You'll Never Be As Good As Bolt Farm Treehouse

Okay, that subject line was a little harsh. Let me correct it.

You’ll almost certainly never be as good as Bolt Farm Treehouse. 

Still not the most positive, but it’s accurate. The chances of your glamping operation reaching the quality levels of big names like Bolt Farm, Open Sky, Live Oak Lake, etc, are slim.

It’s important to understand that. But it’s even more important to know that this is completely okay. 

There’s a hell of a lot of opportunity in this space. Victory isn’t reserved solely for those charging prices that make you cry as you click ‘checkout’. 

What’s more, many of you Insiders won’t want to implement the Bolt Farm model. (I’m going to call you “Insiders” from now on - is that okay?)

This dispatch is a weird one, but I think you’ll like it. It starts off a little doom-and-gloom, but it ends with a touch of sentimentality. Along the way, I admit that I’ve been getting something badly wrong, and I throw in a couple of random analogies for good measure. 

If that sounds like a fun ride to you, keep reading

Why You Probably Won’t Be As Good as Bolt Farm

I’m going to use an analogy that really exposes my Englishness.

The businesses I focus on in this newsletter — Bolt Farm, Walden Retreats, The Fields, Open Sky, Onera, Live Oak Lake, etc — they’re the Premier League of glamping operations. 

For those that don’t know, the Premier League is the highest level of English football (I will NOT call it “soccer”).

It’s where the best compete. The crème de la crème. The place ambitious footballers aspire to reach.

Unfortunately for most up-and-comers, it’s bloody hard to get to the Premier League. Even for those in the youth systems of professional clubs, the chances of making it to that level are vanishingly small.

Thankfully, the English football pyramid is strong. There are several professional leagues below the Premier League, and a ton of semi-pro leagues below that. You can still make a great living if you fall short of the elite.

Analogy over. Hope I didn’t lose you. Now let’s bring it back to glamping.

Those glamping businesses are Premier League level because of the quality of the entrepreneurs behind them. 

Tori Bolt, Blake Smith, Irene Wood, Bygnal Dutson, Ben Wolff, Isaac French – they all embody a unique mix of qualities that very few people possess. To create experiences that people are willing to pay $500+ per night for, they’ve demonstrated intricate design, outstanding guest experience planning, and a knack for social media marketing.

Above all, they’re completely obsessed with what they do.

That level of obsession, coupled with those qualities, is rare. Most people don’t have it in them.

Thankfully, just like English football, the glamping pyramid is strong…

P.S. If you think you’re Premier League level, reply to this email. I’d like to talk to you.

Why It Doesn’t Matter If You’re Not As Good as Bolt Farm

Glamping is a new industry, but it’s growing fast. So fast that nobody really knows the future.

Here’s how I think it shapes up. Glamping will become a cultural cornerstone. I think there’s a real chance it becomes the modern version of camping. As that happens, we’ll see segmentation of the market.

For any given glamping experience, you’ll be able to put it in some kind of bucket, be that ‘exclusive luxury’, ‘refined modern’ or ‘affordable’. The pyramid structure will become clear.

It’s like how hotels have star rating systems. The scale will be less rigid than a score out of 5, but sites will be easier to categorize as more hit the market.

Bolt Farm is the glamping equivalent of Ritz-Carlton. Super high-end and expensive. You need Premier League ability to pull it off.

It’s much easier to build a great 4-star or 3-star resort. Crucially, there’s still great money to be made in those markets. 

Before you go too far down the track with this glamping thing, ask yourself if you want to be a Ritz-Carlton or a Holiday Inn. The former sounds sexier, but the latter may be the better route.

Now, let me pull you away from that messy clash of football and hotel analogies. It’s time to confess what I've been getting completely wrong in this business…

I’ve Been Thinking About the Industry Wrong

Yes, pigs do fly. Even The Glamping Insider gets it wrong sometimes.

My favorite message after last week’s dispatch came from Jacquie Reeds, who’s dreaming of building a glampground in Ottawa, Canada. Her email was beautifully written, and here’s a section of it:

Jacquie’s email reminded me that we’re all on the same side here. My focus in this newsletter and at Posh Outdoors might be on the high-end places, but the more affordable sites will be just as important to this industry, if not more. 

One day, North America will be filled with glamping sites. This is a good thing. It offers people an escape to the outdoors without making them pitch a tent or sleep on the ground. 

That experience should be accessible to everyone, and not just those able to pay $500 per night. To do that, we need operators creating high-quality, affordable experiences. And yes, ‘high-quality’ and ‘affordable’ belong in the same sentence.

Up to now, all my thoughts have been devoted to the luxury end of the market. I’m not going to be too hard on myself for that. Getting Posh off the ground has required singular obsession with the $500+ ADR operator.

But, from now on, I promise to be less narrow minded about the industry. Glamping is a genuine social good, and we should do everything we can to spread the word. That starts with acknowledging that the ‘little guys’ are just as important as the big guns.

So, What’s Next?

This newsletter isn’t suddenly going to teach you how to create a $200 stay. My primary focus remains on those ‘elite’ operators. Acknowledging the importance of affordable options doesn’t mean that specializing in the luxury niche is a bad thing.

But I will be writing with greater purpose. 

For glamping to become the cultural cornerstone that I know it can be, we need the affordable stays to have a reputation for being great. Charging lower prices isn’t an excuse for laziness or mediocrity. 

In sharing the secrets of the expensive resorts, I hope their practices trickle down and make everyone stronger. I’ve done my job if Jacquie takes last week’s dispatch on guestbooks, puts that little bit of extra care into her own guestbooks, and strengthens her offering as a result. More happy guests = more people wanting to go glamping. 

We’re all in this together. And I, for one, am very happy about that.

💡Idea of the Week

Shoutout to Glenn Crockett for this one. He’s a loyal Insider with a beautiful glamping site in Arkansas called Sunset Farm Treehouses.

His units include a wall-mounted TV that looks just like a picture frame. When he knows a guest is celebrating a special occasion, he sets up a personalized message to greet them when they arrive.

I love it when an Idea of the Week comes from an Insider. If you have one that should be featured in the newsletter, hit ‘reply’ and let it rip!

🎧️ On the Pod

This week’s pod was a co-production with the excellent Behind the Stays Podcast. Host Zach Busekrus and I chaired a round table with Isaac French (formerly of Live Oak Lake) and Ben Wolff, founder of Onera and board member at Posh Outdoors.

You'll learn why their philosophy is "build less, spend more"; why Ben is betting big on wellness; and how their approaches to scale differ. Check it out on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

P.S. Multiple people have told me the previous episode with Tori Bolt is their favourite ever episode of the pod. Also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Youtube.

That’s all folks. Before you head off for the weekend, don’t forget to get those referrals in!