youtube space, the ‘real’ Youtubers all made the same complaint. The legacy media were arrogant, and treated the Youtubers with disdain. They ignored the fact that the Youtubers had figured out the niche, and that everyone else was following their lead. And this arrogance led to expensive mistakes.

Nowadays, Youtube is more of an open book. The legacy brands understand the rules of the game, like the importance of titles and thumbnails, and they can beat ‘traditional’ Youtubers at their own game. 

But for a long while, the big boys got stung. They spent a whole load of money on a medium they didn’t understand, and they got beaten by the Youtubers. Badly. 

Now, let’s bring it back to glamping.

In that analogy, we’re the Youtubers. We’ve built this space. We know how it works. We understand that this business is about experiences, not accommodation. That access to nature is more important than 5-star linens. And that the founder’s relationship with their guests means more than brand name.

Marriott represents the old guard. The ones who built strong reputations in adjacent businesses, but are now entering our world. Their early success depends on whether they have the humility to understand that this isn’t the hotel business, and that things are different here.

I have no doubt that in 10 years’ time, there will be big names doing phenomenally well in the world of experiential hospitality. But the route to that destination may not be as smooth as the big boys would like.

If you’re an independent operator, this is your backyard. Don’t be intimidated by the old guard. Enjoy the opportunities their arrival brings, and go and beat them.

💡Idea of the Week - 360 Tours

Shoutout to Josh from Blackstrap Glamping for this one. Visitors to Blackstraps’ website can take a 360-degree tour of their glamping site, allowing you to look inside each unit before booking. See for yourself here.

📰 The Posh Report

If you’re new here, I’m the co-founder of Posh Outdoors, a luxury glamping revenue-share business. We partner with landowners, send them year-round glamping units to put on their land, and split the revenue. 

We’ve raised $458,050 from 89 investors so far, and it’s not too late for you to join the party. Check out our WeFunder page here, and reply to this email if you’d like to learn more about investing.

🌎️Insider’s World

2024 was an intense year! It involved a whole lot of fundraising, a ramped-up podcast schedule, the birth of this newsletter, and much more. 

That’s why spending two weeks back in the UK over Christmas was such a treat. It let me switch my brain off and enjoy time with family and friends. 

Now I’m back in the saddle and ready to launch Posh Outdoors with a bang in 2025. Happy new year to you all!